What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
The fickleness of the women I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the inconsistency of love from one person and the steadiness of love from another, playing on the complexities of romantic relationships.
George Bernard Shaw's quote playfully reflects on the unpredictable nature of love from those he admires, contrasting it with the unwavering affection from those who have feelings for him. It suggests a humorous discontent with the way romantic attraction often works, where the beloved may be elusive, while affection is steadily offered by someone less sought after. This creates a tension in relationships that is both relatable and ironic.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion about the complexities of modern 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.
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.
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Our lives are stories, and the stories we have to give to each other are the most important. No one has a story too small and all are of equal stature. We each tell them in different ways, through different mediums—and if we care about each other, we'll take the time to listen.
The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor.
Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.
It's hard enough to celebrate being Asian in normal times. But now, when the whole world is kind of coming down, with all this rhetoric and people getting attacked on the street, you really need to deliberately try to celebrate Asian-ness.
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
I do not think homosexuality is immoral.