Full Idea
Ontological controversy tends into controversy over language, but we must not jump to the conclusion that what there is depends on words.
Gist of Idea
What actually exists does not, of course, depend on language
Source
Willard Quine (On What There Is [1948], p.16)
Book Reference
Quine,Willard: 'From a Logical Point of View' [Harper and Row 1963], p.16
A Reaction
An important corrective to my constant whinge against philosophers who treat ontology as if it were semantics, of whom Quine is the central villain. Quine was actually quite a sensible chap.