What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
We have in England a curious belief in first-rate people, meaning all the people we do not know; and this consoles us for the undeniable second-rateness of the people we do know.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the tendency to idealize unfamiliar people while undervaluing those we know personally.
George Bernard Shaw's quote reflects a common human behavior where we tend to hold a positive, often unrealistic perception of those we don’t know, while being critical or dismissive of the qualities of those in our immediate circle. This belief serves as a consolation, allowing us to overlook the shortcomings of familiar individuals by projecting an idealized image onto strangers, thereby emphasizing our inherent biases in perception and judgment.
Themes
PerceptionFamiliarityIdealizationHuman BehaviorJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social perceptions, one might say, 'As George Bernard Shaw noted, we often idealize strangers.'
More from George Bernard Shaw
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Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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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?
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Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
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The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
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