A broad red ribbon winding through a miniature network of pale green paths, houses and trees on a cream surface.

Original artwork, not a still

Ludwig Wittgenstein

A good guide will take you through the more important streets more often than he takes you down side streets; a bad guide will do the opposite. In philosophy I’m a rather bad guide.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

A guide comparison used to poke fun at the speaker's own teaching. Good guides stick to main streets and visit side streets less often, while bad ones do the reverse. Claiming to be a bad guide in philosophy means wandering into the side streets a lot.

Context reviewed

Share this quote