What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
The natural term of the affection of the human animal for its offspring is six years.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the instinctive emotional bond between parents and their children has a natural duration of about six years.
George Bernard Shaw's quote implies that the profound affection and attachment that parents feel towards their children has a biological or instinctual limitation, positing that the most intense emotional connection typically lasts around six years. This could suggest a transition in parental roles or relationships as the child grows older and becomes more independent, reflecting a natural evolution in familial dynamics.
Themes
AffectionChildrenParentingBondFamilyAttachment
In practice
Example use cases
A parent quoting this at a parenting seminar to discuss the nature of emotional attachment.
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.
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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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