Quote

The objective level is not words, and cannot be reached by words alone. We must point our finger and be silent, or we will never reach this level.

Alfred Korzybski

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Alfred Korzybski
Age: 70 †
Born: 1879
Born: July 3
Died: 1950
Died: March 1
Engineer
Linguist
Mathematician
Philosopher
Warszawa
Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski
Levels
Finger
Alone
Objective
Point
Reached
Words
Objectives
Cannot
Fingers
Must
Silent
Never
Reach
Level

More quotes by Alfred Korzybski

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Man's achievements rest upon the use of symbols.... we must consider ourselves as a symbolic, semantic class of life, and those who rule the symbols, rule us.
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If a psychiatric and scientific inquiry were to be made upon our rulers, mankind would be appalled at the disclosures.
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Two important characteristics of maps should be noticed. A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.
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He who learns and learns and yet does not know what he knows, is one who plows and plows yet never sows.
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Identity is invariably false to facts.
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Second order effects, such as belief in belief, makes fanaticism.
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I am the same kind of moron as the rest of you, it's the method that does the work, for me as well as for you.
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The present non-aristotelian system is based on fundamental negative premises namely, the complete denial of 'identity.'
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Different ‘philosophies’ represent nothing but methods of evaluation, which may lead to empirical mis-evaluation if science and empirical facts are disregarded.
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Let us repeat the two crucial negative premises as established firmly by all human experience: (1) Words are not the things we are speaking about and (2) There is no such thing as an object in absolute isolation.
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Whatever you say it is, is simply what YOU SAY it is.
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It is now no mystery that some quite influential 'philosophers' were 'mentally' ill.
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One would have to say in the end everything is a gag, etc because everything is infinitely more than just a gag. The same applies to other is-statements such as Laughter is an instant vacation
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If words are not things, or maps are not the actual territory, then, obviously, the only possible link between the objective world and the linguistic world is found in structure, and structure alone.
Alfred Korzybski
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Who rules our symbols, rules us.
Alfred Korzybski
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Any object of thought is both 'more than what we think, and different'.
Alfred Korzybski
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Riches I need not, nor man's empty praise.
Alfred Korzybski
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Identification makes general sanity and complete adjustment impossible. Training in non-identity plays a therapeutic role with adults.
Alfred Korzybski
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Words don't mean, people mean.
Alfred Korzybski
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Whatever you may say something is, it is not!
Alfred Korzybski