George Bernard Shaw Quotes - cheeky, inspiring, serious, sharp, interesting, exemplary thoughts of the world famous Irish playwright and critic

According to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre (2003), Shaw, arguably the most important English-language playwright after Shakespeare, produced a vast oeuvre, at least half a dozen of which remain part of the world repertoire. Academically obsolete, of limited influence even in areas such as Irish drama and British political theatre, where influence might have been expected, Shaw's unique and unmistakable plays continue to escape the safely dated category of period pieces into which they are often consigned.

26 July 1856 in Portobello, Dublin, Ireland George Bernard Shaw (Bernard Shaw) was born who became a world-renowned Irish playwright, critic. He wrote more than 60 plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With his series of plays incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading playwright of his generation and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. He was considered the most prominent dramatist after William Shakespeare, a world-renowned English playwright. In Manifesto (1884), Bernard Shaw wrote, The most important consequence of our present system of entrusting the national land and capital to private individuals has been the division of society into hostile classes, with great appetites and no food at one end, and great food and no appetite at the other.

In Common Sense About War (1914), Shaw says, I see the Junkers and militarists of England and Germany jumping at the chance for which they have been yearning in vain for many years to crush each other and establish their own oligarchy as the leading military power of the world.

A letter to the Manchester Guardian signed by Shaw and 20 others said, 2 March 1933 We, the signatories below, recent visitors to the USSR, wish to record that we saw nowhere evidence of economic slavery, want, unemployment and hopelessness of betterment. Everywhere we saw a united, optimistic and enthusiastic working class, setting an example of industry and conduct which will greatly enrich us if our system provides any incentive to our workers to follow it.

Bernard Shaw may be said to be deeply disapproving of the exploitation, oppression, luxury, extravagance etc. of the powerful and the rich and is distressed at the misery, poverty and suffering of the majority of the working people.

Here are some of George Bernard Shaw's funny, inspiring, serious, sharp, interesting, exemplary thoughts -

This is the true joy in life, to be used for a purpose you yourself believe to be powerful, to be a force of nature, not a feverish, selfish little heap of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I believe that my life belongs to the whole community and while I live it is my privilege to do all I can for it. It is a kind of magnificent torch that I have held for the time being and I want to burn it as brightly as possible before I hand it over to future generations.

Beware of false knowledge, it is even more dangerous than ignorance.

Those who say it cannot be done should not hinder those who can do it.

Both the optimist and the pessimist contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute.

Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about making yourself.

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that this planet is used as a madhouse by other planets.

Write your bad times on sand,

Write your good times on stone.

The smart man adapts himself to the world, the stupid man adapts the world to himself. So all progress depends on the stupid man.

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but also more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

Success covers up a lot of mistakes.

I learned long ago never to wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.

A government that pays Paul by robbing Peter can always count on Paul's support.

The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has happened.

Progress is impossible without change. And people who can't change their minds can't change anything.

Democracy is a device that ensures we will not be ruled better than we deserve.

The test of a man's or woman's parenting is how they behave in a fight.

Being a mother means your heart is no longer your own. It wanders off to your children.

Old people are dangerous, they don't care what's going to happen to the world.

Make sure you get what you like or you'll be forced to like what you get.

No diet can take all the fat off your body because the brain is all fat. Without a brain, you may look good, but you can barely run for public office.

Success is not about never making a mistake, but about never making the same mistake again.

I can't control what life does to me, but I can control how I react. That's the difference.

Some people look at the world and say why? Some people look at the world and say why not?

Don't wait for the perfect opportunity, create it.