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The 60 best sentences of George Bernard Shaw

The 60 best sentences of George Bernard Shaw

March 19, 2024

George Bernard Shaw is one of the most influential writers and dramatists and acquaintances of the British Isles, having been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and being author of works as Pygmalion or Cesar and Cleopatra.

Sometimes considered the greatest dramatist after Shakespeare, he was also known for his controversial views (for example criticizing democracy and approaching the Stalinist regime, pointing out the guilt of all sides of the First World War, supporting eugenics or criticizing vaccination) . Throughout his life he made many reflections on different aspects, and the most interesting will be seen below a compilation of phrases by George Bernard Shaw .


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Great phrases by George Bernard Shaw

Below is a small collection of phrases by this important playwright on different aspects of life, to approximate his way of seeing the world.

1. Life does not try to find yourself. Life is about creating yourself

It is not that we are looking for and reflecting on who or what we are, but that we forge our destiny based on our actions.

2. The first love is a little madness and a great curiosity

The author tells us the strangeness and intensity of the sensations that arise when falling in love for the first time .


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3. Man does not stop playing because he gets old. It gets old because it stops playing

This well-known phrase tells us the importance of maintaining a young spirit and maintaining joy and hope throughout life.

4. Ideas are like fleas, they jump from one to another but they do not sting at all

Ideas can communicate but they are only going to sink in some people.

5. Freedom assumes responsibility, that's why most men fear it so much

Freedom is a universal right and desired by all , but it also assumes the responsibility of taking charge of one's own life.

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6. Hate is the revenge of a cowardly coward

Hate is a mechanism by which someone bullied mentally establishes a mechanism or imagines an act of revenge.


7. If you have built a castle in the air you have not wasted your time, it is where you should be. Now you must build the foundation under it

Dreaming is never a waste of time, as long as we do something to make those dreams come true.

8. Men are mistaken more often for too smart than for too good

Many people consider themselves very intelligent and try to make a show of it, making a mistake in the process.

9. The reasonable man adapts to the world; the unreasonable tries to adapt the world to itself. So, progress depends on the unreasonable man

Reason has always been considered as a great aspect that should govern our behavior, although at heart it is its absence that allows us to advance as a society and as a species instead of simply adapting to the world.

10. Virtue does not consist in abstaining from vice, but in not wishing it

For the author what is truly virtuous is not to desire the vices or not to give them importance , instead of repressing their desire.

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11. There is always someone who kisses and someone who is limited to allow the kiss

A phrase that refers to the existence of asymmetries in the relationship and in the roles that are established.

12. The man who listens to reason is lost. Reason enslaves all those who are not strong enough to dominate it

Reason is useful and necessary, but we must not let ourselves be dominated by it and ignore our emotions and desires.

13. Obedience simulates subordination, just as fear of the police simulates honesty

The author points out that follow the rules or orders does not imply to agree with them internally.

14. Two tragedies exist in life: one is not achieving what the heart craves; the other is to achieve it

Failure to achieve something desired can be great frustrations, but also achieve it, having reduced the difficulties and stop serving as a motivation to the action to not have to make an effort to achieve the desired.

15. What really flatters a man is that he thinks it's worth praising him

In reality it is not important what someone is told to flatter him, but the fact that he observes that he is considered worthy to do so.

16. The fact that a believer can be happier than a skeptic is as true as saying that the drunkard is happier than the sober man

Happiness is completely independent of the fact of believing or not doing it. They are simply going to keep certain beliefs or not.

17. Poets talk to themselves and the world overhears them

Poetry is a way for their authors to verbally express their thoughts and emotions.

18. War does not decide who is right, but who is left

In war there are no winners or losers , and the winner does not necessarily have to be the one who has more reason but who survives.

19. Mirrors are used to see the face; the art to see the soul

The author establishes a comparison between both elements to show that art is a reflection of the interior of its creators.

20. Very careful with the man who does not return the slap

Someone attacked may not initially return the attack, but over time it may rebel and return all the blows together.

21. Everything happens in the world, sooner or later, if there is enough time

Reflection that everything is possible and can come.

22. The worst sin towards our fellow men is not to hate them, but to treat them with indifference: that is the essence of inhumanity

Indifference generates much more pain than hatred, because while the second acknowledges the existence of the opposite, the first one does not even accept it as an equal.

23. Progress is impossible without change, and those who can not change their minds can not change anything

Be flexible and be able to adapt to changes and generating new thoughts is indispensable if we want to reach new goals.

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24. There is no better kept secret than what everyone knows

If everyone knows a secret it will not be necessary to expose it, so that the secret in question is ignored and forgotten.

25. A life dedicated to making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life dedicated to doing nothing

To err is human, and implies that at least one has tried to do something even if it has gone wrong. It is always more useful than simply to imagine without trying to carry out our goals.

26. The possibilities are numerous, once we decide to act and not react

In the same line as the previous one, we are told that we must be proactive in life and not just react to what happens to us.

27. Gossip is like a wasp; If you can not kill her at the first blow, do not mess with her

Bernard Shaw warns us of the need to be careful with rumors and to take into account that if they are not tackled at the root and they try to influence it without success, it is more likely to be considered true on the part of others.

28. What smart man if he were given a choice between living are roses or living without cabbages would not run to secure the cabbages?

A phrase that expresses that the human being tends to look at the beautiful instead of the practical.

29. Just do what needs to be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness

This phrase expresses the need to fulfill the duty.

30. He who has never had hope can not despair

Despair implies that at some point there has been hope , although this has not been fulfilled.

31. A winner is one who gets up and seeks the circumstances he wants, and if he does not find them

Being able to fight for and pursue what we want is what the author defends as necessary to be a winner.

32. All the great truths begin by blasphemy

We often find that scientific discoveries have met with disbelief and opposition from the population because they can counterpose the beliefs previously held about it.

33. Statistics is a science that shows that if my neighbor has two cars and I neither, we both have one

Statistics is a useful tool, but we must bear in mind that it is not always going to represent reality but an approximation or trend.

34. When two people are under the influence of the most violent, the most insane, the most illusory, and the most fleeting of passions are asked to swear that they will continually remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition until death separates them.

An author's opinion on love, passion and marriage.

35. The white American relegates black to the condition of shoe shine and deduces from this that it only serves to clean boots

Criticism of racism and the consideration that some are inferior to others without taking into account that if they fulfill a minor role is because they have been placed in that position. One of the most demanding statements of George Bernard Shaw .

36. There is always danger for those who fear it

The danger is always there. We must accept it and face it without it paralyzing us.

37. Life does not stop being funny because a man dies, nor does it stop being tragic because a man laughs

The world keeps turning regardless of what we do in it.

38. Humans are the only animals that I am completely and truly afraid of

The human being is capable of great wonders, but also of enormous monstrosities and crimes.

39. The soul is too precious a gift for God to give to man for nothing. He has to earn it by being or doing something

Phrase that drives us to do something to deserve to be alive.

40. My way of joking is to tell the truth. It's the funniest joke in the world

In a world so focused on appearances, truth is often something unexpected and incredible.

41If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange apples, then you and I will still have an apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange ideas, then we will both have two ideas

The author talks about the need to share thoughts, points of view and beliefs as an element for all of us to grow.

42. We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it, than to consume wealth without producing it

We should not only focus on receiving, but also on giving and generating happiness.

43. I prefer the state of constant progress, with the goal in front and not behind

It is necessary to go forging goals throughout life , so that we can move forward and not be stuck in the past.

44. No one attacks a lion when the field is full of sheep

The author expresses that meekness and submission facilitates that those who want to take advantage do so, while strength of character makes it difficult to a large extent.

45. Give man health and goals to achieve and he will not stop to think about whether or not he is happy

Reflecting on whether or not we are happy is something we do when we do not know what to do or if we are doing the right thing. Propose stimulating goals makes us focus on them and we can be happy without having to think about it.

46. ​​A gentleman is someone who puts more into the world than he takes

In this sentence we propose the need for our passage through life to leave something positive in the world.

47. Try to get what you like or you will be forced to like what they give you

Phrase that indicates the need to fight for what we want .

48. After all, the wrong path always leads somewhere

Although the path we take is not the way we would like, we can always get results from it and it can take us to unexpected places.

49. A man who has a mind and knows it, can always beat ten men who do not have it and do not know it

He who knows his limitations and virtues is more capable of facing life than those who believe themselves much more than they are.

50. Success does not consist in never making mistakes, but in never committing the same for the second time

The key would be to learn from the experience so that we do not have to trip over the same stone twice.

51. People who say that it can not be done should not interrupt those who are doing it

The phrase indicates that those who do not consider that certain things can be achieved should not interfere in the attempts of others to achieve what has never been achieved before.

52. The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been carried out

The author indicates that we lack the ability to communicate with each other , being frequent that we assume that others have understood or should see certain information.

53. The reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he read made him crazy

The author tells us the need not to take for granted everything we read or learn.

54. Man can climb to the highest peaks, but he can not live there long

Everything that goes up has to go down.

55. People always blame circumstances.

Most people justify their lack of action or their current status due to the circumstances in which they find themselves. However, although these are obviously going to influence, we can always try to find a means or other circumstances to achieve our objectives.

56. It is very easy to be respectable when you do not have the opportunity to be something else

Sometimes we have no choice but to be or act in a certain way.

57. Almost everyone knows how to start, how difficult it is to put an end to it

Starting something is relatively easy, but finishing it not so much. This is what happens, for example, with maladaptive relationships.

58. Do not do to others what you want them to do to you. It may be that your tastes are not the same

For Bernard Shaw, we should not assume that we all think or feel the same , but we must take into account the great disparity of opinions and ways of seeing the world that may exist.

59. Justice lies in impartiality, and only strangers can be impartial

The existence of partiality or connection with one of the parties will make it difficult for us to be completely fair.

60. When God created the world he saw that it was good. What will he say now?

Shaw lived in a complex age, specifically going through the two World Wars and its consequences.


George Bernard Shaw - Top 10 Quotes (March 2024).


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