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Full Idea
No one ever asserts the meaning of the words he utters.
Gist of Idea
People don't assert the meaning of the words they utter
Source
Richard Cartwright (Propositions [1962], 12)
Book Ref
Cartwright,Richard: 'Philosophical Essays' [MIT 1987], p.49
A Reaction
Cartwright is using this point to drive a wedge between sentence meaning and the assertion made by the utterance. Hence he defends propositions. Presumably people utilise word-meanings, rather than asserting them. Meanings (not words) are tools.
Related Idea
Idea 13951 Assertions, unlike sentence meanings, can be accurate, probable, exaggerated, false.... [Cartwright,R]