What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Only on paper has humanity yet achieved glory, beauty, truth, knowledge, virtue, and abiding love.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humanity's highest achievements exist only as ideals on paper, not in reality.
George Bernard Shaw reflects on the notion that many of humanity's greatest ideals—glory, beauty, truth, knowledge, virtue, and love—are often only realized in theory rather than in practice. This quote suggests a critique of the discrepancy between our aspirations and the current state of reality, highlighting the difficulty of fully achieving these noble ideals in everyday life.
Themes
HumanityIdealsTruthBeautyLoveKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture about the human condition and our aspirations towards greatness.
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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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To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy
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