"When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity"
- George Bernard Shaw
About this Quote
This quote by George Bernard Shaw is a commentary on the hypocrisy of human nature. It highlights the double requirements that exist in our society, where human beings are allowed to do things that animals are not. The quote implies that people are typically quick to judge animals for their habits, while neglecting their own actions. It recommends that human beings are frequently too fast to identify animals as "ferocious" when they are simply safeguarding themselves. The quote likewise implies that humans are often too quick to label their own actions as "sport" when they are in fact cruel and violent. Eventually, this quote functions as a suggestion that humans should be more mindful of their own behavior and not be so fast to evaluate animals for theirs.
"The head of the CIA, it seems to me, would think long and hard before he admitted that former employees of his had been involved in the murder of the President of the United States-even if they weren't acting on behalf of the Agency when they did it"
"It's frightening how easy it is to commit murder in America. Just a drink too much. I can see myself doing it. In England, one feels all the social restraints holding one back. But here, anything can happen"
