Jacques Derrida

Deconstruction

Contemporary influential 117 sayings

Sayings by Jacques Derrida

To write is to know that one will not be read.

1970s (conceptually) — This sentiment is often attributed to him, reflecting themes in his work, but the exact phrasing is …
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

There is no metalanguage.

1960s (conceptually) — This is a core tenet of deconstruction, often discussed by Derrida, though finding this exact phrasi…
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The text is an abyss.

1960s (conceptually) — While not a direct quote, this captures the essence of his view on textual interpretation.
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I am not a philosopher.

Various, e.g., 1980s — Interview, often stated in response to categorization.
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Justice, in itself, is not deconstructible.

1990 — Force of Law: The 'Mystical Foundation of Authority'
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The name of man is perhaps the name of the last god.

1967 — Of Grammatology
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The 'self' is not a substance or a subject; it is an effect of differential relations.

1967 (conceptually) — While a summary of his thought, the core idea is prevalent in 'Speech and Phenomena'.
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The postcard is a text that is always already sent.

1980 — The Post Card: From Socrates to Freud and Beyond
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What is proper to language is to be improper.

1967 — Of Grammatology
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The concept of man is a metaphysical concept.

1967 — Of Grammatology
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There are only contexts without any center of absolute anchorage.

1971 — Signature Event Context
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The trace is not a positive presence but the mark of an absence.

1967 — Of Grammatology
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The limit is not an edge, but a folding.

1970s (conceptually) — This is a conceptual summary often used to explain his ideas on boundaries, rather than a direct quo…
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The question of the animal is perhaps the most urgent question.

1997 — The Animal That Therefore I Am (More Than One Animal)
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We are always already haunted.

1993 — Specters of Marx
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The archive is not simply a place of storage, but a place of commencement.

1995 — Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression
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There is no outside of the archive.

1995 — Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression
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The monster is a figure of the future.

1980s (conceptually) — This is a conceptual summary often associated with his work on alterity and the unknown, but not a p…
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The proper name is always already improper.

1967 — Of Grammatology
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Hospitality is the impossible.

1997 — Of Hospitality
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