George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish comedian, writer, literary critic, and playwright. He is especially known for his influence on the development of comic drama, for his literary criticisms of the time, and for his defense of socialism. For his literary work he won the Nobel Prize in 1925.
Born into a poor Dublin family, he acquired his taste for art, literature and music from his mother, who was a singer. In his 20s and 30s he began to write although he did not excel. After being hired as a theater critic for the Saturday Review, he began writing plays. His works use the romantic, the humorous and the satirical, focusing on controversial social issues.
His views and ideology were rather controversial, including today; He defended eugenics, he opposed vaccination and religion. He wrote more than 60 works, the most outstanding being Man and superman (1902), Pygmalion (1912) and Saint juana (1923).
In these phrases by Bernard Shaw, as he wanted to be called, you will be able to observe some of the features of his works; mockery and a sense of humor, satire, the defense of socialism, organized religion, racial equality, among other ideas. We also leave you a brief reflection of each one with its meaning.
1- Those who cannot change their mind, cannot change anything
To learn, create, invent and many other actions, it is necessary to have the ability to change your mind.
2- The possibilities are numerous, once we decide to act and not react
When you react you are reactive and do not choose, but when you act you are proactive and can make decisions about what to do.
3- As long as we have a wish, we have a reason to live. Satisfaction is death
Desire, wanting something or someone, is what makes the human being get up every day.
4- A life dedicated to making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life dedicated to doing nothing
Bernard Shaw valued more people who dare to do something, even if they make mistakes, than those who do nothing and do not make mistakes.
5- The healthy body is the product of the healthy mind
It is necessary to take care of the body, but also the mind.
6- Beware of false knowledge; are more dangerous than ignorance
Misconceptions and information can lead to negative consequences.
7- My way of joking is telling the truth. It's the funniest joke in the world
The author proposes that telling the truth is something fun.
8- Virtue does not consist in abstaining from vice, but in not wanting it
The true virtuous person is one who does not want vices.
9- We don't stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing
Aging mentally is to stop doing the things that youth do.
10- Life does not try to find yourself. Life tries to create yourself
For Bernard Shaw, life is not about finding something inside or getting to know yourself, but about creating the person you want to be.
11- People who say that something cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it
Some people are negative, but they should not affect those who do things to improve something.
12- We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience
Sometimes people do not learn, despite making mistakes and facing the same problems several times.
13- The secret of success is to offend the greatest number of people
To get what you want you may have to do something that someone does not like.
14- Give a man health and a direction to follow, and he will never bother about whether he is happy or not
When someone is healthy and purposeful, they will be busy and possibly happy..
15- Youth is wasted on the young
Young people often do not reap the benefits of youth.
16- Freedom means responsibility. This is why most men fear her.
Some people do not want freedom, having to choose and be able to do what they want, because that means having to be responsible with their own actions.
17- Humanity soon gets tired of everything, especially what it enjoys the most
The human being soon gets tired of what is everyday, even though it is something pleasant.
18- Most people go to the grave with their music still inside
Many people do not bring out their creativity or light.
19- My reputation grows with each failure
A positive outlook on failing; can be seen as a path to success.
20- After all, the wrong path always leads somewhere
Even if you make mistakes sometimes and fall, the important thing is to continue.
21- The true moment of success is not the moment apparent to the crowd
Success is often not in the result, which is what the crowd sees, but in all the previous work that is not seen..
22- Make a rule never to give a child a book that you would not read yourself
You don't recommend books that you don't like or would read yourself.
23- A gentleman is someone who puts more into the world than he takes
One of the traits of chivalry is giving, adding value to the world.
24- The lack of money is the root of all evil
That people do not have money is for Shaw the cause that guides the evils of people and society.
25- The golden rule is that there are no golden rules
There are no rules that must be followed fairly in any vital area.
26- Try to get what you like or you will be forced to like what they give you
If you do not achieve what you want, you will have to settle for what they offer you.
27- A man who has a mind and knows it, can always beat ten men who do not have it and do not know it
Intelligent people who are aware of their abilities are more valuable than a group of men who do not know how to think..
28- Some men see things as they are and wonder why. Others dream things that never were and wonder why not
Creative and innovative people are those who consider that something that has not been done is possible.
29- Although all society is based on intolerance, all progress is based on tolerance
To progress, a society that is tolerant of racial and cultural differences is necessary.
30- The reasonable man adapts to the world; the unreasonable persists in trying to adapt the world to him. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man
The person with seemingly craziest ideas is the one who causes the most advance.
31- A winner is one who gets up and looks for the circumstances he wants, and if he does not find them, he manufactures them
Once again, Bernard Shaw expresses that it is necessary to act, not to be reactive.
32- All great truths begin as great blasphemies
When an unaccepted truth comes to light, it is initially viewed as negative..
33- If you have built castles in the air, your work is not lost; now place the bases under them
Imaginary or idea-based is also useful, but needs to be reinforced with something real.
34- Man can climb to the highest peaks, but he cannot live there for long
Everything that goes up must come down. People who succeed and reach the top end up falling sooner or later.
35- The border between hell and heaven is only the difference between two ways of seeing things
What a person considers hell or heaven is in the mind.
36- Success does not consist in never making mistakes, but in never making the same mistake a second time
What is truly reprehensible is committing a serious mistake twice. Making mistakes is normal and acceptable.
37- Just do what needs to be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness
Virtue is in doing the right thing, even if it doesn't make you happy.
38- A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on Paul's support
A country's government gets votes from the people it favors.
39- The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been carried out
It refers to when two or more people think they have communicated well, when what they wanted was not really transmitted correctly.
40- Better stay clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world
You need to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically.
41- Science never solves a problem without creating ten more
A fact of problem solving is that when one is solved, others arise..
42- A happy family is an early heaven
Something to pursue in life is to have a family in which to live happily.
43- There is no more sincere love than the love of food
The author shows his taste for food.
44- In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of him
Do not be afraid and having it can lead to negative consequences.
45- Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they come to a position of power, corrupt power
Fools who rise to a position of power are the real problem.
46- Beware of the man who does not hit you back: he neither forgives you nor allows you to forgive yourself
If you offend or do wrong to someone, take care if he does not return the wrong you did to him.
47- If there was nothing wrong in the world, there would be nothing to do
In the world there is much to do, precisely because there is so much evil.
48- The first condition of progress is the elimination of censorship
For progress it is necessary that there is no censorship in society. A free society must be able to express itself freely.
49- He who can, does. The one who cannot, teaches
An extended saying that conveys that people who cannot or know how to do something, dedicate themselves to teaching.
50- We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it, than to consume wealth without producing it
Defend that people give happiness to others and that they add value to the world.
51- Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous
Peace is hard to come by.
52- Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he was reading made him a madman
Values reading, but warns not to believe everything you read.
53- A perpetual vacation is a good definition of hell
It conveys that he does not appreciate vacations forever and that although they are sometimes thought to be something desirable, they can be something to hate.
54- Life has only two tragedies. One is not reaching your heart's desire; the other is to reach it
Having a purpose is a positive thing and it helps you get up each day. Sometimes when people reach their goals they feel lost and depressed..
55- You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul
Art is a way of expressing ideas, feelings and the deepest part of the human being.
56- When a man wants to kill a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to kill him he calls it ferocity
A defense to the animals.
57- Sometimes people become more attached to their burdens than burdens adhere to them
People often seek to be busy with something that causes them discomfort even though they are not forced to do so..
58- Now we know that the soul is the body and the body, the soul. They tell us that they are different because they want to persuade us that we can keep our souls if we let them enslave our bodies.
Bernard Shaw was against certain ideas of religious organizations.
59- Alcohol is the anesthesia with which we support the operation of life
Alcohol, despite its consequences on physical and mental health, serves thousands of people to drown the sorrows.
60- A pessimist is a man who thinks that everyone is as unpleasant as himself, and hates them for it
Expresses the idea that pessimists believe that other people have the same negative qualities that they actually have.
61- The only way to avoid being unhappy is not having enough free time to ask yourself if you are happy or not
As you have seen in other of his sentences, the author defends that if you are busy you will be happy or at least you will not worry about not being..
62- The road to ignorance is paved with good editors
Ignorance, false information, can be created by people who modify facts and data.
63- Murder is the most extreme form of censorship
Killing people has been a way of shutting up people throughout history.
64- The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor
Criticizes people who are smart or talented but are not honest.
65- The first love is just a little crazy and a lot of curiosity
First loves are caused by the inherent curiosity to meet other people to whom we are attracted.
66- The minority is sometimes right; most are always wrong
Crowds are often wrong with facts and beliefs.
67- There are no better kept secrets than the secrets that everyone guesses
What people assume is often wrong and far from the truth.
68- War does not decide who is right, but who is left
As they say, history is written by the winners.
69- Without art, the harshness of reality would make the world unbearable
Art is a way of escaping from the negative of reality.
70- Hate is the coward's revenge for being bullied
Hate is the emotion that little brave people feel when they feel offended.
71- Everything happens to everyone, sooner or later, if there is enough time
People have many experiences throughout life and very varied events occur in them.
72- The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life
Life at home also has its drawbacks and hotel life can be a way to rest.
73- He who has never had hope cannot despair
The best way to avoid disappointment is to have no expectations..
74- The most intolerable suffering is the one that produces the prolongation of the most intense pleasure
Continuous and non-stop pleasure can be unpleasant. You feel more pleasure when you get something that is not expected or that is not always present.
75- Possessing glory and youth is too much for a mortal
Youth has the disadvantage of being inexperienced and being successful at it can lead to unwanted results..
76- I learned a long time ago not to fight with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it
Do not fight with unpleasant or unworthy people. Some people enjoy conflict.
77- I don't like to feel at home when I'm abroad
Express the pleasure of feeling away from home when in another country.
78- Youth is a disease that heals over the years
As the author says in other sentences, being young has its disadvantages; inexperience, lack of wisdom.
79- I often quote myself. Add spice to my conversation
A sarcastic phrase with which he intended to play a joke.
80- I am an atheist and I thank God for it
In his youth Bernard Shaw was considered an atheist. Although he later clarified that he was against organized religion, not that he was an atheist.
81- Dance is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire
For Bernard Shaw to dance is to express an earthly desire.
82- Imagination is the beginning of creation. We imagine what we want, we want what we imagine and, finally, we create what we want
To create something, you first have to imagine it.
83- Old people are dangerous: they don't care what will happen to the world
Older people, having less time to live, may not worry about the consequences of their actions.
84- Life levels all men. Death reveals the eminent
After death is when the genius of many historical figures has been revealed.
85- Most of the people do not pray; they just beg
A criticism of people who do not actually pray, but only ask, something that is actually selfish.
86- It is not worth doing anything unless the consequences can be serious
A defense of risk, of doing something that can mean a big change.
87- Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it
The author criticizes the patriots.
88- Silence is the most perfect expression of contempt
People often show their discontent by staying quiet.
89- He does not know anything and thinks he knows everything. That clearly points to a political career
A critique of politicians, who are often wise guys.
90- In heaven an angel is nobody in particular
Something like "no one is a prophet in his land".
91- Christianity could be good if someone tried to practice it
Expresses that in reality the so-called Christians do not practice true Christianity.
92- The only secrets are the secrets that they keep to themselves
Secrets end up being told and the best way to achieve the opposite is not to tell them.
93- Without good customs, human society would be intolerable and impossible
Positive customs make life in society possible.
94- Life does not stop being comic because a man dies, nor does it stop being tragic because a man laughs
When something positive happens, not everything is rosy and vice versa; when something negative happens not everything is black.
95- Fear can take men to any extreme
Once again, Bernard Shaw defends that there is no need to be afraid. This time he defends that people who have it can do negative and extreme things.
96- Happy is he who maintains a profession that matches his hobby
Those people who can dedicate themselves to something that they like are lucky.
97- Life at home is no more natural for us than what a cage is for a cockatoo
It expresses the idea that life in the family or at home is not something natural for the human being.
98- When a foolish man does something of which he is ashamed, he always declares that it is his duty
Certain people may say "it is my duty" when they commit deplorable acts.
99- The problem with her is that she does not have the power of conversation, but she has the power of speech
Some people do not know how to talk, but they do know how to communicate.
100- It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to move through the statistics
Defend making decisions based on statistics, probabilities.
101- There is only one religion, although there are a hundred versions of it.
Although there are many ways to practice religion - such as Christianity, Islam or Hinduism - there is only one true religion..
102- The soul is too precious a gift for God to give to man for nothing. This has to win it, being or doing something
The soul, the deepest part of the human being, is earned by doing something of value to others.
103- It is no merit to suffer
Defend that suffering for no reason is not something to admire.
104- The perfect love story is one that is done entirely by mail
Bernard Shaw may have believed that life as a couple leads to the end of love.
105- Every person who has mastered a profession is a skeptic about it
When people know a profession or an area of knowledge in depth, they are more aware of everything they do not know.
106- Nobody attacks a lion when the field is full of sheep
Although it can have several meanings, it is possible that it means that it is better to play it safe - the sheep - than to face something dangerous - the lion.-.
107- Money is nothing, but a lot of money, that is something else
There are things more important than money - health, family - although a large amount of money can change life.
108- I'm afraid we must make the world honest before we can honestly tell our children that honesty is the best policy
An attack on the hypocrisy of trying to instill honesty when not practiced.
109- Do not try to live forever. You will not succeed
We all have a limited time to live.
110- Self-sacrifice allows us to sacrifice other people without blushing
When we sacrifice for something we are leaving things to do and people to help.
111- Hell is full of amateur musicians
Possibly a criticism of the low quality of amateur music.
112- Those who do not know how to live, must at least die with merit
If you do not enjoy life or take advantage of it, at least take a risk with something worthwhile.
113- If women were demanding about the character of men, they would never marry
A critique of the character of the men of his time.
114- Marriage is so successful because it combines the maximum temptation with the maximum opportunity
With marriage certain pleasures are achieved and the door is opened to achieve certain benefits. If marriage didn't have its advantages, it wouldn't be so common.
115- We are the only real aristocracy in the world: the money aristocracy
It affirms that capital, money, is what really rules the world.
116- If I were a woman, I would refrain from talking to any man or doing something for one until I have a vote
A feminist phrase, a defense of the female vote.
117- If you want to tell someone the truth, make them laugh! Otherwise you will get killed
One way to say something that someone does not like is to do it with humor or say it in a funny moment.
118- A genuine intellectual strives to improve his sense of humor
Intelligence does not consist only in mental capacity or knowledge, but in having a sense of humor.
119- A little learning is a dangerous thing, but we must take that risk because a little is what our greatest minds can sustain
Too much learning, knowledge, or occupation can lead to insanity.
120- Why should we accept the Pope's sexual advice? If he knows anything about it, he shouldn't!
A critique of church guidelines on sexuality.
121- Human beings are the only animals that I am completely and truly afraid of
One more defense of animals and a criticism of the evil or danger of human beings.
122- There is nothing more dangerous than the conscience of a fanatic
Fanatics, whose beliefs are unchangeable, even if not based on reality, can be dangerous to others.
123- I am a Christian. That forces me to be a communist
Bernard Shaw was against organized religion, not true Christianity. The truly Christians are generous.
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