What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that humanity is irrational and disconnected, implying that if there were extraterrestrial beings, they would view Earth as a chaotic place.
George Bernard Shaw's quote expresses a deep-seated skepticism about human nature and our irrational behaviors. By comparing Earth to a 'lunatic asylum,' he highlights the absurdities and irrationalities of mankind, suggesting that if there were intelligent beings on the moon, they might see our species as wildly unpredictable and troubled. This perspective encourages reflection on the uniqueness of human behavior and our place in the universe.
Themes
EarthMoonLunaticAsylumHumanityIrrationality
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture about human psychology and behavior, one might use this quote to illustrate the irrational aspects of human nature.
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
The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.
Irenaeus Of LyonsRead
The uniform necessities of human nature produce in a great measure uniformity of life, and for part of the day make one place like another; to dress and to undress, to eat and to sleep, are the same in London as in the country.
Samuel JohnsonRead
To demand that a person pee in a cup whenever you wish him to, without a documented reason to suspect that he has been using an illegal drug, is intolerable in our republic. You are saying to him, "I wonder if you are not behaving in a way that I approve of. Convince me that you indeed are. Outrageous. Intolerable.
Alexander ShulginRead
The goal and target of our life is He, the Christ who awaits us -- each one singly and altogether -- to lead us across the boundaries of time to the eternal embrace of the God who loves us.
Pope John Paul IiRead
When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it. It is not the things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance. Things and people are not what we wish them to be nor are they what they seem to be. They are what they are.
EpictetusRead
In what way can a man believing in God cease believing due to his personal vanity? There are only two ways. The man should either begin to think himself a rival of God, or he may begin to believe himself to be God.
Bhagat SinghRead