George Bernard Shaw Biography

George Bernard Shaw, Dramatist
Occup.Dramatist
FromIreland
BornJuly 26, 1856
Dublin, Ireland
DiedNovember 2, 1950
Hertfordshire, England
Aged94 years
Early Life and Background
George Bernard Shaw was born upon July 26, 1856, in Dublin, Ireland, into a household that suffered from precarious financial scenarios and a strained adult relationship. His daddy, George Carr Shaw, was a corn merchant and an alcoholic, while his mom, Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw (née Gurly), was a music instructor and singer. Shaw had two older siblings, however one of them passed away in youth. Lucinda's enthusiasm for music influenced Shaw deeply, as did her unorthodox parenting style and liberal mindsets.

Education and Early Career
Shaw's official education was irregular and uninspiring, leading him to end up being a devoted self-educator. At the age of 15, he left school and worked in a land representative's office, a job that did not please his blossoming intellectual curiosity. In 1876, he moved to London, where his mother and siblings had actually already relocated. At first, Shaw had a hard time financially and took various tasks while he pursued a career in composing.

The Road to Literature and Politics
In London, Shaw was affected by his mom's music instructor, George John Vandeleur Lee, and began going to lectures and debates at the Zetetical Society, broadening his knowledge. He started writing novels, which were unsuccessful, but they led the way for his future in playwrighting. Throughout this duration, Shaw also ended up being extremely involved with the emerging socialist movement. By 1884, he had actually joined the Fabian Society, a socialist company that looked for to advance social democracy and reform through gradual ways rather than revolution. His active participation in politics modelled much of his future work and views.

The Playwright Emerges
Shaw's profession as a dramatist removed in the late 1880s and 1890s. His very first successful plays consisted of "Widowers' Houses" (1892), which slammed the evils of run-down neighborhood landlordism, and "Arms and the Man" (1894), a satire on war and romantic ideals. Over the next few years, Shaw became prominent for his wit, shimmering dialogue, and incisive social reviews. His works, typically imbued with political, social, and financial critique, made him a leading figure in English theatre and an influential public intellectual.

Major Works and Later Life
Among Shaw's most considerable and long-lasting works are "Saint Joan" (1923), "Pygmalion" (1912), and "Man and Superman" (1903). "Pygmalion" was later on adjusted into the Broadway and cinematic musical "My Fair Lady", bringing Shaw's work to even wider audiences. In 1925, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, a testimony to his contributions to the category.

Regardless of his fame and success, Shaw remained active in political causes throughout his life. He supported women's rights, pacifism, and was a critic of both commercialism and totalitarianism. He was a questionable figure, known for his public contradictions and frequently intriguing declarations.

Influential Relationships
Throughout his life, Shaw had relationships with a variety of prominent figures. His strong yet complex relationship with fellow Irish playwright W. B. Yeats contributed to the cultural revival in Ireland referred to as the Irish Literary Renaissance. His romantic and intellectual relationship with actress Stella Patrick Campbell was also significant; she starred in a few of his plays, and they preserved a lengthy correspondence. His marital relationship to Charlotte Payne-Townshend, a wealthy Irish suffragette, allowed him monetary stability and the liberty to pursue his creative ventures.

Death and Legacy
George Bernard Shaw passed away on November 2, 1950, at the age of 94, at his home in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, England. His death was the outcome of issues from a fall. Shaw's works continue to be performed and studied, and his sharp wit and keen social criticisms remain relevant. His contributions to literature and theatre solidified him as one of the leading dramatists of his time, leaving an enduring impact on both the literary world and the conversation of social issues.

Our collection contains 167 quotes who is written / told by George, under the main topics: Age - Life - Sports - Funny - Gardening.

Related authors: Gilbert K. Chesterton (Writer), H.G. Wells (Author), Orison Swett Marden (Writer), Henrik Ibsen (Poet), Samuel Butler (Poet), Charlie Chaplin (Actor), David Lloyd George (Statesman), W. H. Davies (Poet), Fiona Shaw (Actress), Alfred Noyes (Poet)

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: George Bernard Shaw education
    A: He attended Wesley College, Dublin, but mainly self-educated through reading and attending public lectures
  • Q: George Bernard Shaw family
    A: Shaw was the youngest of three children, born to George Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw
  • Q: George Bernard Shaw Nobel Prize
    A: Shaw won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925
  • Q: George Bernard Shaw works
    A: Shaw wrote over 60 plays including Arms and the Man, Caesar and Cleopatra, and The Doctor's Dilemma
  • Q: George Bernard Shaw most famous works
    A: Pygmalion, Saint Joan, Man and Superman, Major Barbara
  • Q: How old was George Bernard Shaw?
    A: He became 94 years old
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167 Famous quotes by George Bernard Shaw

Small: There is no subject on which more dangerous nonsense is talked and thought than marriage
"There is no subject on which more dangerous nonsense is talked and thought than marriage"
Small: Science never solves a problem without creating ten more
"Science never solves a problem without creating ten more"
Small: What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child
"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child"
Small: A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell
"A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell"
Small: I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad
"I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad"
Small: Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty what is the mat
"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"
Small: All great truths begin as blasphemies
"All great truths begin as blasphemies"
Small: Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he read made him mad
"Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman, but believing what he read made him mad"
Small: The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post
"The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post"
Small: Martyrdom: The only way a man can become famous without ability
"Martyrdom: The only way a man can become famous without ability"
Small: Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who cant sleep with the window shut, and a woman who cant
"Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open"
Small: It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid"
Small: I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it"
Small: Beware of false knowledge it is more dangerous than ignorance
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance"
Small: What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitu
"What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts"
Small: The liars punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone els
"The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else"
Small: We dont stop playing because we grow old we grow old because we stop playing
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
Small: Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that
"Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads"
Small: Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything"
Small: England and America are two countries separated by the same language
"England and America are two countries separated by the same language"
Small: Old men are dangerous: it doesnt matter to them what is going to happen to the world
"Old men are dangerous: it doesn't matter to them what is going to happen to the world"
Small: The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there
"The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there"
Small: Syllables govern the world
"Syllables govern the world"
Small: An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable
"An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable"
Small: A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul"
Small: A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out
"A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out"
Small: A man never tells you anything until you contradict him
"A man never tells you anything until you contradict him"
Small: Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time
"Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time"
Small: Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive
"Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive"
Small: The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier
"The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier"
Small: The art of government is the organisation of idolatry
"The art of government is the organisation of idolatry"
Small: Parentage is a very important profession, but no test of fitness for it is ever imposed in the interest
"Parentage is a very important profession, but no test of fitness for it is ever imposed in the interest of the children"
Small: Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else
"Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else"
Small: I enjoy convalescence. It is the part that makes the illness worth while
"I enjoy convalescence. It is the part that makes the illness worth while"
Small: I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation
"I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation"
Small: Assassination is the extreme form of censorship
"Assassination is the extreme form of censorship"
Small: Independence? Thats middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on ea
"Independence? That's middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth"
Small: Human beings are the only animals of which I am thoroughly and cravenly afraid
"Human beings are the only animals of which I am thoroughly and cravenly afraid"
Small: We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence... on pain
"We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence... on pain of liquidation"
Small: Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by
"Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few"
Small: Hell is full of musical amateurs
"Hell is full of musical amateurs"
Small: Its easier to replace a dead man than a good picture
"It's easier to replace a dead man than a good picture"
Small: The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech
"The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech"
Small: If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning fro
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience"
Small: Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of co
"Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course"
Small: When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more w
"When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work"
Small: When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty
"When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty"
Small: When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it feroc
"When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity"
Small: When a man says money can do anything, that settles it: he hasnt got any
"When a man says money can do anything, that settles it: he hasn't got any"
Small: Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few
"Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few"
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