George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright. His first profitable writing was music and literary criticism. He wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism. His main talent was drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays. He was also an essayist, novelist and short story writer. Issues which engaged Shaw's attention included education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege.
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“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, Man and Superman
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”
― George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah
“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Immaturity
“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 continuously until death do them part.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Getting Married
“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
“There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“Why should we take advice on sex from the pope? If he knows anything about it, he shouldn't!”
― George Bernard Shaw
“The liar's punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.”
― George Bernard Shaw, The Quintessence of Ibsenism
“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession
“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one."
— George Bernard Shaw, playwright (to Winston Churchill)
"Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second, if there is one."
— Churchill's response”
― George Bernard Shaw
“The play was a great success, but audience was a dismal failure.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah
“My way of joking is to tell the truth. It's the funniest joke in the world.”
― George Bernard Shaw, John Bull's Other Island
“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
― George Bernard Shaw
