Some wise and witty quotes from the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950).
It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman despise him. – Preface to Pygmalion
When I was a young man I observed that nine out of every ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work. – The Wordsworth Book of Humorous Quotations
Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same. – Maxims for Revolutionists
He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career. – Major Barbara
I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious. – Saturday Review, 1895
Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get. – Man and Superman
I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.
The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else. – The Quintessence of Ibsenism
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
Image (top): George Bernard Shaw by William Strang (1907), Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Image (bottom): George Bernard Shaw (1936), Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
