George Bernard Shaw

An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable.

No man can be a pure specialist without being in the strict sense an idiot.

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

All the sweetness of religion is conveyed to the world by the hands of story-tellers and image-makers. Without their fictions the truths of religion would for the multitude be neither intelligible nor even apprehensible; and the prophets would prophesy and the teachers teach in vain.

The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.

The secret of forgiving everything is to understand nothing.

The return of my birthday, if I remember it, fills me with thoughts which it seems to be the general care of humanity to escape.

There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.

No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting – a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

Sir, he throws away his money without thought and without merit. I do not call a tree generous that sheds its fruit at every breeze.

When you ascend the hill of prosperity, may you not meet a friend.

If you have nothing to say, say nothing.

I was exceedingly delighted with the waltz, and also with the polka. These differ in name, but there the difference ceases

Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.

What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined – to strengthen each other – to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories.

The State must follow, and not lead, the character and progress of the citizen.

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.

One lesson we learn early, that in spite of seeming difference, men are all of one pattern. We readily assume this with our mates, and are disappointed and angry if we find that we are premature, and that their watches are slower than ours. In fact, the only sin which we never forgive in each other is difference of opinion.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.