Welcome to our collection of Interpretation Quotes, where the art of deciphering meaning takes center stage. Interpretation is a profound skill that permeates every aspect of human interaction, from unraveling the complexities of literature to decoding the subtleties of interpersonal communication. As individuals, we constantly grapple with the task of interpreting the world around us, seeking to glean insights and understanding from the myriad of signs, symbols, and experiences that confront us on a daily basis.
In this curated selection of quotes, we delve into the diverse perspectives and profound insights of thinkers, writers, and philosophers who have pondered the intricacies of interpretation throughout history. From profound reflections on the nature of language and communication to poignant observations on the human condition, these quotes offer a tapestry of wisdom that invites contemplation and reflection. Whether you’re a seasoned interpreter or simply curious about the nuances of deciphering meaning, we invite you to explore these thought-provoking quotes and unlock new dimensions of understanding.
Cutting up fowl to predict the future is, if done honestly and with as little interpretation as possible, a kind of randomization. But chicken guts are hard to read and invite flights of fancy or corruption. Ian Hacking
Digital imaging has untied our hands with regards to technical limitations. We no longer have to be arbiters of technology; we get to participate in the interpretation of technology into creative content. John Dykstra
Necessity is not an established fact, but an interpretation. Friedrich Nietzsche
Because, in fact, women, feminists, do read my poetry, and they read it often with the power of their political interpretation. I don’t care; that’s what poetry is supposed to do. Diane Wakoski
I can’t read music. Instead, I’d do stuff inside the piano, do harmonics and all kinds of crazy things. They used to put me in these annual piano contests down at Long Beach City College, and two years in a row, I won first prize – out of like 5,000 kids! The judges were like, ‘Very interesting interpretation!’ I thought I was playing it right. Eddie Van Halen
Allowing Texas to display the Ten Commandments on State property but disallowing Kentucky courthouses from doing the same is a poor and flawed interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Ginny Brown-Waite
Everyone has a different interpretation of characters we know and love from Shakespeare, from ‘Miller’. There’s specific things about them that are written that are kind of the fingerprints of the first person who played that role, and so I like to think of it as a road map. Phillipa Soo
Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening. Henning Mankell
Freud published The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900. It introduced the notion that there existed certain predictable and identifiable processes by which dreams were formed. Henry Reed
The person who thinks I worship the devil and kill animals is just as important as someone who makes an interpretation that’s closer to what I intended. Marilyn Manson
My father valued patriotism above all other social obligations, but he had his own particular interpretation of just how true patriotism was meant to function. Thomas Steinbeck
We are not just bundles of atoms being pushed around. But, there’s something spiritual about us whether we give that a religious interpretation or not. And so, it’s that sense of there being dignity to life that I associate with the word God. I mean, that’s probably a pretty radical and agnostic way of interpreting it. But, that’s what I think. Martha Nussbaum
What the printing press is to Christianity in the 16th century, that’s what the Internet is doing to Islam now. It has opened up the monopoly over the interpretation of Islam that used to solely belong to the religious class. Reza Aslan
Sri Lanka’s interpretation of western cuisine is pretty diabolical. Sri Lankan food itself is ace, however, and they bloody love a buffet. Even if you go to a basic-looking cafe, they can knock up four or five different curries for you very quickly. Romesh Ranganathan
We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation. Edward Sapir
I love auditioning. Since ‘The Notebook’ and ‘Wedding Crashers,’ I don’t have to audition anymore, and I miss it. You get to show your interpretation of the character. I get nervous when I don’t audition. What if they hate what I want to do? Rachel McAdams
Each haka has its own interpretation, but you have to make sure you are in unison with your team-mates; the haka should be a proper war cry. Jonah Lomu
Back in the 1950s and ’60s, J. M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’ – starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard – was regularly aired on network television during the Christmas season. I must have seen it four or five times and remember, in particular, Ritchard’s gloriously camp interpretation of Captain Hook. Michael Dirda
The verbal interpretation, on the other hand, i.e. the metaphysics of quantum physics, is on far less solid ground. In fact, in more than forty years physicists have not been able to provide a clear metaphysical model. Erwin Schrodinger
I first read Sigmund Freud’s ‘Beyond the Pleasure Principle’ as a young girl, and it helped me to understand that there are thousands of possible ways to interpret our experience, that everything has a meaning, and that interpretation is the key to reality. This was the first step to becoming a writer. Olga Tokarczuk
Art, to me, is the interpretation of the impression which nature makes upon the eye and brain. Childe Hassam
Most importantly, I agree that the truth of these matters should be determined by interpretation of scientific evidence – experiments, fossil studies and the like. Phillip E. Johnson
In doubtful cases the more liberal interpretation must always be preferred. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The method of political science is the interpretation of life; its instrument is insight, a nice understanding of subtle, unformulated conditions. Woodrow Wilson
Indians invest more in Britain than in the rest of European Union combined. It is not because they want to save on interpretation costs, but because they find an environment that is welcoming and familiar. Narendra Modi
Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation. Noam Chomsky
A constitutional tradition that works is one that is in a constant state of dynamic evolution. You have a written constitution that says ‘x,’ but no constitutional system works if it just follows what’s in that written constitution and never changes. Interpretation gives it the freedom to change. Noah Feldman
Because most journalists are secular, they can be gullible in looking to the religious right as arbiters of biblical interpretation, especially as it relates to hot-button cultural and political issues. Kirsten Powers
The earth is ready, the time is ripe, for the authoritative expression of the feminine as well as the masculine interpretation of that common social consensus which is slowly writing justice in the State and fraternity in the social order. Anna Garlin Spencer
In brief, egoism in its modern interpretation, is the antithesis, not of altruism, but of idealism. John Buchanan Robinson
History is ultimately storytelling. I think the more stories you write in life – and I’ve written a lot of screenplays, a lot of short stories – you realize it’s your interpretation of events that people read, and they absorb that. Jay Chandrasekhar
I became famous, I think, really because of the interpretation of other people’s songs, way back when, and that’s what I enjoy the most. And I’m a lazy bugger. Rod Stewart
A lot of us grow up and we grow out of the literal interpretation that we get when we’re children, but we bear the scars all our life. Whether they’re scars of beauty or scars of ugliness, it’s pretty much in the eye of the beholder. Stephen King
In hindsight, Watergate was a curse as well as a blessing for American journalism. The courageous reporting of the ‘Post’ and the ‘New York Times’ – coupled with the favourable Supreme Court rulings on publication of the Pentagon Papers – were landmarks for the interpretation of First Amendment rights and the freedom of the press. Lionel Barber
The forgiveness that comes of patient interpretation seems impossible when those nearest to your heart are threatened. Giles Foden
It is always possible to argue against an interpretation, to confront interpretations, to arbitrate between them and to seek for an agreement, even if this agreement remains beyond our reach. Paul Ricoeur
If you’re going to use standards as criteria for signing musicians, you can sign thousands. If you’re going to use some sort of conceptual interpretation that’s based on the tradition of those standards, but is trying to move away from it, you’re down to about 10 people or so. Branford Marsalis
The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind. Sigmund Freud
Museums are managers of consciousness. They give us an interpretation of history, of how to view the world and locate ourselves in it. They are, if you want to put it in positive terms, great educational institutions. If you want to put it in negative terms, they are propaganda machines. Hans Haacke
Art is life’s dream interpretation. Otto Rank
GIS, in its digital manifestation of geography, goes beyond just the science. It provides us a framework and a process for applying geography. It brings together observational science and measurement and integrates it with modeling and prediction, analysis, and interpretation so that we can understand things. Jack Dangermond
The main object of a revolution is the liberation of man… not the interpretation and application of some transcendental ideology. Jean Genet
I sometimes think that so much of our life takes place inside our heads – in memory or imagination or interpretation or speculation – that if I really want to change my life, I might best begin by changing my mind. Pico Iyer
There was a time when meanings were focused and reality could be fixed; when that sort of belief disappeared, things became uncertain and open to interpretation. Bridget Riley
There are no moral phenomena at all, but only a moral interpretation of phenomena. Friedrich Nietzsche
Judges should be in the business of declaring what the law is using the traditional tools of interpretation, rather than pronouncing the law as they might wish it to be in light of their own political views. Neil Gorsuch
We do not need a heavy theoretical thumb on the scales. What’s important is how the traditional sources of law and legal interpretation – text, structure, history, canons of interpretation, precedent, and other well-established tools of the judicial craft – are prioritized, weighted, and applied. Diane S. Sykes
I study history in order to give an interpretation. Oliver Stone
All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation. Walter Benjamin
Reality is how we interpret it. Imagination and volition play a part in that interpretation. Which means that all reality is to some extent a fiction. Yann Martel
The beauty of science is to imagine more than we can prove. And string theory gives you a radically different interpretation of the universe. Ashoke Sen
The best way to refine an interpretation is by getting out and performing. Joshua Bell
In ‘Where the Air is Clear’, Carlos Fuentes composed a polyphonic portrait of Mexico City amid the growth and modernization brought on by the economic boom of the 1950s. The novel can be read as a jazz interpretation – free and in a Mexican key – of John Dos Passos’ ‘Manhattan Transfer’. Alvaro Enrigue
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth. Friedrich Nietzsche
Eccentric doesn’t bother me. ‘Eccentric’ being a poetic interpretation of a mathematical term meaning something that doesn’t follow the lines – that’s okay. Crispin Glover
We cannot ensure that women will be free of discrimination in the workplace and everywhere as long as women are not universally defended under our Constitution. As it stands now, the equal rights of women are subject to interpretation of law. That is a risk our mothers, sisters and daughters cannot afford. Carolyn Maloney
Artists should be free to create what we want. I believe there’s a special value in work that is a reflection of oneself as opposed to interpretation. When I see a film or a TV show about black people not written by someone who’s black, it’s an interpretation of that life. Ava DuVernay
During my time as a judge, as a justice, and as attorney general, I’ve had one overarching goal, and that is a strict interpretation and application of the laws and the Constitution. I would be Madisonian. Greg Abbott
The interpretation of facts in a certain way stimulates other scientists’ thoughts. Robert Barany
I think Donald Trump’s interpretation of marriage is something that he himself doesn’t really believe in. ‘Traditional marriage’ is where two people love each other, commit to each other, care for each other over the years. It is a meaningful ceremony, and his interpretation of that is not recognizing what real marriage is. George Takei
The value of having numbers – data – is that they aren’t subject to someone else’s interpretation. They are just the numbers. You can decide what they mean for you. Emily Oster
Our job is to make manifest the story, to be it. In a sense, the theatre is such a big star itself, bigger than any Shakespearean actor I could hire, that we should take the opportunity to fill it with voice and verse and movement, not interpretation. Mark Rylance
There is much modern music that is better adapted to a wind combination than to a string, although for obvious reasons originally scored for an orchestra. If in such cases the interpretation is equal to the composition the balance of a wind combination is more satisfying. John Philip Sousa
Modern sociology is virtually an attempt to take up the larger program of social analysis and interpretation which was implicit in Adam Smith’s moral philosophy, but which was suppressed for a century by prevailing interest in the technique of the production of wealth. Albion W. Small
I love artists like Jon B, but I don’t wanna be compared to anybody. I’m just doing my interpretation of rnb and how someone like me should be doing it. Brian Harvey
Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does. John Berger
I always like to leave art and music open to interpretation. Dan Reynolds
I sang ‘Nessun Dorma’ twice with Pavarotti, and he told me he’d heard ‘Smoke’ about five or six times, and every time was different. He was so jealous because if he deviated one jot from the traditional interpretation of the famous arias, he’d be crucified. We have the freedom. Ian Gillan
We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate question must be, what do the words of the text mean in our time. William J. Brennan, Jr.
The motif of Beat Generation is basically misunderstood, a misinterpreted area. There’s this superimposition of the idea of a social rebellion, which was the communist interpretation through Lawrence Lipton. Allen Ginsberg
I don’t have a religion. I believe in a God. I don’t know what it looks like but it’s MY god. My own interpretation of the supernatural. Jennifer Aniston
A great interpreter of life ought not himself to need interpretation. John Morley
I try to avoid describing one interpretation of my books. Of course I have an opinion. I have things I want to say, but I don’t ever want to limit anybody, to have them say, ‘Oh, he said this, so that’s what it’s about.’ I’m happy people bring their own stuff to it. Patrick Ness
Visual ideas combined with technology combined with personal interpretation equals photography. Each must hold it’s own; if it doesn’t, the thing collapses. Arnold Newman
I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose. Charlie Chaplin
Don’t listen to some outside interpretation – do the scene as it makes sense to you and the other actor. Stephen Henderson
Validation is easy – you run your site through a validator, and it’s either valid or it isn’t. The rest of the stuff, such as whether my logo or the biggest headline should be the h1 in my HTML, isn’t so easy and is subject to interpretation. Jeffrey Zeldman
I am not trying to be a historian and a dramatist; I’m a dramatist, a dramatic historian, or one who does a dramatic interpretation of history. Oliver Stone
Hugh Lynn Cayce, Edgar Cayce’s son, is quoted as saying, The best interpretation of a dream is one you apply. Henry Reed
My mom, who is a very strong Christian woman, will often ask me how some of the characters I play glorify God. Her meaning is that she feels as if every character should be a good Christian character, which is not necessarily my interpretation. Sterling K. Brown
Interpretation is the revenge of the intellectual upon art. Susan Sontag
I’m not trying to be romantic. I think you can tell when people are trying to be sexy onstage. When I was doing ‘All the Way,’ I was really thinking about my wife. People don’t know my personal experience, but they can tell it’s an honest interpretation. Harry Connick, Jr.
So the old Copenhagen interpretation needs to be generalized, needs to be replaced by something that can be used for the whole universe, and can be used also in cases where there is plenty of individuality and history. Murray Gell-Mann
My interpretation of the word ‘ugly’… I like ugly beauty. That can happen. In France, we have phrase ‘jolie laide.’ We like certain women who are not pretty or cute – it’s the opposite in France of pretty. It’s more strange and interesting. Francois Nars
I don’t like being told someone’s interpretation of something that I do. Jonathan Brandis
The title of the movie is open to interpretation. Thomas Haden Church
My interpretation of a strong director is someone who knows their story. That’s what directors are, they’re storytellers because they’re directing where your focus is going to be as an audience. Dennis Quaid
The interpretation of dreams is a great art. Paracelsus
Everyone in a complex system has a slightly different interpretation. The more interpretations we gather, the easier it becomes to gain a sense of the whole. Margaret J. Wheatley
The art of interpretation is not to play what is written. Pablo Casals
The interpretation of our reality through patterns not our own, serves only to make us ever more unknown, ever less free, ever more solitary. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
You work on an idea, your first interpretation is very raw and you work it and you work it and it gets polished and polished. It gets to a certain level and then it comes down off that peak. Kim Weston
I like to interpret ‘Call me a River’, as if I’m saying, ‘Now you’re telling me you love me after all that, and I’m telling you to shove off.’ That’s my interpretation. But I would never ‘say’ that because somebody else might interpret the song in another way. Diana Krall
The 1890s was perhaps the most Gothic decade ever: ‘Dracula,’ ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and ‘The Time Machine,’ not to mention ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘The Interpretation of Dreams,’ were all written between 1890 and 1899. Mark Fisher
I suppose I have a really loose interpretation of ‘work’, because I think that just being alive is so much work at something you don’t always want to do. The machinery is always going. Even when you sleep. Andy Warhol
What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you’d like it to mean? Antonin Scalia
The Book of Mormon is concrete and solid, they can hold it, and they can visualize that they have to pray to decide if this physical thing is true. There is no room for interpretation. Richard G. Scott
Rather than being a ‘perversion’ of Islam, it is truer to say that the version of Islam espoused by ISIS, while undoubtedly the worst possible interpretation of Islam, and for Muslims and non-Muslims everywhere obviously the most destructive version of Islam, is nevertheless a plausible interpretation of Islam. Douglas Murray
How can one preach goodness and love to men without at the same time offering them an interpretation of the World that justifies this goodness and this love? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
In this fast-developing world, particularly in the fast-transforming China market, we really need to take this opportunity and offer a modern interpretation of Scandinavian design which fits people’s demands perfectly. Li Shufu
