What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Our way of getting an army able to fight the German army is to declare war on Germany just as if we had such an army, and then trust to the appalling resultant peril and disaster to drive us into wholesale enlistment.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the necessity of taking bold actions in the face of dire circumstances.
George Bernard Shaw reflects on the urgent need to rally a nation in times of conflict. By suggesting that declaring war can stimulate enlistment, he highlights the interplay between fear, action, and the challenges that compel individuals to rise to the occasion, illustrating that sometimes drastic measures can lead to necessary responses.
In practice
During a speech advocating for military support, one might reference this quote to underscore the importance of decisive action in critical moments.
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 wanted to take part in the liberation of even a small piece of enslaved Latin America.
If women are being oppressed in Egypt or children are being forced to join armies in the Congo, for example, it is not only acceptable but wonderful for Americans to be concerned, outraged, and active.
I most sincerely doubt if any other race of women could have brought its fineness up through so devilish a fire.
Shouting down and intimidating someone from speaking their mind is not exactly a Vermont town meeting value, nor should it be an American town meeting value.
Stand through life firm as a rock in the sea, undisturbed and unmoved by its ever-rising waves
First it was the whites, and then their Negro message bearers. And the word was always the same: 'Tell your sons to take their names off the books. Don't show up at the courthouse voting day.'
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