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 men never learn anything from history.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that despite historical lessons, humanity often fails to learn from past mistakes.
George Bernard Shaw reflects on Hegel's observation about the cyclical nature of human behavior. The quote implies that individuals and societies repeatedly make the same errors throughout history, failing to grasp the lessons that should be learned from previous events, and illustrating a fundamental flaw in human nature and understanding.
In practice
During a lecture on leadership, to illustrate the importance of learning from past mistakes.
What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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?
Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
Let us not get so busy or live so fast that we can't listen to the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest. Some things in the world are far more important than wealth; one of them is the ability to enjoy simple things.
My failures have made me look at myself in a way I've never wanted to before.
Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.
Everybody felt his superiority, but nobody felt oppressed by it. Though he had no illusions about people and human affairs, he was full of kindness toward everybody and everything. Never did he give the impression of domineering, always of serving and helping. He was extremely conscientious, without allowing anything to assume undue importance; a subtle humor guarded him, which was reflected in his eyes and in his smile.
To acknowledge you were wrong yesterday is to acknowledge you are wiser today.
Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession - their ignorance.
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