What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.
Interpretation
Patriotism can lead to irrational behavior and extreme nationalism.
George Bernard Shaw's quote critiques the concept of patriotism, suggesting that it can be an unhealthy and distorted form of devotion to oneβs country. By labeling it as 'pernicious' and 'psychopathic', Shaw implies that an uncritical loyalty to one's nation can result in harmful ideologies and actions, blinding individuals to rational thought and moral considerations.
In practice
In a debate on nationalism, this quote can emphasize the dangers of blind loyalty.
What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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?
Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
I've noticed that even people who believe in fate look both ways before crossing the street.
To accept civilization as it is practically means accepting decay.
The story of my life is about back entrances, side doors, secret elevators and other ways of getting in and out of places so that people won't bother me.
Possession, it is true, crowns exertion with rest; but it is only in the illusions of fancy that it has power to charm us.
What do you want a meaning for? Life is a desire, not a meaning.
That part of Christ's nature which was profoundly human helps us to understand him and love him and to pursue his Passion as though it were our own. If he had not within him this warm human element, he would never be able to touch our hearts with such assurance and tenderness; he would not be able to become a model for our lives.
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