What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that humanity often fails to learn from past mistakes, repeating them throughout history.
George Bernard Shaw's quote reflects on the cyclical nature of history and human behavior. It implies that, despite the lessons that history presents, individuals and societies frequently ignore these teachings, leading to the repetition of the same errors. Shaw echoes Hegel's sentiment to highlight a fundamental flaw in human understanding—our propensity to overlook historical lessons and thus fail to evolve or improve based on past experiences.
Themes
HistoryLearningHuman BehaviorRepetitionMistakes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about improving policy, this quote could highlight the need for awareness of past failures.
More from George Bernard Shaw
All quotes →Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
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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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