G

George Bernard Shaw

117 quotes

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, and political activist who became the leading dramatist of his generation. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. Known for his sharp wit and social commentary, Shaw wrote over 60 plays including *Pygmalion*, which inspired the musical *My Fair Lady*.

“The art of government is the organisation of idolatry.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Art

All Quotes by George Bernard Shaw

“Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.”

— George Bernard Shaw

History

“Use your health, even to the point of wearing it out. That is what it is for. Spend all you have before you die do not outlive yourself.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Health

“Every man over forty is a scoundrel.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Age

“When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Failure

“Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Government

“All great truths begin as blasphemies.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Great

“Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Life

“Beauty is a short-lived tyranny.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Beauty

“A veteran journalist has never had time to think twice before he writes.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Time

“The truth is, hardly any of us have ethical energy enough for more than one really inflexible point of honor.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Truth

“We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Experience

“First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Love

“You are going to let the fear of poverty govern you life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Fear

“The British soldier can stand up to anything except the British War Office.”

— George Bernard Shaw

War

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Imagination

“Capitalism has destroyed our belief in any effective power but that of self interest backed by force.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Power

“Nothing is ever done in this world until men are prepared to kill one another if it is not done.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Men

“Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Dreams

“It's easier to replace a dead man than a good picture.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Good

“There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Religion