Full Idea
Facts are what statements (when true) state; they are not what statements are about. ..But it would be wrong to identify 'fact' and 'true statement' for these expressions have different roles in our language.
Gist of Idea
Facts aren't exactly true statements, but they are what those statements say
Source
Peter F. Strawson (Truth [1950], §2)
Book Reference
'The Nature of Truth', ed/tr. Lynch, Michael P. [MIT 2001], p.453
A Reaction
Personally I like to reserve the word 'facts' for what is out there, independent of any human thought or speech. As a realist, I believe that the facts are quite independent of our attempts to understand the facts. True statements attempt to state facts.
Related Idea
Idea 18916 Facts are not in the world - they are properties of the world [Engelbretsen]