George Bernard Shaw or as he insisted just Bernard Shaw, was born in 1856 in Ireland. He was a playwright, critic and political activist and his works greatly influenced western theatre, culture and politics from the 1880s till modern times. His best works were Pygmalion, Man & Superman, Saint Joan and he was awarded Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. He also received Academy Award in 1938 for the screenplay of his play adaptation Pygmalion.
He wrote more than sixty plays and is regarded widely as the greatest English dramatist after Shakespeare. His ideas and concepts are called Shavian.
Following are a few of his best George Bernand Shaw quotes:
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
Your life is not predefined by destiny or God. Your upbringing or circumstances do not even limit it if you don't let it. You can create your life according to your wishes and desires as long as you are willing to work for it.
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
Unless you get out of your comfort zone and learn new things, there will be no growth. Learning new things involves trial and error method. So, getting better by making mistakes and learning can help create a better life than just sitting idle for afraid of failing.
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.
Generally, people adapt their opinions and abilities according to the world. This is the rational way of developing oneself. But there are some whose innate abilities and talents are too valuable to dissolve into something more acceptable by society. As a result, new ideas are introduced into the world, which leads the way to progress.
Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.
Do not waste your time arguing and fighting with people who are only going to taint your image and mood. They will enjoy getting on your nerve; however, you will simply lose your precious time.
You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.
Growing old can be daunting. But we can try to manage problems of the ageing body by bringing positivity into our lives. As long as you are happy and enjoying you are young at heart, it's only when you give in to the negativity that getting old becomes depressing.
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
Any materialistic thing can be owned and experienced only by its physical possession. But things like an idea, it has the power to transcend. Sharing of thoughts doesn't lead to any loss but only increases the range of thinking for all the people involved.
Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.
Hatred is born out of fear. When we feel threatened by someone, by their success or power, it can easily give rise of feelings like hatred and jealousy if we don't know how to deal with the fear.
There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.
Many times we misinterpret our interests and aspirations. We assume certain dreams will make us happy when realised, but when it does happen, we are still unsatisfied. Bernard Shaw says there are two tragedies in life. First is when men don't achieve what they desire. It leaves them disappointed and depressed. Second is when they achieve what they wanted, but on receiving, they realise it is not what they expected. This again is a tragedy since they invested their time and energy into it without getting the desired results.
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
The more freedom you get, the more responsibilities are bestowed upon you. He says that's why many men are afraid of being liberated because then they have to take full responsibility for their life. They will be responsible for all their success stories as well as wrong decisions.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.
He believes that both kinds of people-optimists and pessimists can contribute to society in their own way. It is not problematic that someone thinks about only the negative aspects of everything. It becomes an issue when he lets that perception restrict him from taking actions or following his dreams. Hence, just like positive people can dream big and innovate, pessimists too can use their point of view to prevent problems and improve a product or a service.
You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.
He believes that a piece of art can be a mirror that helps us see our soul. For an artist, whatever he creates, it comes from his deepest emotions and thoughts. This gives us a glimpse into who this person is underneath all the superficial characteristics. Similarly, what audience likes in art tells a lot about who they are at the core.
The fact that a believer is happier than a sceptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality of happiness, and by no means a necessity of life.
He challenges the widely accepted notion that a believer is happier than a sceptic. He compares an unwavering belief to intoxication. He is suggesting that just like a drunken man, a believer might be illusioned that he is happy and all is good in his life. His judgement is clouded and could not see the reality objectively. A resolute belief can prevent you from questioning things which might push you away from understanding the truths of the universe. When we are desperate for happiness, we start believing in anything, this he says it is a hazardous quality. He says, just like when a man is desperate to rise above his problems, takes refuge in alcohol, he can also start believing for the same reason.
Continue reading more top quotes of the famous George Bernard Shaw....
The liar's punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.
A liar might have to see the end like that of cry wolf story. He might end up lonely who doesn't have friends because they can't trust him. It can also take a toll on his career as integrity is important in a job too. However, it can also lead to him becoming untrusting. Because he lied all the time, he will project the same image on others. He will believe that everyone around him is trying to dupe him. He will never be able to maintain any healthy relationship in his life and would lose peace of his mind always doubting others.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.
He strongly believes that our will and practice can create anything. He says imagination is the beginning of everything. We imagine what we desire. This imagination gives birth to relentless trying and perseverance. And these actions will eventually lead to the realisation of your desires.
You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?
Humans are inquisitive by nature, and if we let our mind wander, it will come up with questions aimed at gaining an understanding of the world. While most of us try to understand the reason behind the things we can see at present times. He imagines things that are not yet conceived and try to bring it forth, by exhausting all the possibilities of why it cannot be created.
All great truths begin as blasphemies.
In ancient times, science wasn't much developed and people didn't know how things work. They used to relate the cause and purpose of all the processes in nature to religion and God. Then slowly, intellectuals started studying the various natural phenomenon and put forth various theories. Initially, these theories refuted orthodox notions and undermined the power of God and religious institutions to some extent. Hence, to hold their authority, this kind of knowledge was labelled as blasphemy. Although we have unravelled many such mysteries still there are innumerable that exists today. Some of these mysteries might be protected under religion or superstition. When in future people will uncover their truth, they risk being called out for blasphemy too.
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
He says that the biggest problem in communication is that people sometimes believe that just because the information has been passed down to the other person, he has understood it. There should be a two-way transfer of information, with other party confirming that he received the correct information.
The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor: he took my measure anew every time he saw me, whilst all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me.
This dialogue is taken from one of his play, Man and Superman. It means that the sensible way of treating people is not limiting their potential and character according to your expectations of them. Expectations can be born out of previous experiences. Just because the person behaved in a certain way previously doesn't mean he can't improve and grow. We should change our opinion of them for better if they are trying to be better than their older self.
Youth is wasted on the young.
Youth is a boon. We are blessed with energy, physical and mental strength to take on any task. We have ample time to explore various opportunities. But mostly, youngsters are too distracted by momentary gratification that we don't make the best use of this time.
A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.
He is trying to convey that within all of us, two kinds of thoughts occurs. One will be bad and mean, that will only suggest you indulge in self-destructive behaviour, that will only try to put you down. The second one will be the positive one, which will be your moral compass and try to correct your path. It will tell you to indulge in what is right and not what is easy. It will encourage you to do things that are going to make your life better in the long run. It is up to us which one we will choose. Whichever thoughts we consume and spend more time mulling over, will get stronger and will gain control over our minds and eventually create our life accordingly.
Conclusion
In this article, we have seen list of the famous George Bernard Shaw Quotes on Love, Friendship, Marriage and Happiness with their meanings.
Co-author: Shreya Arya
A digital marketing enthusiast with experience in HR and hospital management, Shreya has wide interests ranging from philosophy, psychology to latest trends in automation. She is also a freelance content writer and loves lending beautiful words to ideas and feelings.
