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100+ Inspiring George Bernard Shaw Quotes for Every Occasion
George Bernard Shaw, a literary genius known for his wit and incisive observations on society, provides a treasure trove of quotes that are as relevant today as they were in his time. In this article, we delve into 10 thematic subtitled sections, each highlighting Shaw's wisdom on various aspects of life. From love and learning to politics and human nature, Shaw's words resonate with timeless truth and sharp satire. By exploring these selected quotes, readers can gain insights into human behavior and societal structures that have stood the test of time. Each collection of quotes offers inspiration, reflection, or even a gentle nudge toward self-improvement through the power of Shaw's sharp prose.
Love Quotes
"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
"The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post."
"When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition until death do them part."
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
"Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else."
"Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby!"
"Marriage is popular because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity."
"The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself."
"The only love affair I have ever had was with music."
"The test of a man or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel."
"A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth."
Life Quotes
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."
"Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not."
"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul."
"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react."
"There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it."
"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school."
"Imagination is the beginning of creation."
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
"Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable."
Wisdom Quotes
"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future."
"A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence, University education."
"A man learns to skate by staggering about, making a fool of himself; indeed he progresses nice because he does make a fool of himself."
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
"Why should we take advice on sex from the pope? If he knows anything about it, he shouldn’t!”
"Youth is wasted on the young."
"Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power."
"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world."
"He knows nothing, and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."
"More cleverness than talent will soon render you unreliable."
"Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn."
Success Quotes
"Success does not consist in never making mistakes, but in never making the same one a second time."
"Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness."
"My way of joking is to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the world."
"Do not try to live forever; you will not succeed."
"When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures, so I did ten times more work."
"You see things; you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’"
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself."
"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
"Acting is largely a matter of the complication of self-doubt and the exploration of your internal interpretation of the vision."
Change Quotes
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself."
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
"The only man who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew every time he sees me."
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
"Science never solves a problem without creating ten more."
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will."
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
"We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence...on pain of liquidation."
"The only service that a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you see a noble image of yourself."
Society Quotes
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
"All professions are conspiracies against the laity."
"Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."
"Every man over forty is a scoundrel."
"The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech."
"An asylum for the sane would be empty in America."
"The best reformers the world has ever seen are those who commence on themselves."
"You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’"
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
"When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth."
"In a war of ideas, it is people who get killed."
"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul."
Education Quotes
"A learned man is an idler who kills time by study."
"He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches."
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."
"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school."
"The learned understand the reason of knowledge, the ignorant mark only the surface of things."
"Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not."
"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
"Science never solves a problem without creating ten more."
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules."
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
"Experience fails to teach where there is no desire to learn from it."
Human Nature Quotes
"The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me."
"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world."
"A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out."
"Man can climb to the highest summits, but he cannot dwell there long."
"The liar’s punishments are not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else."
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."
"Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius."
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future."
"The true joy of life is being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one."
Humor Quotes
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
"A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out."
"A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic."
"I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not behind."
"The surest way to ruin a man who doesn't know how to handle money is to give him some."
"My reputation grows with every failure."
"To be in hell is to drift; to be in heaven is to steer."
"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you."
"Peace is not only better than war; it is infinitely more arduous."
"You cannot be a hero without being a coward."
"A man never tells you anything until you contradict him."
"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
Truth Quotes
"All great truths begin as blasphemies."
"The liar’s punishment is not that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else."
"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you."
"When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth."
"The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself."
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
"The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."
"He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything."
"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it and become blind to the arguments against it."
"Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there."
Final words
George Bernard Shaw's quotes offer profound insights into the human condition through a lens of humor and satire. His words challenge conventional wisdom and encourage readers to think critically about society, life, and their individual roles within it. From the delights and follies of love to the hard truths about society and government, Shaw presents a compendium of wisdom wrapped in witty prose. Reflecting on these quotes encourages us to question the status quo, strive for self-improvement, and understand the profundity behind everyday occurrences. Shaw’s quotes serve as a reminder of the power of language to incite thought, ignite laughter, and invoke a deeper understanding of our shared humanity. Use Shaw’s wisdom to inspire a reflective moment and perhaps a new perspective as you navigate the complexities of modern life.
Explore a curated collection of over 100 thought-provoking quotes by George Bernard Shaw, perfect for sparking creativity, motivation, and reflection.
