What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Home life is no more natural to us than a cage is natural to a cockatoo.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that home life can be confining and unnatural, akin to a bird being trapped in a cage.
George Bernard Shaw's quote highlights the idea that what we consider the comfort of home can actually serve as a constraint, limiting our freedom and natural instincts. Just as a cockatoo might feel out of place and restricted in a cage, individuals may find the expectations and routines of home life stifling, suggesting a deeper reflection on the nature of domesticity and personal freedom.
Themes
HomeFreedomConstraintsNaturePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion on the pressures of family life during a psychology seminar.
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.
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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.
George Bernard ShawRead
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