Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Shaw reminds us that cultural norms are man-made, not universal truths.
In plain terms
Your tribe's rules are not natural laws.
What can you take from it?
Remember customs are flexible, not fixed.

Where it applies

  • cross-cultural exchange
  • ethics
  • law

Putting it to work

  • question local norms
  • adapt to new cultures

Questions to consider

  • What customs do you assume are natural?
  • How would you explain your rules to an outsider?

Another view

Some customs may reflect deep human needs.

More from George Bernard Shaw

  1. The average age (life expectancy) of a meat eater is 63. I am on the verge of 85 and still work as hard as ever. I have lived quite long enough and I am trying…

    Permalink to quote #226
  2. The Indian way of life provides the vision of the natural, real way of life. We veil ourselves with unnatural masks. On the face of India are the tender expres…

    Permalink to quote #228
  3. Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.[1]

    Permalink to quote #225

Related quotes

  1. Humans - who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals - have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain. A sharp …

    Carl SaganCarl Sagan quote #2
  2. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union.

    Robert BurnsRobert Burns quote #3
  3. The new so called morality has too often the old immorality condoned.

    Hartley ShawcrossHartley Shawcross quote #9