The Reasonable Man

Jun 25

tompolitics, quotes 4 Comments

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), from Man and Superman (1903) “Maxims for Revolutionists”

4 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. jon
    Jun 25, 2004 @ 22:49:31

    Glad i’m doing something right then…

    Oh no. Hang on. Forgot for a brief moment.

    I’m *always* right!

  2. jon
    Jun 25, 2004 @ 23:00:50

    PS – think you should do a piece on the “political colonialism is more benign than economic colonialism” thing. Did you tell any of your hippy friends in the thames mud this?

  3. Andrew Cholakian
    Jun 26, 2004 @ 02:36:59

    That’s depressingly accurate.

    It kinda sucks when combined with the “3 steps forward, 2 steps back” view of progress.

  4. tom
    Jun 26, 2004 @ 08:32:11

    Look at it the other way – it’s encouragement for the contrarians; be unreasonable – progress depends on you