--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A thing is a thing, not what is said of…" description: "\"A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.\" — Susan Sontag" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg" --- # A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing. ![“A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg) > “A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.” [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A thing’s identity is independent of the language used to describe it. **In simple terms:** Objects exist beyond descriptions. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of language. Themes language perception reality Mood analytical critical Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - art criticism - legal definitions - scientific labeling Key Concepts semiotics ontology interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How does naming affect understanding? - Can we ever fully escape description? 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Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman [Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Sontag" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-that-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Funny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-that-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/susan-sontag-332_funny_a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-t_320017.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.” — Susan Sontag", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan Sontag", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A thing is a thing, not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-that-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/a-thing-is-a-thing-not-what-is-said-of-that-thing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```