What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
The art of government is the organisation of idolatry.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Government often revolves around central figures or ideals that are overly revered.
In this quote, George Bernard Shaw suggests that successful governance is akin to creating a system where certain figures or ideas are idolized, often leading to a distortion of reality. It implies that leaders and institutions can become objects of worship, which may cloud judgment and hinder genuine progress, reflecting a critical view of political authority and its influence on society.
Themes
GovernmentIdolatryPoliticsAuthorityLeadership
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the role of charisma in political campaigns.
More from George Bernard Shaw
All quotes βMarriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
George Bernard ShawRead
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
George Bernard ShawRead
Those who talk most about the blessings of marriage and the constancy of its vows are the very people who declare that if the chain were broken and the prisoners left free to choose, the whole social fabric would fly asunder. You cannot have the argument both ways. If the prisoner is happy, why lock him in? If he is not, why pretend that he is?
George Bernard ShawRead
Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
George Bernard ShawRead
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
George Bernard ShawRead
Similar quotes
If we let Korea down, the Soviet[s] will keep right on going and swallow up one [place] after another.
Harry S. TrumanRead
He told us he was going to take crime out of the streets. He did. He took it into the damn White House.
Ralph AbernathyRead
While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty.
Charles Evans HughesRead
Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.
Barack ObamaRead
As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
George OrwellRead
We have to repair our country's infrastructure, but we also have to protect and repair the infrastructure of our democracy. It's not either or, it's both and.
Raphael WarnockRead