Authority Quote by George Bernard Shaw
“If you demand my authorities for this and that, I must reply that only those who have never hunted up the authorities as I have believe that there is any authority who is not contradicted flatly by some other authority.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Man and Superman, 1903
Authority is always contested; no single authority is absolute because each is contradicted by another.
In simple terms: All authority is challenged by other authority.
Key Takeaway
Question and test authority.
Themes
authority
philosophy
skepticism
power
truth
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
dialogue
When to use this quote
- debates
- academic research
- policy analysis
Key Concepts
relativism
critical thinking
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- When is it appropriate to accept authority?
- How do we navigate conflicting authorities?
A Different Perspective
Authority can be useful despite contradictions.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)