What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
In order to fully realize how bad a popular play can be, it is necessary to see it twice.
Interpretation
A true understanding of art often requires more than a single experience.
George Bernard Shaw suggests that to grasp the full impact of a play, even if it is poorly received, one must witness it on more than one occasion. This underscores the idea that initial reactions can be misleading and that deeper insights often emerge through repeated exposure, reflecting the complexity of artistic appreciation.
In practice
Introducing this quote when discussing the merits of controversial theater at a film festival.
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.
My work is always better when I am alone and follow my own impressions.
Emily Dickinson never developed. She remained loyal to her persona and to that same little metrical song that stood her in such good stead. She is a striking example of complexity within a simple package. Her rhymes are like bows on the package.
Design is inherently optimistic. That is its power.
It's a luxury being a writer, because all you ever think about is life.
I enjoy the speed of fashion. I love doing different things and I think I still have something valid to say in fashion.
There is always shame in the creation of an expressive work, whether it's a book or a clay pot. Every artist worries about how they will be seen by others through their work. When you create, you aspire to do justice to yourself, to remake yourself, and there is always the fear that you will expose the very thing that you hoped to transform.
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