George Bernard Shaw

Playwright Critic Irish 1856 – 1950

Irish playwright and critic, author of Pygmalion.

375 quotes

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Kindness
"Strength does not come from winning."
Strength
"Fear is the mind-killer."
Fear
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Power
"Money is the root of all evil."
Money
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being."
Health
"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."
Adventure
"Imagination is the beginning of creation."
Imagination
"Technology is best when it brings people together."
Technology
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
History
"Philosophy is common sense in a dinner jacket."
Philosophy
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Literature
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
Politics
"War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle."
War
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."
Motivation
"Believe you can and you're halfway there."
Inspiration
"A great love is a lot like a good memory. When it has passed, you can still rely on it to keep you warm."
Love
"In solitude the soul grows."
Solitude
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
Humor
"The only way to get a man to agree with you is to say something in a certain way that appeals to him."
Wisdom
"Self-denial is not a virtue; it is only the effect of prudence on rascality."
Life
"The body is a machine which winds itself up."
Health
"When the cat's away, the mice will play."
Freedom
"An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable."
Philosophy
"I had no idea that history was being made. I thought we were just trying to get to tomorrow."
History
"The secret to my success is that I bit off more than I could chew and chewed as fast as I could."
Success
"Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness."
Justice
"A man of genius is not a man who sees more than other men do. He is a man who sees things differently."
Creativity
"Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else."
Love
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange them, then you and I will each have an 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."
Knowledge