"I sit astride life like a bad rider on a horse. I only owe it to the horse's good nature that I am not thrown off at this very moment"

Ludwig Wittgenstein was a thinker that is recognized for his payments to the ideology of language and logic in the 20th century. He wrote this quote in a letter to his good friend Fania Pascal when he was really feeling unsure and dissatisfied with his life in 1922.

The quote is a metaphor that contrasts life to a steed as well as him to a bad biker. He explains that he is resting on life, but not in control of it, as well as if it were not for the compassion of life (the steed), he would certainly be tossed from it. This suggests that he really feels overwhelmed and helpless, as well as his life is moving forward without his control.

This metaphor shows Wittgenstein's struggle with searching for objective and also significance in life, which was a repeating theme in his work. He believed language was a method to recognize the globe, however there were limits to what we can reveal with language. This quote mirrors his struggle with these limitations as well as his look for definition in life.