QuoteProject
A man never tells you anything until you contradict him.
George Bernard Shaw
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

People often reveal their true thoughts and feelings only when challenged or contradicted.

This quote by George Bernard Shaw highlights the idea that individuals tend to hold back their opinions or facts until their statements are questioned. It suggests that confrontation or contradiction acts as a catalyst for deeper conversation, prompting people to express themselves more openly. It reflects on the human tendency to defend one's position when it is challenged, leading to a more honest exchange of ideas.

Themes

CommunicationTruthContradictionRelationshipsExpression

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be shared in a discussion about effective communication in relationships.

More from George Bernard Shaw

What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
George Bernard ShawRead
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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?
George Bernard ShawRead
Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
George Bernard ShawRead
The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
George Bernard ShawRead

Similar quotes

Look to her, Moor, if thou has eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.
William ShakespeareRead
In my own home, where I've been able to create an environment that works for me, I'm hardly disabled at all. I still have an impairment, and there are obviously some very restrictive things about that, but the impact of disability is less.
Stella YoungRead
It's not beauty but fine qualities, my girl, that keep a husband.
EuripidesRead
To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
She had a certain way of looking at life which he took as a personal offense.
Henry JamesRead
I missed you even when I was with you. That’s been my problem. I miss what I already have, and I surround myself with things that are missing.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by George Bernard Shaw | QuoteProject