What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
The open mind never acts: when we have done our utmost to arrive at a reasonable conclusion, we still must close our minds for the moment with a snap, and act dogmatically on our conclusions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
An open mind is essential for understanding, but action requires decisiveness.
George Bernard Shaw emphasizes the balance between open-mindedness and decisiveness in decision-making. While it is important to consider different viewpoints and reason through a situation, action requires a certain level of commitment and certainty. Therefore, when it comes to acting on a conclusion, one must sometimes set aside the open-mindedness to decisively pursue a chosen path.
Themes
DecisionOpen MindActionConclusionReasoning
In practice
Example use cases
In a business meeting where diverse opinions are shared, it may be essential to conclude and act based on the consensus.
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.
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
If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.
Miyamoto MusashiRead
Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.
Henry David ThoreauRead
The only way to tell the truth is to speak with kindness. Only the words of a loving man can be heard.
Henry David ThoreauRead
The wisdom of the appearance of the spirit in the body is this: the human spirit is a Divine Trust, and it must traverse all conditions, for its passage and movement through the conditions of existence will be the means of its acquiring perfections.
Abdu'L-BahRead
When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need.
Takuan SohoRead
I know of no case where a man added to his dignity by standing on it.
Winston ChurchillRead