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A man who has no office to go, to I don't care who he is, is a trial of which you can have no conception.
George Bernard Shaw
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The absence of work or purpose can be an immense struggle for an individual, regardless of their status.

George Bernard Shaw's quote emphasizes the profound emptiness and challenge faced by someone who lacks a designated role or purpose in life. It highlights that the significance of having a job or a duty is not merely about earning a living, but also about one's identity and mental well-being. Without something to engage in, a person may experience a deep sense of trial and suffering that those who are actively engaged in work cannot fully understand.

Themes

WorkPurposeIdentityMeaningStruggle

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech addressing unemployment issues.

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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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