George Bernard Shaw: 57 years old. Photo: By Unknown — This image comes from the Google-hosted LIFE Photo Archive where it is available under the filename bec2ceefc94608b1.
Once an elite woman invited George Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856 — November 2, 1950), a decorated Irish playwright, for a supper. Despite his busy schedule, he couldn’t deny her request and agreed.
On the day of the party, he was occupied the entire day. However, he managed to reach the woman’s party hastily after his work. The woman was delighted to see him. She heartily welcomed him but soon she turned dark. It was his clothes that bothered her. Shaw was too plainly dressed for the grand reception. Absorbed all day by his hectic work schedule, he didn’t have time for lucrative dress-up, so had reached without much grooming. The woman deliberately requested Shaw to go home and return with some ostentatious clothing to match his grand personality. Shaw, however, was convinced. He went away and returned a while later with extravagant fancy wear. The woman cheered happily to him.
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
— George Bernard Shaw
The party had already begun. The invitees were devouring the gusty meal. Shaw also joined. He took his full plate of delectable food and found his highlighted spot of gathering. Then he began rubbing the food items all over his clothes. He talked to his clothes, — “Eat my dear clothes. Today’s invitation was not for me, but for you. So eat plentiful without hesitation”. He carefully fed every part of his clothes with curry, pickles, meat, ice cream, yogurt, while the crowd watched in astonishment.
Shaw wouldn’t stop. People at the party were bewildered to see Shaw acting strangely and out of mind. But finally, someone questioned, — “Bernard, why are you doing this ?” Calmly then, Shaw looked at the crowd and with his deep breath answered, — “Today at this party, not me, but my extravagant clothes were actually invited. They are the true guests here, not me. So I am partying and feeding my clothes. “
People who knew Shaw knew he was unstoppable. The woman who invited Shaw stood near him, pale and stricken by conscience. She realized that she had made a huge mistake.
George Bernard Shaw made her realize a person’s self-worth is not measured by appearance, income, or material possessions, but by abilities, intelligence and wisdom.
“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.”
― George Bernard Shaw
Some Quotes from George Bernard Shaw
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it.
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There is no love sincerer than the love of food.
Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.
