Wittgenstein (1993)
Tilda Swinton: Ottoline Morrell
Photos
Quotes
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Ludwig Wittgenstein : [performing a V-sign with his fingers] What does this mean?
Lady Ottoline Morrell : It's a gesture of contempt.
Ludwig Wittgenstein : A cyclist did this to me as I was crossing the road. I decided then and there to kill myself.
Lady Ottoline Morrell : Are you coming to the Palladium with us this evening?
Ludwig Wittgenstein : What's the logical structure of this gesture? It doesn't have one! That means I've spent most of my life groping down a blind alley.
Bertrand Russell : Isn't it rather an over-reaction to kill yourself because somebody gives you a V-sign?
Ludwig Wittgenstein : Philosophy hunts for the essence of meaning. There's no such thing. There's no such thing! Just the way we do things in everyday life and things like that.
[performing V-sign]
Ludwig Wittgenstein : The college porter knows that.
Lady Ottoline Morrell : Is that what you're planning to do for the rest of your life?
Ludwig Wittgenstein : I shall start by committing suicide.
Bertrand Russell : Champagne before you go?
Ludwig Wittgenstein : Um, do you know... I'd love a cup of tea.
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Lady Ottoline Morrell : [reading Russell's letter] "I am affected by him as you are affected by me."
[looks up, a little crossly]