Skip to content
EVERY ANGEL IS TERRIFYING

EVERY ANGEL IS TERRIFYING

Duino Elegies–Ranier Maria Rilke

Say What?

Say What?

March 12, 2026 Jerry King Comments 0 Comment

A comparison of two quotations is a riddle. Language is a pivot, a fulcrum to rouse understanding in the mind. Zhuangzi, the taoist sage and Ludwig Wittgenstein, a very influential intellectual of the 20th century, “play” in the same sandbox. Jump in the box with them! There’s enough toys for everyone. (A riddle naturally confounds. The punch line clue is at the very end)

The spirit-like man does not inquire
how the sage acts to dazzle the world.

The sage does not inquire
how the man/woman of virtue and ability acts
to astonish his age.

The man/woman of virtue and ability
does not ask the superior man/woman
how he acts to astound the state;

The superior man/woman does not ask the small man
how he adapts himself to the time.

Zhuangzi trans. by Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, Book 26 External Things


Meine Sätze erläutern dadurch, dass sie der, welcher mich versteht, am Ende als unsinnig erkennt, wenn er durch sie – auf ihnen – über sie hinausgestiegen ist. (Er muss sozusagen die Leiter wegwerfen, nachdem er auf ihr hinaufgestiegen ist.)
Er muss diese Sätze überwinden, dann sieht er die Welt richtig.

My propositions serve as elucidations in the following way: anyone who understands me eventually recognizes them as nonsensical, when he has used them—as steps—to climb beyond them. (He must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed up it.)

He must transcend these propositions, and then he will see the world aright.

—Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (published 1921 in German)

Here is the clue.

Fishing-stakes are used for catching fish;
once the fish have been caught
men forget the stakes.

Snares are used to catch hares,
but when the hares have been caught
men forget the snares.

Words are used to convey ideas,
but when the ideas are understood
men forget the words.

Where can I find a man
who has forgotten his words
so that I might talk with him?

Zhuangzi trans. by Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, Book 26 External Things

40

SHARES
Share on Facebook
Post on X
Follow us

Like this:

Like Loading…

Related


Metaphor/language, Quotations

Post navigation

PREVIOUS
Great Dissolution
NEXT
Word Inflation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Remember God’n Country
  • In The Dark
  • He Made His Own Kind of Music
  • The Goal
  • No Place Left To Hide

Recent Comments

  • Tobin Fraley on He Made His Own Kind of Music
  • Tobin Fraley on In The Dark
  • Just a car guy on He Made His Own Kind of Music
  • Jerry King on Your Own Kind of Music
  • That old guy - the one on Your Own Kind of Music

Archives

Categories

  • Good/Evil
  • Guest Post
  • Humor
  • Life and Death
  • Love
  • Metaphor/language
  • Music
  • Photos
  • Poetry
  • Politics/War
  • Quotations
  • Stories
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Get new posts by email:

© 2026   All Rights Reserved.
Follow by Email
RSS
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Tweet
%d