--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reasonable man adapts himself to the…" description: "\"“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/george-bernard-shaw-68_reasonable-man_the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the_447463.png" --- # The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him… ![“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/george-bernard-shaw-68_reasonable-man_the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the_447463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/george-bernard-shaw-68_reasonable-man_the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the_447463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/george-bernard-shaw-68_reasonable-man_the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the_447463.png) > ““The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unreasonable people drive change by challenging norms. **In simple terms:** Challengers create progress. Key Takeaway Embrace constructive dissent. Themes innovation progress conformity individualism Mood provocative thought‑provoking Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - business - science - social movements - personal growth Key Concepts creative rebellion critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When is it wise to conform? - How do you balance adaptation and innovation? A Different Perspective Resistance can cause conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Reasonable man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-man/) [Unreasonable Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreasonable-man/) ## Related quotes > [“– The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. 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Therefore all progress depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable-one-4/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“George Bernard Shaw once put it: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/george-bernard-shaw-once-put-it-the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“As the playwright George Bernard Shaw once put it: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/as-the-playwright-george-bernard-shaw-once-put-it-the-reasonable-man/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The reasonable man will adjust to the demands of his environment. The unreasonable man expects his environment to adjust to his own needs. Therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-reasonable-man-will-adjust-to-the-demands-of-his-environment-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable-one-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable-one/) [Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/) > [“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable-one-5/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [All progress depends on the unreasonable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-progress-depends-on-the-unreasonable-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Progress depends on the unreasonable man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-guthrie/progress-depends-on-the-unreasonable-man/) Julian Guthrie > [A reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. An unreasonable man expects the world to adjust itself to him. Therefore all progress is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-reasonable-man-adjusts-himself-to-the-world-an-unreasonable-man/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [A proof is that which convinces a reasonable man; a rigorous proof is that which convinces an unreasonable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/a-proof-is-that-which-convinces-a-reasonable-man-a-rigorous-proof-is/) [Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/) > [“George Bernard Shaw was on to something years ago when one of his maxims for revolutionaries stated, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bungay-stanier/george-bernard-shaw-was-on-to-something-years-ago-when-one-of-his/) [Michael Bungay Stanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bungay-stanier/) > [All progress depends upon the unreasonable person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/all-progress-depends-upon-the-unreasonable-person/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Reasonable man quotes > [“He’d parted reluctantly from Amily, thinking again with envy of Lena and Bear. One thing that they hadn’t been forced to deal with during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/he-d-parted-reluctantly-from-amily-thinking-again-with-envy-of-lena/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [The most reasonable man always manages, when he pulls the trigger, to become a dispenser of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/the-most-reasonable-man-always-manages-when-he-pulls-the-trigger-to/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [The essential tendency of life is toward happiness . . . . Optimism is the only true condition for a reasonable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-essential-tendency-of-life-is-toward-happiness-optimism-is-the/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [“Sometimes, you simply must follow your heart," she said. "No reasonable man can blame you for that." A smile. "No reasonable woman can, either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts-jr/sometimes-you-simply-must-follow-your-heart-she-said-no-reasonable/) [Leonard Pitts Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts-jr/) > [An act of God was defined as something which no reasonable man could have expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/an-act-of-god-was-defined-as-something-which-no-reasonable-man-could/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [I want to be a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-to-be-a-reasonable-man-in-an-unreasonable-world/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [“However,he also found himself constantly stalked by marriage-minded mamas and their braying daughters, and, frankly, while he'd thought it rather amusing in a twisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/however-he-also-found-himself-constantly-stalked-by-marriage-minded/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [“She looked at him. She was feeling reckless, emotional, out of sorts, and she was tired of his constant hints. “I found the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/she-looked-at-him-she-was-feeling-reckless-emotional-out-of-sorts-and/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/while-there-is-a-chance-of-the-world-getting-through-its-troubles-i/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Many modern scholars have found the asceticism expressed in Plato unacceptable; it does not sound like the advice of a reasonable man in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcevilley/many-modern-scholars-have-found-the-asceticism-expressed-in-plato/) [Thomas McEvilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcevilley/) > [“I still wonder how policy officials... can sit down at the table with their families and have any appetite for food, or go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rusesabagina/i-still-wonder-how-policy-officials-can-sit-down-at-the-table-with/) [Paul Rusesabagina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rusesabagina/) > [“Being the clearheaded, reasonable man you’re supposed to be, you should have pushed Gabriella away and honored the contract. Instead, you made out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-probst/being-the-clearheaded-reasonable-man-you-re-supposed-to-be-you-should/) [Jennifer Probst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-probst/) > [The Common Law of England has been laboriously built about a mythical figure-the figure of 'The Reasonable Man'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/the-common-law-of-england-has-been-laboriously-built-about-a-mythical/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [I like to think of myself as a reasonable man. But I have buried too many friends in the too-recent past, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-a-reasonable-man-but-i-have-buried-too/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) [Browse all 68 Reasonable man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. 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