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What is life but a series of inspired follies.
George Bernard Shaw
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Life is made up of many whimsical and creative actions, often considered foolish.

This quote by George Bernard Shaw suggests that life is essentially a collection of imaginative pursuits and adventures that may seem frivolous or foolish at times. It highlights the importance of embracing creativity and spontaneity in our experiences, urging us to see life as a playful journey rather than a stringent path dictated by societal norms.

Themes

LifeFolliesInspirationImaginationCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about living authentically, you can quote Shaw to emphasize the beauty of living joyfully, even if it appears foolish.

More from George Bernard Shaw

What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
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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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