What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
The roulette table pays nobody except him that keeps it. Nevertheless a passion for gaming is common, though a passion for keeping roulette tables is unknown.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of gambling, revealing that while many are passionate about playing, few recognize the true value in owning the means of the game.
George Bernard Shaw's quote highlights the irony of gambling: while many people are captivated by the thrill of playing games like roulette, they overlook the fact that success is skewed towards those who control the game itself, such as the owners of the casino. This emphasizes a deeper philosophical point about understanding the systems and structures that govern our pursuits, suggesting that true success comes from a comprehensive understanding of those dynamics rather than a mere engagement in the game.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the economics of gambling.
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.
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.
Similar quotes
Those who deny the right of a jury to protect an individual in resisting an unjust law of the government, deny him all defence whatsoever against oppression.
The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.
Monsters,' her dad said, a tear tracing his cheek. 'I live in a world of monsters.
No one comes from the earth like grass. We come like trees. We all have roots.
There are things I take sides about, like capital punishment, which it seems to me there is only one side about: it is evil. But there are two or three sides to sexual harassment, and the moment you get into particular cases, there is injustice in every conceivable direction. It's a mess.
We gain internal freedom through external actions.