George Bernard Shaw

(1856- 1950) British dramatist, born in Dublin, Ireland, and became the most significant British playwright of the last 300 years. Shaw was mostly concerned with social problems and early on became a member of the socialist Fabian Society. He was also a brilliant novelist and critic, and many consider him the greatest satirist of this century. Among his works are 'Caesar and Cleopatra' ; 'Man and Superman' ; 'Saint Joan' ; 'Back to Methuselah'. 'Man and Superman' is a dramatic parable based on the legend of Don Juan, it contains a famous dream scene called 'Don Juan in Hell' involving a debate with the devil.

	Alderen har to fordele. Tænderne gør ikke længere ondt, og man hører ikke længere alt det dumme vrøvl, der bliver sagt rundt omkring en.
	Alkohol er en særdeles nødvendig vare. Den sætter Parlamentet i stand til at gøre ting klokken elleve om aftenen, som ingen normal person ville gøre klokken elleve om formiddagen.
	Alle fag er sammensværgelser mod lægmanden
	Alle store sandheder begynder som blasfemier
	Alt det, som folk gerne vil vide noget om, er som regel ikke noget, der kommer dem ved
	Alt, hvad unge kan gøre for de ældre, er at chokere dem og på den måde holde dem a jour med tiden
	Arbejde er de drikkende klassers forbandelse
	Besværlige konversationer med borddamer kan man undgå ved at spørge de ugifte kvinder, hvor mange børn de har, og de gifte, hvorfor de endnu ingen har.
	Da englændere ikke er et åndeligt folkefærd, opfandt de cricket for at få en idé om evigheden
	Da vi har gjort lægerne til købmænd, tvinger vi dem til at lære handelsknebene
	Dannelse hos mand og kvinde viser sig i, hvordan de skændes.
	Den, der aldrig har håbet, kan aldrig fortvivle
	Den, som aldrig gør en fejl, gør ikke så meget andet heller
	Den, som er mest urolig i et fængsel, er direktøren.
	Der er kun én sand moral for hvert menneske: men hvert menneske har ikke den samme sande moral
	Der findes ingen sandere kærlighed end kærlighed til mad
	Der findes to tragedier her i livet: Den ene er ikke at få hvad hjertet begærer, den anden er at få det
	Det anses for naturligt, at en kvinde blot venter på at blive opvartet. Det er sådan, en edderkop venter på fluen
	Det eneste, de unge kan gøre for de gamle, er at chokere dem og holde dem àjour.
	Det er en sand glæde i livet at blive brugt til et formål, som du selv synes er stort
	Det er kvindens sag at blive gift så snart som muligt, og mandens at holde sig ugift så længe han kan
	Det er let, forfærdelig let, at rokke ved et menneskes tro på sig selv.
	Det er sundt ikke at spise kød. De stærkeste dyr som f.eks. tyren er vegetarer. Se på mig. Jeg er ti gange så rask og energisk som en kødspiser.
	Det kendsgerning, at en troende er lykkeligere end en skeptiker, har ikke større betydning for sagen end, at en beruset mand er lykkeligere end en ædru
	Det, man kalder last, er altid det samme. Det, man kalder dyd, er mere en modesag
	Du ser ting, og du siger: Hvorfor? Men jeg drømmer ting, som aldrig fandtes og jeg siger: Hvorfor ikke?
	Dyr er vore medskabninger. Jeg føler mig stærkt i slægt med dem.
	En livslang lykke! Intet levende menneske ville kunne holde den ud. Det ville være helvede på jorden
	En mand er som en grammofon med et halvt dusin plader
	Et helt live i lykke, det er der intent levende menneske, der kan holde ud. Det ville være et helvede på jorden
	Folk rejser for at lære. De fleste af dem burde lære at rejse, før de starter,
	Folk, der kommer frem i denne verden, er folk, der ser sig om efter de forhold, de ønsker sig, og hvis de ikke er der, skaber de dem.
	Frihed betyder ansvar; derfor frygter de fleste mennesker den
	Gennem erfaring lærer vi, at vi ikke lærer af erfaring.
	Had er kujonens hævn over, at han er blevet skræmt
	Han ved intet, men tror, han ved alt. Det peger klart i retning af en politisk karriere
	Hele Englands styrke ligger i den kendsgerning, at det store flertal af englændere er snobber
	Helvede er fuld af amatørmusikere. Musikken er de fordømtes brændevin.
	Hemmeligheden ved at føle sig ulykkelig er at have tid til at bekymrer sig om, hvorvidt man er lykkelig eller ej
	Hjemmet er pigens fængsel og kvindens arbejdslejr
	Hvis du forulemper din næste, er det bedst ikke at gøre det halvt
	Hvis englænderne kan overleve deres måltider, kan de overleve alt.
	Hvis et menneske har noget at sige, er det sværeste ikke at få vedkommende til at sige det, men at forhindre ham i at sige det alt for tit
	Hvis man gør sig den ulejlighed altid at gøre og sige det fuldkommen korrekte, kan man gøre lige hvad man vil
	Hvordan kan det være, at mennesker, som forstår at more sig, aldrig har penge - og dem, som har penge, aldrig forstår at more sig?
	Hvorfor er mennesket ungt i en alder, hvor det ikke får noget ud af det?
	I himlen er en engel ikke noget mærkeligt
	Idealisme er blot et indsmigrende navn for romantikken i politik og moral
	Ingen kærlighed er mere ægte end kærligheden til mad.
	Jeg citerer ofte mig selv; det giver kraft i min konversation.
	Jeg elsker rekonvalescensen. Det er den, som giver sygdommen mening.
	Jeg var fritænker, før jeg vidste, hvordan man skal tænke.
	Jo flere ting et menneske skammer sig over, jo mere respektabel er vedkommende.
	Jo mere en mand ved, og jo mere han rejser, desto mere tilbøjelig er han til at gifte sig med en landsbypige.
	Kun i de ni måneder før mennesket tager sit første åndedrag, evner det at klare sig så godt som et træ gør.
	Kød er gift for systemet. Ingen burde leve af døde ting.
	Lignelser er ikke løgne, fordi de behandler begivenheder, som aldrig fandt sted
	Livet nivellerer alle mennesker, døden fremhæver dem, der betyder noget
	Løgnerens straf består ikke i, at man ikke tror ham, men i at han ikke selv længere kan tro på noget
	Man opdager ofte ting, som kvinder har vidst længe
	Mangel på penge er roden til alt ondt.
	Martyrium er den eneste måde, en mand kan blive berømt på uden at besidde evner.
	Mennesker er ikke kloge i kraft af deres erfaringer men i kraft af deres evne til at gøre erfaringer
	Min ligvogn vil blive fulgt, ikke af et sørgetog, men af flokke af køer, får, svin, fjerkræ og et lille akvarium med fisk - alle bærende hvide tørklæder for at ære den mand, som hellere ville dø af sult end spise sine medskabninger.
	Min måde at spøge på er at fortælle sandheden. Det er den største spøg i verden
	Når en dum mand gør noget, han skammer sig over, erklærer han altid, at det er hans pligt. , (1910)
	Når regeringen forringer pengenes værdi for at bedrage alle troende, så giver man denne fremgangsmåde det høflige navn "inflation"
	Penge er ikke alt - men mange penge er da altid noget.
	Politikeren, der tidligere måtte lære, hvordan man smigrer konger, må nu lære, hvordan man fortryller, underholder, svindler med,forskrækker eller på anden måde forbløffer vælgernes fantasi
	Rige mænd uden overbevisning er farligere i det moderne samfund end fattige kvinder uden kyskhed.
	Skønhed er storartet ved første øjekast, men hvem ser nogensinde efter den, når den har været tre dage i huset?
	Straffen for løgneren består mennesker er ufarlige. Farlige er kun løgnerne, som ofte siger sandheden.
	Så længe jeg har behov, har jeg en grund til at leve. Tilfredshed betyder døden.
	Ungdommen er en vidunderlig gave. Det er bare synd, at den sløses bort på nogle, som ikke er voksne
	Vi har ikke mere ret til at bruge lykke uden at producere den, end vi har ret til at bruge rigdom uden at producere den
	Vær ikke mod andre, som du vil have, de skal være mod dig. De har måske ikke samme smag
	Ægteskabet er populært, fordi det forener maksimal fristelse med maksimal tilfældighed
	A child only educated at shool is an uneducated one
	A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.
	A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul.
	A learned man is an idler who kills time by study.
	A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.
	A man is like a phonograph with half-a-dozen records. You soon get tired of them all; and yet you have to sit at a table whilst he reels them of to every new visitor.
	A man never tells you anything until you contradict him.
	A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell.
	Advice is like kissing: It costs nothing and it's a pleasant thing to do
	Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life
	All progress means war with society
	An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable.
	As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.
	Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world
	Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time.
	Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is Genius
	Do you know what a pessimist is? A man who thinks everybody as nasty as himself, and hates them for it.
	Economy is the art of making the most of life. The love of economy is the root of all virtue
	Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
	Find enough clever things to say, and you're a Prime Minister; write them down and you're a Shakespeare
	Foolishness is the direct quest for happiness and beauty
	Fornuft er ofte ikke andet end mod til fejhed
	Great Britain and the United States are nations separated by a common language
	He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career
	He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches
	Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history
	I enjoy convalescence. It is the part that makes the illness worth while
	I never thought much of the courage of a lion-tamer. Inside the cage he is at least safe from people
	I often quote myself, it adds spice to my conversation
	If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.
	If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
	Independence? That's middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.
	It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.
	It is easy - terribly easy - to shake a man's faith in himself. To take advantage of that to break a man's spirit is devil's work.
	It is most unwise for people in love to marry.
	It's all the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep them up to date.
	Justice is impartiality. Only strangers are impartial.
	Let no one suppose that the words doctor and patient can disguise from the parties te fact that they are employer and employee.
	Liberty means responsibility. That is why most people dread it.
	Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
	Life is a disease; and the only difference between one man and another is the stage of the disease at which he lives
	Love is the gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everyone else
	Marriage is tolerable enough in its way if youre easygoing and dont expect too much from it. But it doesnt bear thinking about
	Modern poverty is not the poverty that was blest in the Sermon on the Mount
	My aunt died of influenza: so they said? But it is my belief they done The old woman in
	My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity
	Newspapers are unable, seemingly, to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilisation
	Nietzsche was a confirmed Life Force worshipper. It was he who raked up The Superman, who is as old as Prometheus
	No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious
	No woman can shake off her mother. There should be no mothers, only women
	Nothing is ever done in this world until men are prepared to kill one another if it is not done
	Nothing is worth doing unless the consequences may be serious
	Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
	Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he read made him mad.
	Revolutions have never lightened the burden of tyranny: they have only shifted it to another shoulder.
	Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.
	The English have no respect for their language, and will not teach their children to speak it. . . . It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth, without making some other Englishman despise him.
	The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one
	The longer I live the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains that I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only wasted my time
	The man who listens to reason is lost, Reason enslaves to those whose minds are not strong enough to master her
	The modern mankind has a double moral: One, that we preach, but don't use, and one that we use, but don't preach.
	The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.
	The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.
	The most intolerable pain is produced by prolonging the keenest pleasure.
	The nation's morals are like its teeth: the more decayed they are the more it hurts to touch them.
	The ordinary Britisher imagines that God is an Englishman.
	The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and , if they can't find them, make them.
	The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post.
	The politician who once had to learn to flatter kings has now to learn how to fascinate, amuse, coax, humbug, frighten, or otherwise strike the fancy of the electorate.
	The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who haven't got it
	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
	The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation
	The test of a man or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel.
	The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.
	The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity. (Apathy is worse than antipathy)
	There are scores of thousands of sects who are ready at a moment's notice to reveal the will of God on every possible subject
	There are some experiences in life which should not be demanded twice from any man, and one of them is listening to the Brahms Requiem.
	There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to get it.
	There is no sincerer love than the love of food.
	There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it
	They who do not know how to live must make a merit of dying
	Use your health, even to the point of wearing it out. That is what it is for. Spend all you have before you die; and do not outlife yourself
	Virtue is insufficient temptation
	We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it
	We have not lost faith, but we have transferred it from God to the medical profession
	What is the use of straining after an amiable view of things, when a cynical view is most likely to be the true one?
	What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattery
	What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child
	When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; When the tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity. The distinction between crime and justice is no greater
	When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth
	When I was a young man I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. I didn't want to be a failure, so I did ten times more work
	When you prevent me from doing anything I want to do, that is persecution; but when I prevent you from doing anything you want to do, that is law, order and morals
	Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course.
	Women upset everything. When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at one thing and you're driving at another
	You cannot be a hero without being a coward
	You do not learn to hold your own in the world by standing on guard, but by attacking, and getting well hammered yourself
	You know, Tolstoy, like myself, wasn't taken in by superstitions like science and medicine
	You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?"
	You'll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.
	Youth is a wonderful thing; what a crime to waste it on children

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