What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Shaw critiques the moral implications and degradation of character involved in the electoral process, likening it to a violent battle.
In this quote, George Bernard Shaw expresses his disdain for the electoral process, comparing it to the horrors of battle but without the physical bloodshed. He suggests that elections corrupt the moral integrity of individuals and transform the political arena into a grim environment where personal values are sullied, much like a mud bath that leaves everyone stained and tainted.
Themes
ElectionMoralityPhilosophyPoliticsDegradation
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, one could quote Shaw to emphasize the negative consequences of election campaigns.
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.
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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.
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