What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
The philosopher is Nature's pilot. And there you have our difference: to be in hell is to drift: to be in heaven is to steer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of guidance in life, contrasting aimless existence with purposeful living.
In this quote, George Bernard Shaw asserts that a philosopher, as a navigator of nature, exemplifies the distinction between a life without direction and one filled with purpose. He suggests that drifting through life leads to suffering or 'hell,' whereas actively steering one's life towards meaningful goals results in a 'heavenly' existence. This promotes the idea that individuals have the power to shape their own lives through conscious decisions and intellectual insight.
Themes
PhilosophyPurposeLifeDirectionGuidanceDecision
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might say, 'As George Bernard Shaw stated, the philosopher is Nature's pilot, reminding us that we must steer our own paths in life.'
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
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