What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously suggests that many people struggle with the habit of eating, implying the absurdity of such a basic human need.
George Bernard Shaw's quote plays on the irony of a fundamental human activity—eating—by suggesting that it has dire consequences. The humor lies in the exaggeration that implies only a few can successfully navigate the 'habit' of eating, highlighting the ridiculousness of our daily struggle with something so essential. It provokes thought about how we often take such basic functions for granted while also using humor to reflect on human behavior.
Themes
EatingHumorHabitLifeIrony
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about healthy eating, one might use this quote to emphasize the absurdity of our struggles with food.
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.
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Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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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.
George Bernard ShawRead
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