george-bernard-shaw Quotes About people

“I was taught when I was young that if people would only love one another, all would be well with the world. I found when I tried to put that into practice, not only were other people seldom lovable but I wasn't very lovable myself.”

People Ifs World Wells Would Be Young Found Practice Taught Only Love Love One Another Lovable

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“If more than 10% of the people like a painting, you can be sure it's bad.”

People Ifs Painting Standards

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“My specialty is being right when other people are wrong.”

People Specialty

Book:The Collected Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated): Including Renowned Titles like Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, The Inca Of Perusalem, Macbeth Skit, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

Source: The Collected Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated): Including Renowned Titles like Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, The Inca Of Perusalem, Macbeth Skit, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

“Everyone can see that the people who hunt are the right people and the people who don't are the wrong ones.”

People Hunts

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“The criminal law is no use to decent people.”

People Use Law Criminals Decent Criminal Law

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Two people getting together to write a book is like three people getting together to have a baby. One of them is superfluous.”

People Writing Two Book Funny Together Three Baby Superfluous

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“People who are hard, grasping and always ready to take advantage of their neighbors become very rich.”

People Hard Rich Ready Advantage Neighbor Avarice Grasping

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Reviewing has one advantage over suicide: in suicide you take it out on yourself; in reviewing you take it out on other people.”

People Advantage Criticism Suicide

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“You must all know half a dozen people at least who are no use in this world, who are more trouble than they are worth. Just put them there and say Sir, or Madam, now will you be kind enough to justify your existence? If you can't justify your existence, if you're not pulling your weight in the social boat, if you're not producing as much as you consume or perhaps a little more, then, clearly, we cannot use the organizations of our society for the purpose of keeping you alive, because your life does not benefit us and it can't be of very much use to yourself.”

People Ifs Knows World Kind Littles Doe Enough Use Purpose Social Existence Half Alive Trouble This World Benefits Organization Weight Boat Our Society Justify Be Kind Dozen Pulling

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Always strive to find out what to do by thinking, without asking anybody. If you continually do this, you will soon act like a grown-up woman. For want of doing this, a very great number of grown-up people act like children.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Children Numbers Childhood Asking Strive Thoughtful

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“The writer who aims at producing the platitudes which are "not for an age, but for all time" has his reward in being unreadable inall ages.... The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only sort of man who writes about all people and about all time.”

People Men Writing Age He Man Aim Rewards All Time Platitudes

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“All industries are brought under the control of such people [film producers] by Capitalism. If the capitalists let themselves be seduced from their pursuit of profits to the enchantments of art, they would be bankrupt before they knew where they were. You cannot combine the pursuit of money with the pursuit of art.”

People Ifs Art Would Be Film Industry Capitalism Profit Pursuit Producers Movie Capitalist Enchantment Pursuit Of Money

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Fine art is the subtlest, the most seductive, the most effective instrument of moral propaganda in the world, excepting only the example of personal conduct; and I waive even this exception in favor of the art of the stage, because it works by exhibiting examples of personal conduct made intelligible and moving to crowds of unobservant unreflecting people to whom real life means nothing.”

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“There is nothing on earth more exquisite than a bonny book, with well-placed columns of rich black writing in beautiful borders, and illuminated pictures cunningly inset. But nowadays, instead of looking at books, people read them. A book might as well be one of those orders for bacon and bran.”

People Writing Wells Book Might Earth Beautiful Order Black Rich Borders Exquisite Columns

Book:The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“A man of genius is not a man who sees more than other men do. On the contrary, it is very often found that he is absentminded andobserves much less than other people.... Why is it that the public have such an exaggerated respect for him--after he is dead? The reason is that the man of genius understands the importance of the few things he sees.”

People Men Reason Found He Man Genius Importance Contrary Exaggerated

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Freedom, my good girl, means being able to count on how other people will behave.”

People Mean Able Girl Freedom Behave Good Girl

Book:George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated): 60 plays including Caesar and Cleopatra, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, The Apple Cart, Cymbeline, Androcles And The Lion, The Man Of Destiny, The Inca Of Perusalem and Macbeth Skit

Source: George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated): 60 plays including Caesar and Cleopatra, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, The Apple Cart, Cymbeline, Androcles And The Lion, The Man Of Destiny, The Inca Of Perusalem and Macbeth Skit

“Most of the money given by rich people in "charity" is made up of conscience money, "ransom," political bribery, and bids for titles.... One buys moral credit by signing a cheque, which is easier than turning a prayer wheel.”

People Made Political Given Prayer Moral Rich Easier Conscience Charity Credit Titles Wheels Rich People Signing Bribery Ransom Cheques

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“As people get their opinions so largely from the newspapers they read, the corruption of the schools would not matter so much if the Press were free. But the Press is not free. As it costs at least a quarter of a million of money to establish a daily newspaper in London, the newspapers are owned by rich men. And they depend on the advertisements of other rich men. Editors and journalists who express opinions in print that are opposed to the interests of the rich are dismissed and replaced by subservient ones.”

“You are all alike, you respectable people. You can't tell me the bursting strain of a ten-inch gun, which is a very simple matter;but you all think you can tell me the bursting strain of a man under temptation. You daren't handle high explosives; but you're all ready to handle honesty and truth and justice and the whole duty of man, and kill one another at that game. What a country! What a world!”

Source: The Collected Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated): Including Renowned Titles like Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, The Inca Of Perusalem, Macbeth Skit, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

“Even to this day it is easier than it ought to be for me to get a rise out of an American by telling him something about himself which is equally true about every human being on the face of the globe. He at once resents this as a disparagement and an assertion on my part that people in other parts of the globe are not like that, and are loftily superior to such weaknesses.”

People Humans Faces Human Beings Ought Easier Weakness Superiors This Day Globes Assertion Resent

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Not until he acquires European manners does the American anarchist become the gentleman who assures you that people cannot be mademoral by Act of Parliament (the truth being that it is only by Acts of Parliament that men in large communities can be made moral, even when they want to).”

People Men Want Doe Made Law Community Moral Truth Is Manners Gentleman Acquire Parliament Anarchist

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“The function of the actor is to make the audience imagine for the moment that real things are happening to real people.”

People Real Moments Actors Acting Audience Imagine Happenings Function Real Things

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Unless the people can choose their leaders and rulers, and can revoke their choice at intervals long enough to test their measuresby results, the government will be a tyranny exercised in the interests of whatever classes or castes or mobs or cliques have this choice.”

People Long Enough Government Choices Interest Results Leader Class Democracy Tests Tyranny Voting Rulers Intervals Castes Clique

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“In my dreams is a country where the State is the Church and the Church the people: three in one and one in three. It is a commonwealth in which work is play and play is life: three in one and one in three. It is a temple in which the priest is the worshiper and the worshiper the worshipped: three in one and one in three. It is a godhead in which all life is human and all humanity divine: three in one and one in three.”

People Humans Country States Play Dream Life Is Humanity Three Heaven Church Divine Temples Priests Commonwealth Three In One

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Hollywood keeps before its child audiences a string of glorified young heroes, everyone of whom is an unhesitating and violent Anarchist. His one answer to everything that annoys him or disparages his country or his parents or his young lady or his personal code of manly conduct is to give the offender a "sock" in the jaw.... My observation leads me to believe that it is not the virtuous people who are good at socking jaws.”

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“Whenever an obviously well founded statement is made in England by a person specially well acquainted with the facts, that unlucky person is instantly and frantically contradicted by all the people who obviously know nothing about it.”

People Knows Wells Persons Made Facts England Statements Unlucky

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“It is always necessary to overstate a cast startlingly to make people sit up and listen to it, and to frighten them into acting on it.”

People Acting Casts

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“As people get their opinions so largely from the newspapers they read... But the Press is not free, the newspapers are owned by rich men.”

People Men Opinion Rich Presses Newspapers Rich Man

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Very nice sort of place, Oxford, I should think, for people that like that sort of place.”

People Thinking Should Nice Very Nice Oxford

Book:The Collected Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated): Including Renowned Titles like Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, The Inca Of Perusalem, Macbeth Skit, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

Source: The Collected Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated): Including Renowned Titles like Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, The Inca Of Perusalem, Macbeth Skit, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

“I wish people would stop talking about my birthday.”

People Wish Talking My Birthday

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Youth is just wasted on young people.”

People Young Youth

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Seemingly unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. Much progress, therefore, depends on such people.”

People World Progress Depends Unreasonable

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Just as the historian can teach no real history until he has cured his readers of the romantic delusion that the greatness of a queen consists in her being a pretty woman and having her head cut off, so the playwright of the first order can do nothing with his audience until he has cured them of looking at the stage through the keyhole, and sniffing round the theatre as prurient people sniff round the divorce court.”

Source: George Bernard Shaw: Collected Articles, Lectures, Essays and Letters: Thoughts and Studies from the Renowned Dramaturge and Author of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Pygmalion, Arms and The Man, Saint Joan, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion

“The way to deal with worldly people is to frighten them by repeating their scandalous whisperings aloud.”

People Way Deals Worldly Whispering Scandalous

Book:Love Among The Artists (Autobiographical Novel): A Story With a Purpose

Source: Love Among The Artists (Autobiographical Novel): A Story With a Purpose

“Once there was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time is called the Dark Ages. He who can, does. He who cannot teaches.”

People Doe Age Church Dark Teach Dark Ages

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“The ability to make witty observations is commonly refered to as "cynism" by people who lack it.”

People Ability Witty Observation

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“Ye poor posterity, think not that ye are the first. Other fools before ye have seen the sun rise and set, and the moon change her shape and her hour. As they were so ye are; and yet not so great; for the pyramids my people built stand to this day; whilst the dustheaps on which ye slave, and which ye call empires, scatter in the wind even as ye pile your dead sons' bodies on them to make yet more dust.”

Source: George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated): 60 plays including Caesar and Cleopatra, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, The Apple Cart, Cymbeline, Androcles And The Lion, The Man Of Destiny, The Inca Of Perusalem and Macbeth Skit

“You have nothing to do but mention the quantum theory, and people will take your voice for the voice of science, and belive anything.”

People Voice Theory Quantum Belive Quantum Theory

Book:George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated): 60 plays including Caesar and Cleopatra, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, The Apple Cart, Cymbeline, Androcles And The Lion, The Man Of Destiny, The Inca Of Perusalem and Macbeth Skit

Source: George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated): 60 plays including Caesar and Cleopatra, Pygmalion, Saint Joan, The Apple Cart, Cymbeline, Androcles And The Lion, The Man Of Destiny, The Inca Of Perusalem and Macbeth Skit

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”