You see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things as they never were and ask, 'Why not?'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author contrasts accepting reality with dreaming of better possibilities and asking why not.
- In plain terms
- Realists ask why things are; idealists ask why they cannot be different.
- What can you take from it?
- Dreaming of change drives progress.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Should we ask why not?
- What stops change?
Another view
It dismisses the practical value of understanding reality.
More from George Bernard Shaw
You'll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.
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