What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the hypocrisy in labeling actions based on perspective, showing how motives can be rationalized differently.
George Bernard Shaw's quote underscores the double standards in human behavior and the justifications people make for their actions. It illustrates how a man's desire to kill a tiger is seen as a sport, while the tiger's instinct to defend itself is labeled as ferocity. This comparison invites reflection on ethics, power dynamics, and the subjective nature of morality in the lens of survival and domination.
Themes
HypocrisyPerspectiveMoralityJustificationSurvival
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about animal rights, this quote could illustrate the double standards in human perceptions of animal behavior.
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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