What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Until the men of action clear out the talkers we who have social consciences are at the mercy of those who have none.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Action is necessary to ensure that social responsibilities are addressed, rather than being left to mere talk.
This quote by George Bernard Shaw highlights the importance of action over idle talk when it comes to social conscience. It suggests that individuals who are active and take initiative must step forward to ensure that those who talk about social issues but do not take action do not dominate the conversation or outcome. Thus, it emphasizes the need for proactive measures to make meaningful changes in society.
Themes
ActionSocial ConscienceTalkChangeInitiative
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech, one could use this quote to urge the audience to take action on social issues rather than just discussing them.
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.
George Bernard ShawRead
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
George Bernard ShawRead
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?
George Bernard ShawRead
Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
George Bernard ShawRead
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
George Bernard ShawRead
Similar quotes
Geography is the key, the crucial accident of birth. A piece of protein could be a snail, a sea lion, or a systems analyst, but it had to start somewhere. This is not science; it is merely metaphor. And the landscape in which the protein "starts" shapes its end as surely as bowls shape water.
Annie DillardRead
Logically, harmony must come from the heart... Harmony very much based on trust. As soon as use force, creates fear. Fear and trust cannot go together.
Dalai LamaRead
No emotion, merely as an emotion, is a sin, because we cannot directly control the arising of an emotion in our soul.
Peter KreeftRead
We need myths that will identify the individual not with his local group but with the planet.
Joseph CampbellRead
Gossip says she hanged herself from the turret on the tower, but when you have a house like Hill House with a tower and a turret, gossip would hardly allow you to hang yourself anywhere else.
Shirley JacksonRead
The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.
Bell HooksRead