George Bernard Shaw was born in 1856 in Dublin, Ireland and died in London in 1950 aged 94. He was primarily a playwright with a talent for drama and wrote more than 60 plays; he also wrote essays, novels and short stories.
George Bernard Shaw’s observations about life were often concerned with social problems.
Issues which engaged his attention included education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. Shaw was an ardent socialist and wrote many brochures and speeches for the Fabian Society. He hated the exploitation of the working class and spoke out publicly about equal rights for women, alleviating abuses of the working class, rescinding private ownership of productive land, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature and an Academy Award for his work on the film Pygmalion. He refused all other awards and honors, including the offer of a knighthood.
Browse these observations of George Bernard Shaw to understand something about the man:
- The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.
- A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
- There is no sincerer love than the love of food.
- The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
- Science never solves a problem without creating ten more.
- Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.
- Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.
- You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’
- Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.
- Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can’t sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can’t sleep with the window open.
- I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
- A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
- Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.
- Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
What do you think about George Bernard Shaw’s view of life?
A famous anecdote about Shaw concerned an incident in which he asked a woman if she would be willing to sleep with a man for an exorbitant sum of money. She says she would. He then asks her if she would also do it for a token sum. The woman is greatly offended and says “What kind of woman do you think I am?” Shaw is said to have replied “We’ve already established that. Now we’re just haggling over the price.” This story doesn’t quite match Shaw’s declared views about women, so its veracity is disputed. What do you think about his other observations above? Share your thoughts by making use of the comments feed below.
