--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Deciding what is being talked about is a…" description: "\"Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of interpretive bet.\" — Umberto Eco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg" --- # Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of… ![“Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of interpretive bet.” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg) > “Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of interpretive bet.” [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interpretation is a gamble on meaning, shaping discourse. **In simple terms:** Interpretation is an interpretive bet. Key Takeaway Question assumptions before speaking. Themes interpretation language meaning Mood analytical introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - literary analysis - media criticism - legal arguments - daily conversations Key Concepts semiotics communication subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions underlie your interpretations? - How do you test the validity of a meaning? A Different Perspective Interpretations can be biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“As Gazzaniga put it, "these findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard at work, seeking the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/as-gazzaniga-put-it-these-findings-all-suggest-that-the-interpretive/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [In fact, the difference between creative and interpretive, it all starts with the writing. Then if you can get the money together to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/in-fact-the-difference-between-creative-and-interpretive-it-all/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [And I like to interpret music. So I think it's all interpretive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/and-i-like-to-interpret-music-so-i-think-it-s-all-interpretive/) [Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/) > [Acting is mostly interpretive. They use different parts of you, and different sides of you, and different so-called talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/acting-is-mostly-interpretive-they-use-different-parts-of-you-and/) [Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/) > [It is an essential part of the interpretive work that it should keep in step with fluctuations between love and hatred, between happiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-klein/it-is-an-essential-part-of-the-interpretive-work-that-it-should-keep/) [Melanie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-klein/) > [ That is to say, the inspiration, the interpretive richness of the text is what Elie \[Wiesel\] does publicly, and his interest in history is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/that-is-to-say-the-inspiration-the-interpretive-richness-of-the-text/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [“Demarcating the border between sense and nonsense makes interpretive frames reflexive and therefore serves as a catalyst for exploring the very parameters of learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-menninghaus/demarcating-the-border-between-sense-and-nonsense-makes-interpretive/) Winfried Menninghaus > [It is a sound interpretive rule...that anything that cannot be accomplished except with the aid of threats or the actual exercise of violence against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-higgs/it-is-a-sound-interpretive-rule-that-anything-that-cannot-be/) [Robert Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-higgs/) > [Color is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/color-is-descriptive-black-and-white-is-interpretive/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [What is the difference between a truly creative artist and an interpretive artist? I have not concluded anything about that, but it's fair to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/what-is-the-difference-between-a-truly-creative-artist-and-an/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [“Would it help if I performed an interpretive dance while I said the words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cannon/would-it-help-if-i-performed-an-interpretive-dance-while-i-said-the/) [Chris Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cannon/) > [I don’t know how to explain it.” “Try words. If that doesn’t work, we’ll move on to interpretive dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/i-don-t-know-how-to-explain-it-try-words-if-that-doesn-t-work-we-ll/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [“We all see the same thing, but interpretive it differently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sukant-ratnakar/we-all-see-the-same-thing-but-interpretive-it-differently/) [Sukant Ratnakar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sukant-ratnakar/) > [The interpretive element of 'Lost' - the fact that you immediately need, as soon as the episode is over, to seek out a community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/the-interpretive-element-of-lost-the-fact-that-you-immediately-need/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [Interpretive thinking, as an art form, is dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/interpretive-thinking-as-an-art-form-is-dying/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) ## More by Umberto Eco > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) [Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More Deciding quotes > [It's very important to me that I look good when I go out publicly. I like looking at my clothes rack in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-i-look-good-when-i-go-out-publicly-i/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) > [When a new idea comes our way, we must put it on our mental scales and weigh it carefully before deciding its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/when-a-new-idea-comes-our-way-we-must-put-it-on-our-mental-scales-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The hardest thing is deciding what I should tell you and what not to. Well, anyway, I've got a while yet before you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-connor/the-hardest-thing-is-deciding-what-i-should-tell-you-and-what-not-to/) [Sarah Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-connor/) > [One of the hardest parts of life is deciding to walk away or try harder...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-hardest-parts-of-life-is-deciding-to-walk-away-or-try/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My goal is to leave the producer with so many good takes, that he or she has a tough time deciding on the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-paulsen/my-goal-is-to-leave-the-producer-with-so-many-good-takes-that-he-or/) [Rob Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-paulsen/) > [The work of deciding cases goes on every day in hundreds of courts throughout the land. Any judge, one might suppose, would find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-work-of-deciding-cases-goes-on-every-day-in-hundreds-of-courts/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [My faith is central to who I am as a human being, not just as an actor - so it informs every decision I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-mcdonough/my-faith-is-central-to-who-i-am-as-a-human-being-not-just-as-an-actor/) [Neal McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-mcdonough/) > [I was born with this love for music, and I say 'born with' because I don't really remember a day waking up and deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/i-was-born-with-this-love-for-music-and-i-say-born-with-because-i-don/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/deciding-what-not-to-do-is-as-important-as-deciding-what-to-do/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Getting what you want means deciding what youll give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/getting-what-you-want-means-deciding-what-youll-give-up/) Senoraroy > [It is easy to decide on what is wrong to wear to a party, such as deep-sea diving equipment or a pair of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easy-to-decide-on-what-is-wrong-to-wear-to-a-party-such-as-deep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Faith isn't figuring out what we're able to do, it's deciding what we're going to do - even when we think we can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/faith-isn-t-figuring-out-what-we-re-able-to-do-it-s-deciding-what-we/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [“We’re making our decisions … or so we think. Yet in truth, ignorance, greed, and the scourge of immediate gratification are often the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/we-re-making-our-decisions-or-so-we-think-yet-in-truth-ignorance/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Attention is the fundamental instrument we use for learning, thinking, communicating, deciding, yet neither parents nor schools spend any time helping young people learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-rheingold/attention-is-the-fundamental-instrument-we-use-for-learning-thinking/) [Howard Rheingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-rheingold/) > [When I'm deciding to read a book, I never open to the first chapter, because that's been revised and worked over 88 times. I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/when-i-m-deciding-to-read-a-book-i-never-open-to-the-first-chapter/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) Browse all 259 Deciding quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of interpretive bet.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Umberto Eco" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a-kind-of-interpretive-bet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deciding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a-kind-of-interpretive-bet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/umberto-eco-313_deciding_deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a_2948396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Deciding what is being talked about is a kind of interpretive bet.” — Umberto Eco", "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": "Umberto Eco", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Deciding what is being talked about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a-kind-of-interpretive-bet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/deciding-what-is-being-talked-about-is-a-kind-of-interpretive-bet/#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 } } ] } ```