What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
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?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the contradictions in how people view marriage and freedom, questioning the validity of keeping someone in a situation they are unhappy in.
George Bernard Shaw's quote highlights the paradox faced in discussions about marriage and commitment. It suggests that those who emphasize the virtues of marriage and its vows often overlook the freedoms that individuals deserve. If someone is content in their union, then questioning the need for commitment is unnecessary; conversely, if they are unhappy, pretending otherwise is disingenuous. Shaw urges a deeper examination of the truths behind social conventions and personal happiness in relationships.
Themes
MarriageFreedomHappinessRelationshipsCommitment
In practice
Example use cases
In a wedding speech focusing on the importance of choice and happiness in relationships.
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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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.
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I feel nothing but the accursed happiness I have dreaded all my life long: the happiness that comes as life goes, the happiness of yielding and dreaming instead of resisting and doing, the sweetness of the fruit that is going rotten.
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