Ludwig Wittgenstein, Culture and Value, 7-8

Telling someone something he does not understand is pointless, even if you add that he will not be able to understand it. … If you have a room which you do not want certain people to get into, put a lock on it for which they do not have the key. But there is no point in talking to them about it, unless of course you want them to admire the room from outside! The honorable thing to do is to put a lock on the door which will be noticed only by those who can open it, not by the rest.

— Ludwig Wittgenstein on Esotericism

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Telling someone something he does not understand is pointless, even if you add that he will not be able to understand it. … If you have a room which you do not want certain people to get into, put a lock on it for which they do not have the key. But there is no point in talking to them about it, unless of course you want them to admire the room from outside! The honorable thing to do is to put a lock on the door which will be noticed only by those who can open it, not by the rest." in the context of "Ludwig Wittgenstein, Culture and Value, 7-8" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Esotericism" (Quotations pertaining to esotericism in philosophy) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Ludwig Wittgenstein

About Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein (26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-born philosopher who spent much of his life in England.