Aforisme, Paradoxuri, Cugetari - George Bernard Shaw

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Nu exist truism mai evident i mai banal

declt acela c toi scriitorii de seam,
indiferent de genul sau forma scrierilor lor,
sint, ntr-o msur mai marc sau mai mic,
cugettori. Orice oper literar poezie,
nuvel, roman, pies de teatru trebuie s
fie mai mult declt o simpl prezentare a
unei idei, a unui sentiment sxu a unui lan
de situaii, dei subiectul n sine, aciunea,
intriga
propriu-zis,
poate
s
fie,
primordial, centrul de atracie pentru cititor
sau spectator. Dincolo de subiect, ns, i
acesta este iari un loc comun, scriitorul
i exprim implicit sau explicit
convingerile sale filozofice interpre-tnd
lumea i societatea, invittnd, in acelai
timp, pe receptor s mediteze, s accepte
sau s resping convingerile sale. Orice
oper literar, deci, trebuie s fie n mod

fundamental hran a gndirii".
George Bcrnard Shaiv (18561950) este,
prin excelen, un gnditor. Pe cind unii
scriitori pornesc de la subiectul ca atare,
punctnd opera lor ici i colo de cugetri,
G.B.S. (iniiale celebre pe toate meridianele) pleac, din capul locului, de la idee,
de la mesajul pe care vrea s-l transmit,
de la ndemnul de
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a contribui la crearea unei societi mai

drepte, mai bune, de a aduce fericire celor
muli i oropsii, de a condamna, de a
distruge ornduirea social nedreapt in
care s-a nscut i n care a trit. Eseist,
critic dramatic i muzical, romancier i
dramaturg, G. B. Shaw i propune, de la
bun nceput, s transforme societatea
capitalist, militnd cu toate forele sale
intelectuale pentru socialism ; iar toate
lucrrile sale se fundamenteaz pe aceast
idee, aa nct scrierile sale izvorsc din idei
care se materializeaz n art literar sau
dramatic. Nu e de mirare, deci, c paginile
sale mustesc de cugetri.
Ceea
ce
caracterizeaz
gndirea
celebrului dramaturg este forma liber,
degajat a formulrii ideilor, n contrast
izbitor cu predecesorul su ntru ale meditaiei, filozoful Francis Bacon (1561
1626), ale crui eseuri snt, ndeosebi,
culegeri de aforisme i maxime bine
definite, strns i precis conturate, de o
preciziune, am putea spune, matematic.
G.B.S.,
dimpotriv,
i
realizeaz
transmiterea mesajului prin lips de
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retorism, procedeu eficace pentru a obine

surpriza, paradoxul, ironia i mai ales umorul, ele fiind tot attea elemente care
acord mesajului un plus de inteligen i
receptivitate.
Nu este de mirare c multe din cugetrile
lui G.B.S. au dobndit o existen proprie,
iar astzi fac parte integrant din tezaurul
cultural britanic avnd, unele dintre ele,
chiar valoare de proverb. Multe din
cugetrile lui G.B.S. circul fr s se tie
autorul. Pe de alt parte, i se atribuie, nu
rareori, butade (credem c acesta este
termenul potrivit) care nu i-au aparinut
dar car: se nscriau n felul de a ghidi i
lumea nu ezit s le considere de origine
shawian, acordndu-le o larg popularitate
ca, de exemplu : Ce lucru minunat e
tinereea i ce pcat e s-o strici pe cei
tineri". (What a wonderful thing youth is
and what a pity to waste it on the young.)
Cugetrile lui G.B.S. exprim, de cele mai
multe ori, un adevr general sau o idee
confirmat
de
experien,
mai
ales
paradoxal. Nu ncape ndoial c ilustrul
scriitor englez de origine irlandez, ca i conaionalul su contemporan, Oscar Wilde
(1854 1900), a dorit nu numai s exprime
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adevruri structurate ca paradoxuri, ci a

vrut n acelai timp s ocheze, ncrederea
n puterile sale intelectuale i fora de
convingere, precum i setea de afirmare
erau trsturi definitorii att la unul ct i la
cellalt, confirmnd pare-se dictonul :
Marile spirite se ntlnesc". n acest
context snt semnificative dou anecdote
curente :
Se spune c la intrarea n Statele Unite,
n portul New York, la ntrebarea vameului
dac are ceva de declarat, Oscar Wilde a
rspuns : Nimic dect geniul meu !"
Iar G.B.S., ntrebat de un ziarist care este
cel mai mare dramaturg al Angliei, a
rspuns : Nu pot s v spun dect cine a
fost al doilea mare dramaturg al literaturii
engleze. Se numea William Shakespeare.
Modestia m mpiedic s v spun numele
celui mai mare !"
i totui cei doi irlandezi anglicizai" se
deosebeau n multe privine. Chiar i n
ceea ce privete setea de afirmare existau
unele deosebiri marcante. Oscar Wilde era
mult mai asertiv nu numai n a se
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dovedi un conversaionalist" de mare

for, dar i in inuta sa de toate zilele.
Extravagana sa vestimentar era de
ordinul dandismului, pe cnd G.B.S. era de o
neglijen arhicunoscut. Purta un costum
ntre 616 ani n ideea c nu numai haina
face pe om, ci i omul face haina ; iar
hainele trebuiesc purtate timp ndelungat
devenind
parte
integrant
din
personalitatea celui ce le poart. n idei,
Wilde era adesea de o spiritualitate
gratuit : debita butade de dragul de a
epata. Ca critic literar se pierduse n labirintul estetismului, infirmnd, nu o dat,
tezele acestui curent n practica sa
scriitoriceasc.
G.B.S. era cu picioarele pe pmnt.
Vorbele sale de duh erau pline de miez.
Atitudinea sa fa de via i literatur era
a unui antiromantic, dei adeseori s-a lsat
prins n mrejele romantismului. Dar n
esen Shaw era un realist. La prima lor ntlnire, G.B.S. a fost ncntat de Oscar Wilde,
admi-rindu-l pentru darul su excepional
de a povesti, mult superior recunotea
Shaw propriului su talent. Exprimndu-i
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reciproc admiraia, nici unul nici cellalt nu

se putea stpni de a nu o face sub form
de butad.
Wilde despre Shaw : Un om minunat; nare nici un duman pe lume i nici unul
dintre prietenii si nu-l iubete l"
Shaw despre Wilde : E un conaional de
al meu. Face parte dintr-o categorie de
conaionali pe care-i ursc, anume un snob
dublinez !"
Ceea ce l-a cucerit total pe G.B.S. n
favoarea lui Wilde a fost faptul c,
ncercnd s obin semnturile unor literai
londonezi eroi revoluionari" pentru
eliberarea unor anarhiti din Chicago,
singur Wilde a semnat, ceea ce a ctigat
stima lui Shaw pe toat viaa.
Gndirea lui G.B.S. se fundamenteaz pe
Das Ka-pital a lui Karl Marx, oper pe care o
citise n versiunea francez a lui Deville.
Shaw nsui spunea c descoperirea lui
Marx a fost pentru el o revelaie ; dar Das
Kapital a avut o influen covritoare asupra lui : l-a convertit la socialism, l-a
ndemnat s-i pun condeiid i ntreaga lui
fiin n slujba revoluiei, i-a schimbat
concepia despre via, l-a fcut om". Dar
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G.B.S. nu l-a neles pe Marx, n-a devenit un

marxist adevrat, iar cu timpid s-a orientat
spre socialismul reformist al fabienilor",
membrii asociaiei Fabian Society, care i-a
datorat notorietatea, cel puin n parte,
participrii lui Shaw la lucrrile ei. Cu
timpul, ns, Shaw a devenit nemulumit de
metodele antirevoluionare ale fabienilor,
dar a pstrat legtura i prietenia lor
pentru c acetia l stimulau n gndirea sa
politic i filozofic. Rugat de ei s
candideze la parlament, Shaio a refuzat : se
considera mult mai folositor societii ca
scriitor dect ca figurant n Camera
Comunelor.
CU despre scrierile lui, a nceput cu
romane care n-au avut succes dect dup ce
devenise celebru ca dramaturg. A activat
un timp ca critic muzical i dramatic, scriind
o sumedenie de articole pline de verv dar
lipsite de pedanterie, adesea foarte personale dar ntotdeauna interesante, chiar
captivante.
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n muzic milita pentru promovarea lui

Wagner ; iar Ibsen era protagonistul ale
crui drame noi, realiste, reprezentau
adevratul sens al artei dramatice. Acest
iconoclast nverunat avea, totui, idolii
lui : Marx n politic, Cehov i Ibsen n
dramaturgie. In faa lui Cehov, Shaw se
simea un nceptor ; iar pe Ibsen l urma n
spirit dar nu n form, cci teatrul
norvegianului avea un caracter tragic, pe
cnd Shaw era nclinat spre satir i umor.
G.B.S.
nu
accepta
piesa
bine
construit", cultivat n Frana de Eugene
Scribe (17911861) i Vic-torien Sardou
(18311908), n Anglia de Arthur Pi-nero
(18551934). Aciunea propriu-zis a unei
piese l interesa pe Shaio mai puin dect
replicile spirituale ale personajelor ; de
aceea acorda atenie deosebit dialogului.
nc din primele sale ncercri literare,
romanele, se vdete grija pentru dialog i
iscusina mnuirii conversaiei. Cit despre
aciune,
aceasta
este
cu
predilecie
simplificat
sau
uneori
de-a
dreptul
inexistent, nct adeseori piesele lui Shaw
se citesc mai uor dect se joac. De aceea
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scriu prefee substaniale i indicaii

scenice amnunite pentru a face cunoscut
sensid piesei. i totui, n piesele sale se
gsesc nenumrate pasaje poetice cu
vdite
accente
romantice
care
mprospteaz i reconforteaz piesele ce
pot fi uneori obositoare dar niciodat
plicticoase.
Pe Oscar Wilde, dup cum am vzut, l
tolera ca dramaturg, ba l iubea chiar ca om
i-l socotea un scnieietor mnuitor al limbii
engleze ; dar rivalitatea" lui Shaiv cu
Shakespeare constituie una din cele mai
remarcabile capitole din istoria literaturii
engleze. Adevrul adevrat este c Shaiv
avea o admiraie mare pentru Shakespeare,
dar i permitea s-Z critice realist i
ntemeiat. Sentim,entele mprite ale lui
Shaiv pentru Shakespeare i aveau, fr
ndoial, sursa ntr-o reacie fa de
idolatria multora, fa de. credina lor c
Shakespeare ar ntruchipa perfeciunea
nsi. Shaw l considera pe Shakespeare, n
mare parte, depit din punct de vedere
dramatic i ideologic. l iubea ca poet i
pasajele poetice din piesele lui Will erau o
ncntare pentru irlandezul rebel. Era la
mijloc mai ales spiritul de revolt care-l
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mpiedeca
s
admire
total
drama
elizabetan, iot aa cum respingea drama
de salon" a vremii sale i milita pentru o
dram realist, o dram care s reflecte
realitile
i
problemele
sociale
ale
timpului, aa cum era drama lui Ibsen.
Pe de alt parte, G.B.S. i proclama
toate piesele lui drept expresia direct a
gndurilor sale ; fiecare aciune, fiecare
personaj
transmitea
direct
mesajul
autoridui, prin urmare, nu putea accepta
obiectivitatea" shakespearian, n sensul
c personajele, odat create, i dobndesc
o existen proprie independent, iar ideile
lor nu reprezint filozofia autorului, ci
izvorsc din propria lor personalitate, propriul lor fel de a. gndi, de a reaciona la o
anumit replic sau situaie. i mai era
ceva : Shaw era profund nemulumit de
modul n care regizorii nu respectau textul
shakespearian,
l
maltratau
sau
l
ciopreau. Aceasta era o practic obinuit
la Henry Irving, marele regizor i actor al
epocii. S nu mai vorbim de snobii care
aplaudau drama shakespearian fr s o
neleag i fr s le fac plcere. A-l
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aplauda pe Shakespeare era o convenie
social de ordinul snobismului pe care
Shaw o detesta, ca toate conveniile
mpotriva crora ducea o lupt aprig.
Shaw admitea c Shakespeare era sensibil
la problemele sociale, politice i religioase
ale epocii, dar nu avea o atitudine direct
protestatar, nu-i formulase un crez, un
plan de lupt. Iar ca dramaturg, piesele lui
Shakespeare, credea G.B.S., snt neconvingtoare, bazate pe surse ubrede, crora
doar geniul lui poetic le-a putut conferi
valoarea artistic ce le asigur nemurirea.
Shaio recunotea c n propriile sale piese
aciunea este incoerent, lipsit de importan si l acuza pe Shakespeare de aceeai
insuficien, criticndu-l pentru nerealismul
pieselor, mai ales al celor istorice. Piesele
inspirate din antichitatea roman aveau,
dup Shaw, o tent romantic prea
pronunat, ce venea n contradicie cu

realitatea istoric. Aa c G.B.S. s-a apucat
s-i arate" lui Shakespeare cum se scrie o
pies istoric i a dat scenei o oper de
mare succes, de altfel, Cezar i Cleopatra
spre
a
dovedi,
totodat,
superioritatea lui fa de Shakespeare.
G.B.S. i propusese s dea o pies realist,
convingtoare, lipsit de culoarea romantic pe care Shaw o vedea n piesele Ini
Shakespeare. Prin urmare, n piesa lui
Shaw, Cezar apare ca un om de afaceri,
rece i lucid, al crui scop este strngerea
de biruri i nu dragostea Cleopatrei.
Aceasta, la rndul ei, nu e ndrgostit de
btrnul cuceritor i cu toat admiraia
pentru personalitatea lui nu-i dorete
revenirea n Egipt.
Cteva decenii (40 de ani) dup primele
sale atacuri mpotriva
lui Shakespeare,
Shaw
recunotea
c aceast atitudine
era o poz a tinereii i a zelului de
iconoclast i-i acord lui Shakespeare
circumstane atenuante, avnd n vedere
moartea sa prematur" la vrsta de 52 de
ani. Marii creatori ne spune Shaw ca
Goethe i nsui G.B.S. au creat cele mai
de seam opere capodoperele propriu
zise dup vrsta de 50 de ani, iar bietul

Shakespeare n-a mai apucat vrsta de
maturitate n care s creeze adevrate
capodopere. Ideea de moarte prematur l
va obseda pe Shaiv tot restul vieii (a trit
pn la vrsta de 94 de ani) i-i va canaliza
gndurile
spre
rezolvarea
tuturor
problemelor sociale prin longevitate. Ajuns
la captul resurselor sale social-filozofice
fr a putea gsi o soluie real, eficient
problemelor care confrunt omenirea, Shaw
i gsete un refugiu n ideea c toi
oamenii mor prea devreme, nainte de a
putea nelege viaa i societatea n toata
complexitatea, nu ajung la maturitatea
necesar pentru a o putea transforma. Nu
poate fi considerai matur un brbat care, la
70 de ani, nu gsete alt preocupare dect
s alerge dup o minge pe care tot el a
lovit-o cu bta (aluzie la jocul de golf
practicat mult de englezi i americani). Este
necesar, deci, o via mai lung, preferabil
300 de ani. Cum se va putea atinge acest
scop ? Unde-i voin e putin" (Where
there's a will there's a way), rspunde
G.B.S. Aceasta este tema piesei n cinci
pri (mai d.egrab cinci piese) intitulat
napoi la Matusalem (Back to Methuselah)
unde, prin elanul vital" ce slluiete n

fiecare om i care l mn necontenit spre
autodepire i perfeciune, acesta ajunge,
n mod natural, la vrsta de 300 de ani.
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G.B.S. recunotea mai trziu c are multe

puncte comune cu Shakespeare. ntre ele se
distinge mai ales aciunea neconvingtoare
a pieselor, contrastnd cu preponderena
dialogului, un astfel de exemplu fiind
personajul Rosalind, una din cele mai
scnte-ietoare
creaii
feminine
din
dramaturgia englez. Shaw i nchipuie c
Shakespeare a creat-o n primul rnd prin
dialog, ca pe urm s o azvrle ntr-o
aciune
neconvingtoare
cu
un
titlu
neconvingtor : Cum v place. Acesta era,
de fapt, modul de a lucra al lui Shaw :
nainte de toate, scria dialogul, dup aceea
l ncadra n subiect, ntr-un tot dramatic.
Dialogul, la Shaw, avea ntotdeauna o
pondere co-vritoare, nct nu o dat i s-a
reproat c cutare pies nu este dect un
lung dialog, la care G.B.S. rspundea :
Care alt pies nu este dect un lung
dialog ? Ce-ai fi vrut s fie, un balet ?" Intra-devr Shaw nu putea s ias din acest
impas, dac-l putem numi astfel, cci
piesele lui erau piese de idei, piese n care
se discutau diferite probleme, discussion
plays" cum le numesc englezii. Multe din
ele, de fapt, degenereaz" n dialoguri nesfrite n care strlucirea conversaiei nu
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poate ascunde artificialitatea situaiilor.

Dialogul era, deci, elementul de baz al
dramaturgiei lui Shaw, element pe care l
plasa, pe urm, ntr-un context de situaii,
cu rezultatul c dialogul nsui determina
nlnuirea incidentelor. Dialogul, aadar, se
sprijinea pe paradox, aa cum i aciunea
cultiva paradoxul de situaii : cei bogai i
respectabili snt de fapt corupi i imorali
(Maiorul Barbara) ; eroii militari nu snt de
fapt nite romantici vistori ci oameni cu
sim practic, ambiioi i nsetai de ctig
sau jaf (Cezar i Cleopatra) ; nu brbatul
cucerete femeia ci femeia cucerete
brbatul, ea avnd o doz mai mare de
elan vital" ce o ndeamn la procreare (Om
i supraom) etc.
Firesc era, prin urmare, ca dialogurile lui
G.B.S. s abunde n cuvinte de spirit, tot
aa precum n relaiile lui personale s nu
fie aproape deloc capabili s dea un
rspuns normal". Era o manie a lui G.B.S.
de a vedea ntotdeauna reversul medaliei,
de a inversa elementele vreunei expresii pe
care vorbitorii limbii engleze o considerau
drept consacrat i ngheat ntr-o formul
de neschimbat. Astfel cnd cenzura amina
aprobarea unui manuscris sub semnul
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dictonului : Mai bine mai trziu dect

niciodat" (Better late than never), Shaw
rspundea : Mai bine niciodat dect mai
trziu" (Better never than late). Zictoarea
englez devenit banal : Prea frumos s
fie adevrat" (Too good to be true), Shaw o
schimb n : Prea adevrat s fie frumos"
(Too true. to be good") i o d drept titlu
unei piese. La mplinirea vrstei de 52 de
ani, Shaw ncepe o scrisoare ctre un
prieten cu cuvintele : Te anun cu regret c
azi mplinesc 52 de ani i sper c eti
gentleman i NU m vei felicita cu ocazia
tristului eveniment".
Nimic mai greu dect s dai personalitii
lui G.B.S. o conturare precis. Nici una
dintre
biografii
nu
este
pe
deplin
satisfctoare. n timpul vieii, soia sa a
cules o sumedenie de date i pasaje din
operele lui Shaw, dar fr rezultat. Din
multitudinea de piese, prefee, articole,
recenzii, nu s-a putut nchega un sistem
filozofic, o gndire coerent, cci Shaiv
nsui recunotea c ideile lui snt izvorte
din mprejurri diferite i i gsesc
valoarea i semnificaia numai n contextul
n care au fost create.
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Culegerea de fa nu este dect strdania

de a prezenta o gindire coerent cel puin
n ceea ce privete unele aspecte ale vieii
ce pot fi compartimentate n capitole sau
subcapitole. Trstura definitorie a acestor
cugetri este existena uman n sensul cel
mai larg al cuvntului, cu accentul pe
aspecte negative, privit cu ironie, prin
formulri paradoxale, incisive, ntotdeauna
umoristice. Pentru Shaw, umorul era
poezia vieii".
U1HAIL BOGDAN
NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI
Am ncercat n acest volum s dm o

imagine ct mai cuprinztoare asupra
cugetrilor, aforismelor i paradoxurilor lui
G. B. Shaw, punnd la dispoziia cititorilor
romni seleciuni ct mai reprezentative clin
cuprinztoarea oper lsat posteritii de
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ctre scriitor. Ea cuprinde 52 de piese, 5

romane, un numr aproximativ egal de
prefee cu cel al pieselor i romanelor luate
la un loc i cu un numr de pagini ceva mai
voluminos dect al tuturor pieselor, cteva
volume de proz scurt, de teorie i critic
dramatic, de critic muzical, de opinii
asupra religiei, unor probleme de limb sau
de economie, rod al multor decenii de
activitate publicistic n calitate de critic
muzical, de critic dramatic i reformator al
moravurilor sociale ale epocii. La acestea se
adaug mai multe mii de scrisori adresate
celor mai importante figuri artistice i
culturale ale timpului, din care au fost publicate pn acum mai multe volume. O
oper att de vast nu este uor de cuprins,
dar ne-am strduit ca n aceast antologie
s acoperim o ct mai mare parte din
volumele menionate, pentru a oferi o
imagine ct mai complet a preocuprilor
scriitorului.
xvnr
NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI
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XIX
Cea mai mare parte a aforismelor ne-a
oferit-o
dramaturgia,
acest
tezaur
inegalabil de spirit, care constituie de fapt
partea cea mai cunoscut a creaiei lui G. B.
Shaw, dar care este in realitate doar vrful
ice-bergului pe care l constituie creaia sa
de ansamblu. Dar acest vrf strlucete att
de puternic n soare, iar popularitatea
aforismelor i paradoxurilor vehiculate n
dramaturgie este att de mare, nct toate
antologiile de acest gen, din care G.B.S. nu
poate lipsi, prezint aproape exclusiv
aceste cugetri. La fel de celebre au
devenit i aforismele i paradoxurile pe
care Shaw i le-a adunat singur pentru a le
atribui eroului su John Tanner, principalul
personaj masculin al piesei Om i supraom
(Man and Superman), cugetri la care se fac
doar referiri n pies, dar care snt publicate
n prefaa la pies, terminat n 1903.
Intitulate Maxime pentru revoluionari
(Maxims for Revolutionists), acestea au
constituit atacuri virulente la adresa imperialismului,

democraiei
burgheze,
proprietii,
sistemului
legislativ,
politicianismului burghez i a multor alte
aspecte sociale, sau abordri ironice ale
unor slbiciuni omeneti. Desigur, nu am
preluat
aceast
microantologie
n
ansamblul su, ci am ales acele cugetri
care am considerat c snt accesibile cititorului romn n general i nu numai
anglistului, bun cunosctor al istoriei i
tradiiilor britanice. Ne-am strduit n egal
msur s completm imaginea lui G. B.
Shaw prin lectura atent a antologiilor n
care au fost culese din presa vremii sutele
de cronici muzicale (Shaw a devenit, sub
pseudonimul Corno di Bassetto. cel mai
important critic muzical al epocii sale i
critica muzical a fost primul su mijloc de
afirmare n viaa artistic britanic) i
cronici dramatice (activitate pe care nu a
prsit-o niciodat cu adevrat pn la
moarte, chiar dac nu a mai exercitat-o
activ prin publicarea unor cronici n pres,
ci prin intermediul corespondenei sale cu
marii regizori i actori, cei direct interesai
n critica sa). Unele din aceste antologii au
mai
multe
volume
i
prin
bogia
excepional de idei confer portretului

spiritual
al
dramaturgului
o
nou
dimensiune, menit s o ntregeasc pe
prima. l lucrrile sale teoretice despre
teatru i muzic, aa cum snt The
Quintessence of 1b-senism i The Perfect
Wagnerite,
completate
de
cronicile
dramatice i muzicale, Shaw a reuit s formuleze principii estetice de valoare asupra
acestor
arte,
impunndu-se
ca
un
teoretician de for. Concepiile sale
filozofice i social-politice snt probabil cel
mai clar exprimate n prefeele la piese i
romane, dar ele snt fericit completate de
articolele publicate n pres. Shaw a fost,
de asemenea, unul din cei mai activi
promotori
ai
reformei
ortografiei
etimologice engleze, pe care o considera
drept aberant. El i-a lsat prin testament
dar acesta a fost atacat o mare parte a
averii pentru a ncuraja reforma acestei
ortografii, pe baza principiului reprezentrii
fiecrui fonem printr-un grafem n cadrul
unui nou alfabet englez. Shaw a fost, n
paralel, profund preocupat de problemele
filozofice ale limbajului, ca i de altele de
ordin socio-cultural, cum este de pild ntrebuinarea dialectelor limbii engleze, aa
c am considerat necesar s oglindim cel

puin parial aceste preocupri teoretice
ntr-un capitol al volumului. Am ncercat s
demonstrm n acest mod c realizrile
XX
NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI
NOT ASUPRA EDIIEI
XXI
artistice excepionale ale dramaturgului
nu au fost deloc ntmpltoare, ci au ca
suport cunotine lingvistice temeinice,
asupra crora scriitorul i-a gsit rgazul
necesar s mediteze i chiar s-i exerseze
spiritul caustic.
Probabil c una din seciunile cele mai
interesante pentru meditaia scriitorului o
constituie corespondena sa. Dei au fost
publicate pn n prezent relativ numeroase
volume i altele snt pregtite pentru tipar,
va mai trece mult pn cnd ansamblul
corespondenei sale se va gsi n minile
cercettorilor. n ara noastr acest aspect
este complet necunoscut, ne-liind publicat
pn n prezent nici un singur volum de

traduceri din aceast coresponden. Ea
este important pentru c n ea G. B. Shaw
s-a dovedit un artist complet, dedublat de
un filozof fascinant. Nu exist un singur
domeniu al vieii sociale i artistice care s
nu fie prezent n corespondena sa. n ea
Shaw tie s vrjeasc, s argumenteze, s
glumeasc, s fie tios ca un brici, este
marele maestru cruia i se supun toate
cuvintele, cruia duhurile prefer s i se
plece dect s-1 aib ca duman, care
instruiete i delecteaz, care laud i
dojenete, aceste scrisori trdnd att omul
omniscient, ct i spiriduul ntotdeauna
gata s-i joace un renghi. Dac scrisoarea
nu ar fi fosl demult inventat ca specie
literar, cu siguran c Shaw ar fi inventato, cci ea, ca i drama, constituia cea mai
bun unealt pentru a se exprima. Am
selectat din aceste scrisori cteva paragrafe
referitoare la teatru i arta dramatic, n
special din corespondena sa cu cteva din
marile actrie ale epocii pentru care
Shaw a scris aceste piese, nvndu-le nu
numai cum trebuie s joace n ele, ci i arta
de a-i pune n lumin toate valenele
personalitii lor dramatice. Iar dac unele
s-au ndrgostit de acest vrjitor cu barba

i prul rou n tineree, la care stufozitatea
sprnce-nelor, mustilor i brbii zburlite
trdau, n ciuda albului imaculat al vrstei,
agresivitatea neostoit adpostit de trupul
su nalt i usciv, acest lucru nu este de
mirare i sperm ca cele cteva fragmente
pe care le-am ales s explice fascinaia
deosebit pe care a exercitat-o asupra
tuturor contemporanilor si.
Pentru a simplifica ct mai mult trimiterile
bibliografice, care intereseaz mai puin
marele public, dar care snt att de ndrgite
de specialist, am apelat la un sistem de
sigle pe care l menionm mai jos pentru
uzul celor interesai, ntregit de bibliografia
aflat la sfritul volumului. Dorim s
menionm c pentru a evita eventualele
confuzii ntre piesele i prefeele la piesele
respective, n cazul pieselor am ntrebuinat
siglele, iar n cazul prefeelor am menionat
titlul complet al operei, urmat de sigla
volumului n care se gsesc acestea,
respectiv C.P.B.S.
Titlurilor pieselor lui G. B. Shaw n
versiunea
englez
le
corespund
urmtoarele sigle sau titluri (n cazul n
care ar rezulta sigle identice) : The Philan-
derer Ph., Mrs Warren's Profession Mrs

W. P., The Man of Destiny M. D., The
Devil's Disciple D. D., Caesar and
Cleopatra C.&C, Captain Bras-sbound's
Conversion C. B. C, Man and Superman
M.&S., John Bull's Other lsland J.B.O.I.
Major Barbara M.B., The Doctor's
Dilemma D. Dilem-ma, CetUng Married
G.M., The Showing-Vp of
XXII NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI

NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI
XXIIT
Blanco Posnet SB.P.. Misalliance
Misalliance, Fanny's First Play F.F.P.,
Androcles and the Lion A.&L., Overruled
O., Pygmalion P., Great Catherine
G.C., Back to Methuselah B.M., Saint Joan
S.J., The Apple Cart AC. Press Cuttings
P.C., The Glimpse of Reality G.R.. The
Music Cure M.C., Too True to Be Good
T.T.B.G., Village Wooing V.W., On the
Rocks R., The Simpleton of the
Unexpected Isles S.U.I., The Six of Calais
S.C., The Millionairess M., Geneva G.

Pagina indicat corespunde volumului The
Complete Plays of Bernard Shaw, menionat
n bibliografie.
Pentru celelalte volume s-au folosit
urmtoarele sigle : The Complete
Prefaces of Bernard Shaio C.P.B.S.,
Collected Letters 18741894 C.L., Ellen
Terry and Bernard Shaw, a
Correspondence E.T.B.S.C., To a Young
Actress, the Letters of Bernard Shaw to
Molly Tompkins T.Y.A., Advice to a Young
Critic and Other Letters A.Y.C.O.L., Shaw
on Shakespeare S.S., Shaw on Theatre
S.T., George Bernard Shaw on Language
S.L., Shaw on Religion S.R., Our Theatre
in the Nineties O.T.N. (I, II. Ill indic
numrul volumului), London Music in 1888
1889 as Heard by Como di Bassetto
L.M., The Quintessence of Ibsenism Q.I.,
Platform and Pulpit P.&P., Table Talk of
Bernard Shaw T.T.B.S. Referirea se face
n toate cazurile la paginile ediiilor
menionate n bibliografie.
In dorina de a alctui o ediie tiinific
i de a nu pgubi cititorii romni care
stpnesc limba englez de valorile stilistice
ale marelui maestru al cuvntului care a fost

Bernard Shaw, imposibil de redat cu aceeai
strlucire de ctre traductori, am alctuit
o ediie bilingv a acestei antologii, pe care
am
dorit-o
original
n
selecie
i
reprezentativ
pentru
preocuprile
i
spiritul lui G. B. Shaw. In reproducerea textului original a.n pstrat particularitile
ortografice ale scriitorului, inclusiv n cazul
unor nume proprii (de exemplu Shakespear
i Shakspere), din dorina de a pstra
autenticitatea acestuia.
O astfel de ediie ncearc s ofere
cititorului cteva grame de concentrat din
cteva tone de minereu foarte bogat n tot
felul de metale rare. Ct de sigur poi fi c
prin mijloacele oferite de intuiie le-ai putut
selecta tocmai pe acelea care dau mrimea
geniului scriitorului in fiecare domeniu
supus judecii sale, sau c ai reuit s
rspunzi prin ele la ntrebrile pe care
fiecare cititor i le pune n funcie de
preocuprile sale ? i totui o asemenea
ncercare e necesar i devine chiar o
obligaie fa de titanii culturii universale,
n ce msur am reuit s realizm toate
aceste
dorine
rmine
la
aprecierea
cititorilor.
HORIA HULBAN
I EXISTENA
VIAA
1 Cel ce n-a luptat niciodat nu a trit
niciodat. He who has never fought has
never lived.
(B. M., p. 863)
2 Pe scena vieii oricine se poate
amuza, cu excepia actorului.
In the theatre of life everyone may be
amused except the actor.
(Misalliance, p. 614)
3 Orice triete este mai bun dect
orice lucru care pretinde doar a fi n via.
Anything alive is better than anything
that is only pretending to be alive.
(B. M., p. 946)
4 Este o lege a naturii faptul c exist
o relaie precis ntre conduit i lungimea
vieii.
It is a law of Nature that there is a fixed

relation between conduct and the length of
life. (B. M, p. 924)
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

EXISTENA
3
5 Nu ncerca s trieti o venicie. Nu
vei reui. Do not try to live for ever. You will
not succeed.
(The Doctor's Dilemma, n C.P.B.S., p.
280)
PERICOL I SECURITATE
6 n lumea aceasta exist ntotdeauna
pericol pentru cei ce se tem de el.
...in this world there is always danger jor
those who are afraid of it.
(D. D., p. 229)
7 Nu exist securitate n lume ; i nu
va putea exista niciodat att timp ct
oamenii snt muritori. Theres no such thing
as security in the world ; and there never
can be as long as men are mortal.
(P. C, p. 1095)
8 Viaa nu merit trit dac i faci
griji legate de confort. Confortul face iama
o tortur, primvara o boal, vara o
apsare i toamna doar o psuire. Life is
1
not worth living if you have to bother about

comfort. Comfort makes winter a torture,
spring an illness, summer an oppression
and autumn only a respite.
(B. M., p. 940) VIAA I MOARTE
9 Individul piere, dar rasa este
nemuritoare.
The individual perishes ; but the race is
immortal. (B. M., p. 921)
10 Viaa i niveleaz pe toi oamenii ;
moartea
l
relev pe cel eminent.
Life levels all men ; death reveals the
eminent.
(Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S., p. 193)
11
Moartea,
pericolul
suprem,
stimuleaz
viaa
spre extazul suprem al dragostei.
Death, the supreme danger, rouses life to
its supreme ecstasy of love.
(G., p. 1322)
12 Moartea nu este un lucru trist
atunci
cnd
ai
nvat cum s o nfrngi.
Death is not an unhappy thing when you
have learnt how to conquer it.
!B. M., p. 857)
1
jl3 Moartea nu nseamn nimic altceva

dect a / face loc. Death is nothing but
making room.
(B. M., p. 885)
ItAZBOI
14 Atunci cnd au o arm n mn,
brbaii
snt
ca nite copii.
...men are like children when they get a
gun in their hands.
(S.B.P., p. 589)
15 Motivul fundamental pentru care nu
permitem ca femeile s-i rite viaa n rzboi i
pentru
care le dm prima ans de a scpa din
toate situa-
'M<il
1
EXISTENA
>iiiilillll|l! l |lil|||l||l|||||||||llll|l||||||||l!||||||||||i
'M<il
iile periculoase, pe scurt, pentru a

considera vieile lor mult mai valoroase
dect vieile brbailor, nu este deloc
cavalerismul, dei brbaii ar putea fi de
acord
cu
aceasta
datorit
iluziei
cavalerismului. Este pur i simplu o
problem de necesitate, cci dac o mare
parte a femeilor ar fi ucise sau schilodite,
nici o modificare posibil a legii cstoriei
nu ar putea evita depopularea i ruina
politic treptat a rii. The fundamental
reason for not allowing women to risk their
lives in battle and for
giving them
the first chance of
escape in all
dangerous
emergencies
:
in
short,
for
treating
their lives as more
valuable
than male lives, is
not in the
least a chivalrous
reason,
though men may consent to it under the
illusion of chivalry. It is a simple matter of
necessity ; for it a large proportion of
women were krilled or disabled, no possible
readjustment of our marriage law could
avert the depopulation and consequent
political ruin of the country...
(Getting Married, n C.P.B.S., p. 16)
'M<il
IS Un rzboi de exterminare este un

masacru. ...a war of extermination is a
massacre. (R., p. 1209)
17 Cu cit rzboiul devine mai
destructiv, cu att va fi abolit mai curnd.
...the more destructive war becomes, the
sooner it will be abolished.
(M. B., p. 468)
SNTATE
18 Mens sana in corpore sano este o
maxim
prosteasc. Corpul sntos este produsul
unei mini
sntoase.
Mens sana in corpore sano is a foolish
saying. The sound body is the product of
the sound mind.
19 Toate bolile trupului snt produse de
mini
folosite doar pe jumtate ; cci mintea este
cea
care
l'ace trupul.
All sorts of bodily diseases aie produced
by half used minds ; for it is the mind that
makes the body. (R., p. 1196)
'M<il
20 Folosete-i sntatea pn la limita

ei
de-i
nevoie. De aceea o ai. Cheltuiete totul
nainte
de
a
muri i nu tri mai mult dect i-e dat.
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 out
live yourself.
280)
21 Ai cea mai mare grij s te nati
bine
i
s
fii
bine crescut. Aceasta nseamn c mama ta
trebuie
s aib un doctor bun.
Take the utmost care to get well born and
well brought up. This means that your
mother must have a god doctor.
280)
44
EXISTENA
45
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
22 Trupul ntotdeauna sfrete prin a

deveni
o
pacoste.
The body always ends by being a bore.
(B. M., p. 959)
DOCTORI
23 Hotrte de ci doctori are nevoie
comunitatea pentru a-i pstra sntatea. Nu
autoriza
mai
muli sau mai puini dect acest numr i
las
nmatricularea s-1 transforme pe doctor n
slujitor
al
cetenilor cu un salariu care i permite o
via
demn,
pltit din fondurile publice.
Make up your mind hoiv many doctors
the community needs to keep it well. Do
not register more or less than this number ;
and let registration constitute the doctor a
civil servant with a dignified living wage
paid out of public funds.
280)
46
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
24 F obligatoriu ca doctorul care

poart
o
plcu de alam s aib nscris pe ea, pe
lng
literele care arat calificarea sa, cuvintele :
Amintete-i c i eu snt muritor".
Make it compulsory for a doctor using a
brass plate to have inscribed on it, in
addition to the letters indicating his
qualifications, the words : Remember that
I too am mortal".
(The Doctor's Dilemma, n C.P.B.S.)
TINEREE I BATRlNEE
25 Tinereea, creia i se iart totul, nu
iart
nimic ; vrstei, care i iart totul, nu i se iart
nimic. Youth, which is forgiven everything,
forgives itself nothing : age, which forgives
itself everything, is forgiven nothing.
26 Tot ceea ce tinerii pot face pentru
vrstnici este s-i ocheze i s-i in la zi.
It's all that the young can do for the old, to
shock them and keep them up to date.
(F.F.P., p. 656)
47
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
BRBAI I FEMEI
27 -f Un brbat este ca un fonograf
care
are
o
jumtate de duzin de plci.
A man is like a phonograph with half-adozen records.
(G. M., p. 557)
28 Toi brbaii snt copii la cre.
...all men are children in the nursery.
(C.B.C., p. 307)
29 Femeile, suferind toate neplcerile
i
durerile
creerii vieii, snt mai puin tolerante fa
de
irosirea
sa n snge.
Women, having all the trouble and pain
of creating human life, are less tolerant of
slaugthering waste of it...
(T.T.B.S., p. 46)
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
30 O femeie trebuie s fie mai

curajoas
ca
un
soldat.
A woman has to be braver than a soldier.
(A. & L., p. 689)
31 Femeile nu devin fermectoare pn
cnd
nu
snt pe deplin dezvoltate ; pn atunci, clac
snt
cu
adevrat
frumoase,
snt
nfcate
i
cstorite.
Women dont become charming... until
theyre
fully
developed ; any by that time, if theyre
really
nice,
theyre snapped up and married.
(O., p. 706)
32 Viitorul unei femei nu este alturi
de
mama sa.
A woman's future is not with her mother.
(T.T.B.G., p. 1141)
33 Femeile competente n profesiune,
n
politic
sau n afaceri... nu gsesc imposibil, nici
chiar
exa-
gerat de dificil s transfere ndatoririle lor

domestice altora i s-i urmeze carierele... de
aceea
susin
c femeia fr nclinaii casnice dac odat
i-a
asigurat
poziia,
scpnd
de
obligaiile
domestice...
nsuindu-i o meserie sau o profesie i
poate
menine
individualitatea n ntregime... cu infinit mai
puin
dificultate dect femeia casnic.
...women of ability in the professions, or
in politics or business... do not find it
impossible, or even unreasonably dificult,
to delegate their domestic duties and
pursue their careers... I therefore am
strongly of opinion that the undomestic
woman, when she has once secured her
position
by
escaping
from
domestic
servitude .. by mastering a trade or
profession,
can
maintain
her
own
individuality to the full extent of her own
strength... with infinitely less difficulty than
the domestic woman.
(C. L., pp. 474475)
34 Un brbat trebuie s aib o femeie

pentru
a-1
mpiedica s se gndeasc prea mult la
femei
n
general.
...a man should have one woman to
prevent him from thinking too much about
women in general. (T.T.B.G., p. 1164)
35 Toi brbaii i femeile snt
experimente.
All men and women are experiments.
(S.U.I., p. 1228)
36/ Brbaii lipsii de experien cred
c pot ob-me de la o femeie ceva minunat
ce n-ai putea niciodat obine de la un
brbat.
Inexperienced
men
think
there
is
something wonderful you can get from a
woman that you never could get from a
man.
(V.W., p. 1169)
37 Femeia ne reduce pe toi
numitorul comun.
Woman reduces un all to the common
denominator. (G. C., p. 806)
la
38 Toi brbaii snt la fel fa de o

femeie
pe
care o admir.
All men are alike with a woman whom
they admire. (C. L., p. 677)
3 Aforisme, paradoxuri, cugetri
10
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
39 O fat srac nu poate da mai mult

dect
are.
A poor girl can give no more than she has.
(G. R., p. 1109)
40 O englezoaic nu este sclava
poftelor ei.
...an English lady is not the slave of her
appetites. (G. M., p. 551)
41 Femeia despre care se presupune
c are
o mie
de
amani
rar are
unul,
n
timp
ce
femeia
animalic, lipsit de graie i stupid are zeci de
amani.
...the woman who is supposed to have a
thousand
lovers seldom has one ; whilst the stupid,
graceless
animals of women have dozens.
(O., p. 706)
42 Vduvele snt extraordinar de rare
n
societatea modern.
Widows are extraordinarily scarce in
modern society. (G. M., p. 706)
43 Nu exist o modalitate corect de a
prsi pe
cineva. Prsirea nu este corect prin ea
nsi.
...theres no correct way of jilting. It's not
correct in
itself.
(F.F.P., p. 669)
DRAGOSTE
44 Nu te ndrgosti : fii a ta, nu a mea
sau
a
oricrui altcuiva.
Don't fall in love : be your own, not mine
or anyone else's.
(C. L, p. 697)
UBilO TfcEXISTENA
C * i J W S E T -E-A N A. ALIA
45 Afeciunea este germenele pasiunii :
pasiunea este germenele celei mai perfecte
dragoste. The fondness is the germ of
passion : the passion is the germ of the

most perfect love. (Q. I., p. 37)
4(j Dragostea i bag pe oameni n
bucluc, nu ii ,\ scoate din el.
^Love gets people into difficulties not
out of them.
\
(T.T.B.G., p. 1161)
y\47 Pasiunea nu este pasiune
adevrat fr sen-" \timentul vinoviei.
...passion is not real passion without guilt.
(O, p. 709)
48 Dragostea este un lucru simplu i
profund :
/ este un fapt de via i nu o iluzie.
Love is a simple thing and a deep thing :
it is an act
of life and not an illusion.
(B. M., p. 959)
49 Nimic din ceea ce este omenesc nu
este
suficient de bun pentru a fi iubit. Orice fiin
uman
decent are ns o anumit capacitate de a
iubi.
Nothing human is good enough to be loved.
But
every decent human creature has some
capacity
loving.
(S.U.I., p. 1237)
for
50 Un om este o unitate din punct de

vedere
spiritual : el nu urte o persoan i iubete
o alta,
58 _____________
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
13
decit cu o ur i o dragoste care sint

fundamental una i aceeai pasiune.
A man is spiritually all one piece : he
doesn't hate one person and love another
except with a hatred and love that are
fundamentally one and the same passion.
(C. L., p. 604)
51 Dac ai intilni o femeie cu destul
discernmint
ca s nvee din experien caracterul
efemer
al
afeciunii fizice i s se pregteasc pentru
evaporarea
ei
n timp ce recunoate necesitatea unei
astfel
de
afeciuni pentru ea i pentru alii, ai fi silit s
recunoti
superioritatea ei.
If you met a woman strong minded
enough to have learnt from experience the
transience of physical affection, and to
prepare for evaporation ichilst recognizing
the necessity of such affection to herself
and others, you would be forced to
recognise hes superiority...
(C. L., p. 726)
59 _____________
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
13
52 Dragostea dragostea adevrat
face
toate inteniile onorabile.
Love real love makes all intentions
honorable. (P. C, p. 1101)
53 In dragoste nu este nici mprire,
nici
msur.
In love there is neither division nor
measure.
(S.U.I., p. 1229)
54 Dragostea nfrumuseeaz toate
ideile
i
justific toate obrzniciile.
Love beautifies every romance and
justifies every audacity.
(F.F.P., p. 681)
55 Tot aa cum mamele i taii buni
iubesc
toi
copiii care pot fi iubii, soiile i soii buni
iubesc
toate soiile i toi soii care pot fi iubii.
Oamenii
care au acest dar al inimii nu snt
mpiedicai
s
se
cstoreasc de complexul lui Don Juan : ei
pot
s
fie credincioi unul altuia fr a fi niciodat
60 _____________
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
13
neloiali
fa de toi ceilali.
lust as good mothers and fathers love
all
lovable
children, so good wives and husbands love
all
lovable
husbands and wives. People ivith this gift
of
heart
are not prevented from marrying by Don
Juan's
difficulty : they can be faithful to one another
without
being
unfaithful
to
all
the
rest.
I
(O.T.N., I, p. 260)
f
56 Dragostea, ca factor practic al
societii,
rmne nc doar un apetit.
Love, as a practicai factor in society, is
still a mere appetite.
(Q. I., p. 36)
57 Nu tiu dac femeile iubesc
vreodat.
M
cam
ndoiesc de aceasta ; ele comptimesc un
om,
l
ddcesc, le place s-1 fac s le iubeasc :
bnuiesc
c
61 _____________
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
13
tandreea lor este adncit de remucarea

de
a
nu
fi
capabile s-1 iubeasc. Calitatea cea mai de
seam
a
brbatului este aceea c n clipele sale cele
mai
nalte
el poate iubi nu constant, nici cu
credin, nici
62
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
15
adesea i nici pentru prea mult timp

cteva clipe probabil de-a lungul anilor.
I do not know whether women ever love.
I rather doubt it : they pity a man, mother
him, delight in making him love them ; but I
always suspect thai their tenderness is
deepened by their remorse for being unable
to love him. Man's one gift is that at his
best he can love not constantly, nor
faithfully, nor often, nor for long, but for
a moment a few minutes perhaps out of
years.
(C. L., pp. 622
623)
58 Nici un om
sau animal
sntos nu se preocup
de
dragoste,
n
orice
sens ai luao, mai mult dect o
extrem de
mic fraciune din
timpul
pe
care l dedic treburilor sau reaciilor care
nu au nici o legtur cu dragostea. O soie
preocupat numai de dragostea sa pentru
so, o mam preocupat numai ele
dragostea pentru copiii si i poate gsi
locul ntr-o carte (pentru oameni crora le
place acest gen de carte), dar n viaa real
ea este o pacoste. No healthy man or
animal is occupied with love in any sense
for more than a very small fraction indeed
63
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
15
of the time he devotes to business and to

recreations wholly unconnected ivith love.
A wife entirely preoccupied with her
affection for her husband, a mother entirely
preoccupied with her affection for her
children, may be all very well in a book (for
people who like that kind of book) ; but in
actual life she is a nuisance.
(Getting Married, n CP.B.S., p, 9.
CSTORIE
59 Cstoria se bucur de popularitate
pentru
c
ea combin maximum de tentaie cu
maximum
de
posibilitate.
Marriage is popidar because it combines
the maximum of temptation with the
maximum of opportunity.
60 Singurul om cu care nu trebuie s
te
cstoreti este cel pe care l iubeti, cci va face
o
sclav
total din tine.
..the one man you should never marry
was the man you were in love with, because
it would make a perfect slave of you.
64
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
15
/ 61 Oamenii care au considerat

cstoria
fericit
se
recstoresc
ntotdeauna.
...people who have found marriage happy
always marry again.
(D. Dilemma, p. 539)
62 Chiar n cele mai fericite csnicii nu
trece
o
zi fr s existe o mie de clipe de
infidelitate.
...in the very happiest marriages not a
day passes without a thousand moments of
unfaithfulness. (M., p. 1283)
63 Cstoria este o loterie.
Marriage is a lottery.
(R., p. 1216)
li!lHllllllillllllllllM|l|IIIIIIIIIH
16
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
17
64 Orice femeie devine o servitoare

din
ziua
n
care s-a cstorit.
...every woman's a charwoman from the
day she's married.
(P. C, p. 1104)
65 tiu c am nceput ca o pasiune i
am
sfrit
ca o obinuin, ca toi soii.
I know I began as a passion and have
ended as a habit, like all husbands...
(S.U.I., p. 1246)
66 De cnd s-a nscut cstoria, se tie
c
marele
artist este un so ru.
Since marriage began, the great artist
has been known as a bad husband.
(M. & s., p. 341)
67 Oamenii se cstoresc pentru a
avea
companie, nu pentru depravare.
People marry for companionship, not for
debauchery.
(O.T.N., III, p. 356)
68 Orict de mult am putea suferi cu

toii
datorit cstoriei, majoritatea dintre noi se
gndesc
att
de puin la ea nct o considerm o parte
imuabil
a
ordinei naturii, ca i gravitaia.
However much we may all suffer through
marriage, most of us think so little about it
that we regard it as a fixed part of the
order of nature, like gravitation.
69 Cstoria ca realitate nu seamn
deloc
cu
cstoria vzut ca ideal. Nu vreau s spun c
este
mai
rea : pur i simplu s spun c este diferit.
Marriage as a fact is not in the least like
marriage
as an ideal... I do not mean that it is worse :
I
mean
simply that it different.
70 _ Cstoria nu este o instituie unic,
invariabil : ea se schimb de la civilizaie la
civilizaie,
de
la religie la religie, de la cod civil la cod
civil,
de
la
frontier la frontier.
Marriage is not a single invariable
institution : it changes from civilization to
civilization, from religion to religion, from
civil code to civil code, from fron-f tier to
frontier.
(Parents and Children, n C.P.B.S., p. 92)
71
Cstoria
rmne
practic
inevitabil
;
cu
ct
vom recunoate aceasta mai curnd, cu att
ne
vom
apuca mai curnd de treab pentru a o face
decent
i rezonabil.
Marriage remains practically inevitable;
and the sooner we acknowledge this, the
sooner we shall set to work to make it
decent and reasonable.
72
Femeile
nu
se
cstoresc
ntotdeauna
spre
a
fi fericite. Ele se cstoresc adesea pentru a
fi
femei
mritate si nu domnioare.
70
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
19
Women
dont
always
marry
for
happiness... They often marry because they
wish to be married women and not maids.
(F.F.P, p. 668)
73 n condiiile actuale abolirea
cstoriei
ar
lsa
femeile i mai nrobite dect snt acum.
...the abolition of marriage would, other
things remaining unchanged, leave women
more effectually enslaved than they now
are.
74 Pentru o femeie fr avere sau fr
vreun
talent comercializabil, un so este mult mai
necesar
dect un stpn unui cine. Nu este nimic
mai
vtmtor pentru simul nostru de demnitate
uman
dect vntoarea de soi care ncepe n
fiecare
familie atunci cnd fetele ajung bune de mritat.
Dar
acest lucru este inevitabil n condiiile
actuale
i
prinii care refuz s fac acest joc snt
71
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
19
prini
ri,
dei pot fi oameni superiori.
To a woman without property or
marketable talent a husband is more
necessary than a master to a dog. There is
nothing more wounding to our sense of human dignity than the husband hunting that
begins in every family when the daughters
become marriageable ; but it is inevitable
tinder existing circum stances ; and the
parents who refuse to engage in it are bad
parents, thought they may be superior individuals.
75 Adevrul este c viaa de familie nu
va
fi
niciodat decent i cu att mai puin
nnobilatoare
pn
cnd se va elibera de aceast oroare
principal
a
dependenei femeilor de brbai. n prezent ea
reduce
diferena dintre cstorie i prostituie la
diferena
dintre sindicalism i munca neorganizat,
cu
un
caracter temporar : fr ndoiala o diferen
72
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
19
enorm
n ceea ce privete ordinea i confortul, dar
nu
o
diferen de natur.
The truth is that family life will never be
decent, much less ennobling, until this
central horror of the dependence of women
on men is done away with. At present it
reduces the differences between marriage
and prostitution to the difference between
Trade Unionism and unorganized causal
labor : a huge difference, no doubt, as to
order and comfort, hut not a difference in
kind.
I
(Getting Married, In C.P.B.S., p. 23)
FAMILIE
76 _ Oamenii cu inima slab snt tiranii
vieii
de
familie.
...people with weak hearts are the
tyrants of... family life.
(G. M., p. 589)
77 Nici un fel de certuri nu snt att de
frecvente
i de pline de mnie ca certurile de familie.
No quarrels are as frequent and angry as
family quarrels.
73
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
19
(T.T.B.S., p. 129)
78 Dac ne-am putea alege rudele, am
putea eventual micora, selectindu-le pe
cele pentru care avem afiniti, efectul
repulsiv al obligaiei de a ne place i de a le
admite n intimitatea noastr. Dar a ni se
impune o persoan ca frate doar pentru c
din ntmplare avem aceiai prini este
insuportabil atunci cnd, aa cum se poate
ntmpla foarte uor, este tipul de om pe
care l-am ocoli cu grij dac ar fi fratele
altcuiva... Ideea cea mai important de
reinut de aici este c, n prezent, familiile
nu snt inute laolalt de ctre simmntul
de familie, ci de simminte omeneti.
Familia cultiv simpatia, ajutorul reciproc i
alinarea, tot aa cum acestea snt cultivate
de orice alt form de asociere plcut.
Includerea ns a unei dragoste obligatorii,
dictate, drept atribut al nrudirii apropiate
nu este doar nenecesar, ci de-a dreptul
duntoare.
If we could choose our relatives, we
might,
by
selecting
congenial
ones,
mitigate the repulsive effect of the
obligation to like them and to admit them
to our intimacy. But to have a person
imposed on us as a brother merely because
74
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EXISTENA
19
he happens to have the same parents is

unbearable when, as may easily happen, he
is the sort of person we shoidd carefully
avoid if he were anyone else's brother...
The main point to grasp here is that
families are not kept together at present by
family feeling but by human feeling. The
family cultivates sympathy and mutual help
and consolation as any other form of kindly
association cultivates them ; but the
addition of a dictated compulsory affection
as an attribute of near idnship is not only
unnecesary, but positively detri mental...
(Parents and Children, n C.P.B.S., pp. 91
92)
79 _ In toate turmele sint oi negre. There
are black sheep in every flock. (C. L., p.
327)
CUNOATERE
II CUNOATERE
CUNOATERE
80 Activitatea este singura cale spre
cunoatere.
Activity is the only road to knowledge.
81 Cunoaterea nu este proprietatea
nimnui.
...knowledge is no man's property.
(M.. p. 1282)
82 Contiina unui lucru nu nseamn
cunoaterea lui ; dac ar fi aa, petii ar ti mai
mult
despre
mare
dect
geografii
i
naturalitii.
Consciousness of a fact is not knowledge of
it
;
if
it
ivere, the fish would know more of the sea
than
the
geographers and the naturalists.
(B. M p. 919)
EDUCAIA MATERIALISTA
83 l comptimesc pe bietul neurotic
care
spune
c ,,Omul nscut din femeie are viaa scurt
dar
plin
de necazuri", tot aa cum comptimesc un
beivan
sentimental ; i tiu c adevrata religie de
astzi
a
fost fcut posibil doar de fizicienii
materialisti
i
criticii ateiti care au ntreprins pentru noi
operaia preliminar indispensabil de a ne
descotorosi
complet
de
superstiiile
ignorante i vicioase care ne-au fost vrte
pe gt ca religie n copilria lipsit de aprare.
I pity the poor neurotic who can say,
"Man that is born of a woman hath but a
short time to live, and is full of misery", as I
pity a maudlin drunkard ; and I know that
the real religion of today was made

possible only by the materialistic-physicists
and atheist-critics who performed for us
the indispensable preliminary operation of
purging us thoroughly of the ignorant and
vicious superstitions which were thrust
down our throats as religion in our helpless
childhood.
(S.R., pp. 2324)
RAIUL I IADUL
84 Raiul, aa cum e conceput n mod
convenional, e un loc att de stupid i
plicticos, att de nefolositor, att de
nenorocit nct nimeni n-a avut curajul s
ncerce a descrie o zi ntreag n paradis,
dei muli au descris o zi la marginea mrii ;
iar prerea general este exprimat n
proverbul : Raiul e pentru evlavioi i iadul
e
pentru
prieteni".
...Heaven,
as
conventionally conceived, is a place so
inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable,
that nobody has ever ventured to describe
a whole day in heaven, though plenty of
people have described a day at the seaside
; and... the genuine popidar verdict on it is
24
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

CUNOATERE
expressed in the
proverb : "Heaven
for
holiness
and
Hell for company."
(Parcnts and Children, n CPB.S., p. 63)
CREDINA
85 Ferete-te de omul al crui zeu este
n
ceruri.
Beware of the man whose god is in the
skies.
MINUNI
86 O minune este un lucru imposibil
care,
cu
toate
acestea, este posibil.
A miracle is an impossible thing that is
ncvertheless possible.
(B. M., p. 57)
87 Lumea este plin de minuni.
Contiina,
de
exemplu, este un ntreg miracol. Naterea
este
un
miracol ; viaa este un miracol. Moartea a fost
i
ea
un
miracol pn destul de recent, cnd
Weismann
a
demonstrat ntr-un mod plauzibil c poate fi
considerat ca un produs ntrziat al seleciei
naturale.
n
orice caz, exist o mulime de minuni
mprejurul
nostru, iar cel care le neag existena este
ntotdeauna
un om care greete n definirea minunii.
Prin
minune el nelege doar ceva care nu este
obinuit
i
la
care nu s-a ateptat. Minunile pot fi
mprite
n
dou mari categorii : 1) Evenimente
miraculoase
a
cror apariie real nu este contestat sau
pus
la
ndoial. 2) Evenimente miraculoase a cror
apariie nu este n general admis. De
exemplu, se presupune despre un anume
Lazr c a trit miracolul vieii. Nimeni nu
se ndoiete sau nu neag aceasta. Se pretinde n continuare c Lazr s-a sculat din
mori la comanda lui Cristos. Dei aceasta a
fost
o isprav mult mai simpl dect a te
nate, nimeni nu crede c el a fcut-o cu
adevrat, cu excepia oamenilor care snt
capabili s cread orice. Cauza este destul
de evident. Nici unul din noi nu a vzut
vreodat un om sculat din mori, n afara
cazului c era pe malul vreunui ru alturi
ele un poliist calificat n arta de a produce
respiraia artificial. i ncercm s scpm
chiar
i
de
aceast
excepie
prin
controversa evident Jinutil c nviatul nu a
fost mort, ci doar necat. Cu /toate acestea,
distincia dintre o minune familiar i una
fr precedent explic n linii mari de ce
sntem creduli fa de unele minuni i
increduli fa de altele. Dar aceasta nu
explic toate
cazurile. Exist anumite
feluri de minuni care ne nent imaginaia,
att de mult, sau care ne promit uurare sau
vreun fel de profit, nct le credem n ciuda
experienei. Doctorii, ca i vrjitoarele,
declar
c
svresc
toate
minunile
atribuite fondatorilor religiilor i, dei dau
gre zilnic, oamenii snt trimii chiar la
nchisoare pentru c se ndoiesc de astfel
de profesiuni. The voorld is full of miracles.
Consciousness, for in-stance, is a complete
miracle. Birth is a miracle ; life is a miracle ;
and death was a miracle until quite

recently, when Weismann macle out a very
plausible case for regarding it as a rather
late product of na2
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
127
lurdl selection. Anyhow, there are lots of
miracles about ; and the man who denies
their existence is always a man who is
simply wrong in his definition of a miracle.
By a miracle he means only something that
he is not accustomed to and did not expect.
Miracles can be divided into two main
classes : (1) Miraculous events as to the
actual occurrence of which there is no
question and no doubt. (2) Miraculous
events of ichich the occurrence is not
generally admitted. For instance, it is
alleged of a certain Lazarus that he
achieved the miracle of living ; and nobody
doubts or denies this. It is further alleged
that Lazarus rose from the dead at the
command of Jesus. Though this icas a very
much simpler feat than to get born and up,

yet nobody believes that he actually did it
except people who would believe anything.
The reason of this is obvious enough. None
of us has ever seen a man raised from the
dead except on the banks of the Serpentine
by a policeman skilled in the art of inducing
artificial respiration ; and even this exception we try to get out of by the manifestly
futile contention that the resurrected one
was not dead that he was only drozvned.
Still, the distinction between a familiar
miracle and an unprecedented one
accounts roughly for a good deal of the fact
that we are credulous as to some miracles
and incredulous as to others. But it does
not account for all of it. There are certain
kinds of miracles that so please our imaginations or promise us relief or profit of
some sort that we believe them is spite of
experience. Doctors, like witches, profess
to perform al the miracles attributed to
founders of religions ; and though they fail
daily, people are actually sent to prison for
doubting
such professions.
(S.R.. pp. 4344)
88 Dac crezi c soarele va rsri

mine diminea, renuni cu totul la dreptul
de a nega c pot transforma un cine ntr-o
pisic, doar pe motiv c o astfel de
metamorfoz este o minune. Dar aceasta nu
schimb faptul c toat lumea crede c
soarele va rsri mine i c nimeni nu
crede c eu pot transforma un cine ntr-o
pisic. S mrturisim deci c omul care
susine c minunile trebuie s fie sau credibile sau incredibile i c unele minuni snt
credibile (aa cum snt fr ndoial), atunci
toate minunile1 jtrebuie s fie credibile, este
cel mai incurabil logician fantezist.
Adevrul este c unele minuni snt
credibile i altele snt incredibile i c
fiecare tip de om trage linia de demarcaie
n alt loc... Am dobndit convingeri i am
pierdut convingeri ; dar niciodat nu am
adoptat o nou convingere doar pentru c
deja nutream convingeri la fel de
incredibile. De asemenea nu am lepdat
niciodat o credin, deoarece lepda-sem
deja altele la fel de credibile. Imaginaia
omeneasc nu acioneaz astfel.
If you believe that the sun tvill rise
tomorrow morning, you give up all right to
deny that I can turn a dog into a cat merely
on the ground that such a metamorphosis

is a miracle. But that does not alter the fact
that everybody believes'that the sun will
rise tomorrow, and that nobody believes
that I can turn a dog into a cat... Let us
confess, then, that the man ivho argues
that miracles must be either credible or
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

CUNOATERE
29
incredible, and that if some miracles are

credible (as they undoubtedly are), then all
miracles must be credible, is the most
hopelessly unreal kind of logi-gician. The
plain facts are that some miracles are
credible and some are incredible, and that
every different sort of man draws the line
in a different place... I have gained beliefs
and lost beliefs ; but I never took on a new
belief merely because I already entertained
beliefs just as incredible ; and I never threw
off a belief merely because I had already
thrown off others just as credible. That is
not the way the human imagination works.
(S. R.. pp. 4447)
PRINCIPII DE BAZA
89 S nu vorbeti despre principii de
baz
:
nu
exist aa ceva.
You mustn't talk about first principles :
they don't exist.
(A.Y.C.O.L., p. 23)
t
ADEVAR
90 Cel care spune adevrul i care nui

poate
ine gura n anumite ocazii, poate face tot '
att
de
mult ru ca o ntreag universitate plin de
oameni
instruii pentru a spune minciuni.
...a truth-teller who cannot hold his
tongue on occasion may do as much
mischief as a whole university full of
trained liars.
(Q. I., p. 78)
91 Doar jumtile de adevr snt
periculoase.
It is only the half truths that are dangerous.
92 Adevrul nu are nevoie de martiri.
Truth... needs no mortyrs.
(A. & L p. C88)
93 Dac ar fi cunoscut adevrul, am
vrea
cu
toii
ca rugciunile noastre s fie ascultate doar
pe
jumtate : jumtatea agreabil.
// the truth were known, we all want our
prayers to
be ahswered only by halves : the agreeable
halves,
f
(F.F.P., p. 667)
!)4 Modul meu de a glumi este de a
spune adevrul. Este cea mai amuzant
glum din lume. My way of joking is to tell
the truth. It's the funaiest joke in the world.
(J.B.O.I., p. 418)
CAUZALITATE I NTMPLARE
95 O Prim Cauz e o contradicie de
termeni, cci in Cauzalitate fiecare cauz
trebuie s aib o cauz ; ca atare nu poate
exista o Prim Cauz tot aa cum nu poate
exista un prim centimetru ntr-un cerc. Dac
admii o dat o cauz care nu are cauz, renuni cu totul la Cauzalitate. i dac faci
aceasta, poi la fel de bine susine c totul
se creeaz singur. Dar aceasta se poate
realiza numai dac este viu. Astfel ajungi
napoi la mister i poi la fel de bine
30
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
31
mrturisi n ignorana i capacitatea ta
limitat, c universul este inexplicabil.
A First Cause is a contradiction in terms,
because in Causation every cause must
have a cause ; and therefore there can no
more be a First Cause than a first inch in a
circle. If you once admit a cause that is
uncaused,
you
give
up
Causation
altogether. And if you do that, you may as
well say that everything makes itself. But it
can only do that if it is alive : so you are
back again at your mystery, and may as
well confess that to your ignorance and
limited
faculty
the
universe
is
unaccountable.
(S.R., pp. 128129)
96 ntreaga via este o serie de
ntmplri
;
dar
cnd descoperi c majoritatea lor snt
ndreptate
ntr-o singur direcie, poi presupune c
ndrtul
lor
se gsete ceva ce nu este accidental.
All life is a series of accidents ; but when
you find most of them pointing all one way,
you may guess that there is something
behind them that is not accidental.
(S. R.. p. 129) RAIUNE I ABSURDITATE
97 Funcia real i desigur etern
indispensabil
a Raiunii este de a nscoci mijloacele
pentru
satisfacerea
voinei,
n
timp
ce
esena
Raionalismului
este de a o nla la rangul de prim motor al
aciunii
umane aburul n locul mainii.
...the real and of course eternally
indispensabile function of Reason is to
devise the means for the satisfaction of the
will, whereas the essence of Rationalism is
tot set it up as being the prime motor of
human action the steam instead of the
engine... (C. L., p. 316)
98 Atunci cnd o critic logic a lumii,
din
punctul de vedere al oricrui sistem de gndire
sau
etic.
reduce lumea la absurditate sau crim,
atunci
este
redus la absurditate sistemul i nu lumea ;
ntreaga
critic, orict de ingenioas, poate fi cu
siguran
nlturat ca fiind nefolositoare.
When a logical criticism of the world,
from the point of vieio of any system of
thought or ethics, reduces the world to
absurdity or crime, then it is the system,
and not the world, which has been reduced
to absurdity ; and the whole criticism,
however ingenious, may safely be discardes
as idle.
(C. L., p. 683)
99 Absurditatea nu este niciodat
sincer.
Nonsense is always insincere.
(D. Dilemma)
100
Cinstea
absolut
este
o
abstracie
tot
att
de
absurd cum ar fi temperatura absolut sau
valoarea
absolut.
Absolute honesty is as absurd an
abstraction as absolute temperature or
absolute value.
(O.T.N., I. p. 245)
CUNOATERE
33
32
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
FILOZOFI
101 Filozofii se nasc, nu se fac.
Philosophers are born, not made.
(M. C, p. 1126)
GNDUL
102 n afara ghidului, nimic nu
rmne
frumos
i
interesant, cci gndul este viaa.
Nothing remains beautiful and
interesting except thought, because the
thought is the life. (B. M., p. 959)
CURIOZITATE
103 Curiozitatea nu moare niciodat.
Curiosity never dies.
(F. F., p. 1402)
EXPERIENA
104 Ne fac nelepi nu amintirile
trecutului
nostru, ci responsabilitile viitorului.
...we are made wise not by the

recollections of our past, but by the
responsibilities of our future. (B. M., p. 921)
105 Teama este nceputul
nelepciunii.
...fear is the beginning of ivisdom.
(L. M., p. 398)
10G Oamenii snt nelepi nu n
proporie cu experiena lor, ci n proporie
cu capacitatea lor ele experien.
Men are icise in proportion, not to their
experience, hut to their capacity for
experience.
107 Timpul dinaintea omului este cel
care
l
stI unete, nu cel din urma sa.
It is the time ahead of a man that
controls him, not the time behind him.
(T.T.B.S., p. 8)
108 nvm din istorie c oamenii nu
nva
niciodat nimic din istorie.
We learn from history that men never
learn anything from history.
(P. c, p. 1094)
109 Dac am putea nva doar din

experien,
pietrele Londrei ar fi mai nelepte dect cel
mai
nelept om al su.
// we could learn from mere experience,
the stones of London would be wiser than
its wisest men.
110 Merit ntotdeauna s faci un
lucru
greit
ca
sa descoperi cum s nu-1 faci, ceea ce
constituie
un
important pas nainte n descrierea modului
cum
trebuie fcut.
It is always worth while to do a thing the
wrong way
34
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
35
in order to find out how not to do it,

which is an im^ portant step towards
finding out how to do it.
(C. L., p. 476) VIITOR
111 Viitorul nu exist pn ce nu devine
prezent. There is no such thing as the
future until it is the present.
(B. M., p. 936)
112 Sptmna viitoare nu nseamn
nimic pentru mine, cum nu nseamn nimic pentru
oricine alt
cineva.
Next week is nothing to me or to anyone
else... (C. L., p. 661)
113 Orice este mai bun dect
nesigurana.
Anything is better than uncertainty.
(B. M., p. 861)
114 Nimic nu este sigur n afara
nesiguranei.
...nothing is certain but uncertainty.
(B. M., p. 862)
REGULI
115 Regula de aur este aceea ca nu

exist! rcguli de aur.
The golden rule is that there are no
golden rules.
(Man and Superman, in C.P.B.S., p. 188)
116 Natura detest vidul.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
(G. M.. p. 582)
VIS I REALITATE
117 Fiecare om care i nregistreaz
iluziile
furnizeaz date pentru psihologia cu adevrat
tiinific
pe care lumea o ateapt nc.
Every man who records his illusions is
providing data for the genuinely scientific
psychology which ihe world still waits for.
Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S.. p. 161)
178 Orice vis poate fi transpus n via
de ctre cei care snt destul de puternici
pentru a crede n el. ...every dream could
be willed into creation by those strong
enough to believe in it.
(C. L.. p. 627)
119
Oamenii fr imaginaie ncearc

s
fac
lucruri care s dureze pe vecie, ba chiar vor
s
triasc pe vecie ei nii.
People with no imagination try to make
things which will last for ever, and even
want to live for ever themselves.
(Parents and Children, in C.P.B.S., p. 45)
120 Este implicit in idealul nsui
faptul
c
trebuie s fie unic.
...it is indeed implicit In the ideal itself
that it should be unique.
(Q. l., P. 19)
RELATIVITATE
121 Caracterul irezistibil al unei
nlnuiri
logice
st nu n logic, ci n acceptabilitatea
concluziei
de
ctre persoana creia i se adreseaz. De
exemplu,
pedeapsa corporal este dup prerea mea o
practic
abominabil : argumentele care pledeaz
pentru
ea
snt ns irezistibile" pentru acei ce o

aprob.
The irresistibility of a chain of logic lies,
not in the logic, but in the acceptability of
the conclusion to the person addressed. For
instance,
corporal
punishment
is
an
abominable practice to my mind ; but the
reasons for it are irresistible" to those
who approve of it.
(C. L., p. 302)
122 Putei considera drept o regul
general
faptul c la Londra nimic nu este mai periculos
dect
s
fii prezentat cuiva, pentru c nu poi ti
cine
i
e
prieten sau duman odat ce a ajuns n
situaia
n
care oricum trebuie s te pori frumos cu
el
:
iar
dac
nu a ajuns n aceast situaie nu merit s
faci
cunotin.
...you may take it as a general rule in
London that nothing is so dangerous as an
introduction, because no man knows a
friend from an enemy ivhen once he has
attained a. position in which it is necessqry

to be civil to him anyhow ; and unless he
has attained this position nobody thinks his
introduction worth having.
(C. L p. 628)
123. Englezii nu vor fi niciodat sclavi : ei
snt liberi s fac ceea ce le permite
Guvernul i opinia public.
Englishmen never will be slaves : they
are free to do whatever the Government
and public opinion allow them to do.
(M. & S., p. 373)
124 Dragostea pentru economie este
rdcina
tuturor virtuilor.
The love of economy is the root of all
virtue.
EXIGENA
125 Ai grij s primeti ceea ce i
place,
sau
vei
fi obligat s-i plac ceea ce primeti. Acolo
unde
nu
exist ventilaie acrul proaspt e declarat
nesntos.
Undo nu exist cunoatere, ignorana se

autointituleazj.tiin.
Take care to get what you like or you will
be forced to like what you get. Where there
is no ventilation fresh air is declared
unwholesome...
Where
there
is
no
knoioledge ignorance calls itself science.
126 Dac cineva i arat caracterul
ntr-o
oglind
i i dovedete c trebuie splat i nu
spoit,
nu
are
rost s spargi oglinda. Du-te i f rost de
spun
i
ap.
If a man holds up a mirror to your nature
and shows youjhat it needs washing not
white washing it is no use breaking the
mirror. Go for soap and water. (T.T.B.S., p.
134)
104
What a man believes may be ascertained, not from liis creed,

but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.
132 Dac faci aa cum face toat lumea i gndeti j,--aa cum
gndete toat lumea, o vei duce foarte bine cu vecinii, dar vei trage
toate consecinele maladiilor i stupiditii lor. Dac gndeti i te
compori altfel, trebuie s supori consecinele antipatiei i persecuiilor lor.
If you do as everyone does and think as everyone thinks you
will get on very well with your neigh bours, but you will suff er
all their illnesses and stupidities. If you think and act otherwise
you must suff er their dislike and persecution. (P.P., p. 281)
I 133 Dac faci anumite lucruri creznd c un alt prost se ateapt din
partea ta s procedezi astfel, iar el i nchipuie c le faci pentru c, la
rinciul lui, crede c tu te atepi ca el s se atepte ca tu s le faci,
totul se va sfri n aa fel c toi vor face ceea ce nimeni nu vrea s
fac.
...if you do things merely because you think some other fool
expects you to do them, and he expects you to do them because
he thinks you expect him to expect you to do them, it will end in
everybody doing what nobody wants to do...
(O., p. 715)
134 Toi avem centri notri inferiori i centri no-tri superiori.

Centri notri inferiori acioneaz : ac
CONDIIONARE
127 Nimic nu poate fi necondiionat :
n
consecin nimic nu poate fi gratuit.
Nothing
can
be
unconditioned
:
consequently nothing can be free.
PROSTIE
128 Este periculos s fii sincer clac
nu
eti
i
prost.
It is dangerous to be sincere unless you

are also stupid.
105
v 129 Dac cineva este pur i simplu

prost,
prostia
se
va
nruti
prin
practicarea ei de-a lungul vieii, n loc s se
amelioreze.
If a person is a bare fool, the folly will get
icorse, not better, by a long life's practice.
(C. L p. 275)
130 Nimeni nu poate fi un specialist
pur fr a fi un idiot n sensul strict al
cuvntului. No man can be a pure specialist
without being in the strict sense an idiot.
CUNOATEREA COMPORTAMENTULUI
<^ 131 Ceea ce un om crede se poate
stabili nu din mrturisirile sale de credin,
ci din supoziiile pe baza crora acioneaz
de obicei.
106
41
ioneaz cu o for colosal, care
cteodat ne distruge ; dar ei nu vorbesc.
Vorbirea aparine centrilor superiori. In
ntreaga mare poezie i literatur a lumii
vorbesc
centri
superiori.
n
orice
conversaie respectabil vorbesc centri
superiori, chiar atunci cnd nu spun nimic
sau spun minciuni. Dar centri inferiori snt
prezeni tot timpul : un fel de secret care ne
face pe toi s ne simim vinovai, dei ei
snt mui.
We all have... our lower centres and. our
higher centres. Our lower centres act with a
terrible power that sometimes destroys us ;
but they don't talk. Speech belongs to the
higher centres. In all the great poetry and
literature of the world the higher centres
speak. In all respectable conversation the
higher centres speak, even when they are
saying nothing or telling lies. But the lower
centres are there all the time : a sort of
guilty secret with every one of us, though
they are dumb.
107
(T.T.B.S., p. 112)
135 Omul este condus de frumusee,
de
farmec.
Man is ruled by beauty, by charm.
(P. C, p. 1101)
136 Ceea ce este poezie pentru un
om
este
lascivitate pentru altul. Ceea ce este pasiune
pentru
o
femeie este indecen pentru alta.
One man's poetry is another man's
pruriency. One woman's passion is another
woman's impropriety. (T.T.B.S., p. 123124)
J 37 Tcerea este cea mai perfect
expresie a dispreului.
Silence is the most perfect expression of
scorn. (B. M., p. 945)
138 Decena nu poate fi discutat
fr
indecen.
Decency cannot be discussed without
indecency.
(B. M., p. 912)
139 Cei care neleg rul l iart ; cei
care
nu
il
pot suferi l distrug.
108
Those who understand evil pardon it;

those who resent it destroy it.
140 Secretul iertrii tuturor lucrurilor
este
s
nu
nelegi nimic.
...the secret of forgiving everything is to
understand nothing.
(G. M., p. 553)
141 Treaba tuturor e treaba nimnui.
...everybody's business is nobody's
business...
(A. C, p. 1017)
142 Nu rezista niciodat tentaiei :
ncearc toate
lucrurile : apuc-1 imediat pe cel care este
bun.
Never resist tem,piation : prove all things :
hold fast
that ivhich is good.
143 Oamenii exagereaz ntotdeauna
valoarea
lucrurilor pe care nu le au. Apreciezi ceea ce
nu
ai
obinut.
109
42
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
...people always exaggerate the value of

things they haven't got... You value what
you have not got... (M. D., p. 162)
144 Nimic nu aduce oamenii n fire ca
foamea.
Nothing brings people to their senses like
hunger
(O., p. 711)
145 Vulpea nu declar doar c
strugurii
pe
care
nu i poate ajunge snt acri ; ea insist c
porumbarul la care poate ajunge este dulce.
...the fox not only declares that the
grapes he cannot get are sour : he also
insists that the sloes he can get are sweet.
(Q. I. P. 22)
146 Un om devine cu att mai ros de
griji
cu
ct
posed mai mult dect ceea ce-i folosete.
The more a man possesses over and
above xohat he uses, the more careworn he
becomes.
42
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
147 Cnd ceva nu ne mai intereseaz,

nu-1
mai
tim.
...When anything no longer interests us
we no longer know it.
(B. M., p. 939)
148 Satisfacia nseamn moarte.
Satisfaction is death.
(O., p. 705)
149 Cea mai proast parte a rutinei
este
c,
dei
se presupune c ii mulumete pe toi, n
realitate
nu
mulumete pe nimeni.
...the worst of a routine is that, though it
is supposed to suit everybody, it really
suits nobody. '(P. &. P., p. 277)
150
Marele lucru n via
este s fii simplu.
<\
The great thing in life is to be simple... ^
(G. C, p. 808)
151
la
potrivit.
Totul este periculos dac nu-1 iei

timpul
^
42
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
Everything is dangerous unless you take

it at the right time.
(D. Dilemma, p. 511) MREIE I MICIME
152 Mreia este singura senzaie a
micimii.
Greatness is the only one of the sensations
of littleness.
153
Diferena
dintre
cel
mai
superficial
dintre
rutinari i gnditorul cel mai profund apare,
ultimului, nensemnat, iar primului, infinit.
The difference between the shalloiuesi
routineer and the deepest thinker appears,
to the latter, trifling ; to the former, infinite.
5*
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
intensely cultivated stage still eked out by great natural

charrri, which is the commoner case. (C. L., p. 626)
1 59 Talentul nu devine geniu dect atunci cnd a atins punctul
la care cele mai profunde forme de percepie ale sale ating extazul.
...ability does not become genius until it has risen to the
point at which its keenest states of perception touch on
ecstasy...
(C. L., p. 625)
1 60 Cea mai mare deosebire posibil n comportament ntre un

geniu i contemporanii si este att de mic nct este ntotdeauna
greu s-i convingi pe oamenii care snt n contact zilnic cu cel
nzestrat c el este un om ieit din comun.
The greatest possible diff erence in conduct between a
taenms and his contemporaries is so small that it is alvays
diffi cult to persuade the people who are in daily contact
with the gifted one that he is anybody in particular...
(The Sanity of Art, n C.P.B.S., p. 803)
! 61 Dac un om mare ne-ar putea face s-1 nelegem, l-am

spnzura.
If a great man could make us understand him, we should
hang him.
162 Intr-o naiune de oameni proti, omul de geniu devine un

zeu ; toi l venereaz dar nimeni nu-i
ndeplinete vrerea.
154 Zeii snt ngduitori fat de

micime.
...the gods are patient with littleness.
(C. L., p. 250)
155
Cel mai josnic renghi pe care ni lar

putea
juca zeii este de a ne crede pe cuvnt.
...the meanest trick our gods can play on
us is to take us at our words.
(O.T.N., III, p. 288)
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
156 Fiinele superioare au nevoie de

cel
mai
mult
timp pentru a se maturiza .i snt cele mai
neajutorate n timpul imaturitii lor.
It is the highest creatures who take the
longest to mature, and are the most
helpless during their immaturity.
(B. M., p. 906)
157 Doi oameni mori de foame nu
pol
fi
de
dou
ori mai flmnzi ca unul singur, dar doi
ticloi
pot
fi
de zece ori mai ri dect unul.
Two starving men cannot be twice as
hungry as one ; but two rascals can be ten
times as vicious as one.
GENIU
158 Geniul poate fi sau realizat
complet
n
ceea
ce privete talentul i cunoaterea artistic,
sau
doar
o abilitate nc nu prea intens cultivat,
prelungit
de un farmec natural, aa cum se ntmpl
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
de
obicei.
...genius may be either wholly realised in
artistic
knowledge and faculty... or it may only be a
not very
whatever it may be, and scoff s at laborious practice. The
fi rst order fi nds it far otherwise. It is immature ni thirty,
and though desperately in need of educa tion (being less a
child of Nature by so much more as it is advanced in
evolution) can fi nd nothing but misleading until it
laboriously teaches itself. I am a genius of the fi rst order ;
and so are you ; but I know my order and the price I must
pay for excellence, ivhereas you are always appealing to the
experience of the second order to justify your own selfneglect. (C. L., p. 332)
I 64 Orice om de geniu i primete verdictul [n cincisprezece

ani, n.n.] n afar de cazul c vederile sale snt att de deosebite
nct l fac s depind, Iar speran, de posteritate, n care caz
constituie mi exemplu de monstruoas natere prematur.
..fyvery man of genius gains his verdict... unless his rlews
are so exceptional as to make him hopelessly dependent on
posterity in ivhich case he is a monstru-ous premature birth.
(C. L., pp. 153154)
SUCCES
165 Nu tii niciodat care smn anume a minii

tale va germina.
You never know the particular seed in your mind that will
germinate.
(P. P.. p. 151)
166 Providenei i place s

rste secretul oamenilor care reuesc.
fie
provocat.
Acesta
In a stupid nation the man of genius

becomes a god ; everybody worships him
and nobody does his ivill.
163 Exist dou soiuri de genii pe
lume. Unul este produs de soiul care se
avnt uneori spre divinitate tot aa cum
alteori d napoi spre maimu. Cellalt
este pur i simplu monstrul produs de
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
excesul
ntmpltor
al
unei
faculti
muzicale, musculare sau chiar sexuale.
Uriaul aparine pe de-a-ntregul acestei
categorii : are geniul nlimii. Al doilea fel
de geniu nu cere pregtire : el (sau ea) i
duce la capt treaba pe loc i fr efort,
oricare ar fi ea i dispreuiete truda.
Pentru primul lucrurile stau cu totul altfel.
Este imatur la 30 de ani i dei are
neaprat nevoie de educaie (fiind cu att
mai puin copil al naturii cu cit este mai
avansat n evoluie) nu gsete dect erori
pn cnd nu se autoinstruiete cu trud. Eu
snt un geniu din prima categorie i tu la fel
; dar eu mi cunosc condiia i preul pe
care
trebuie
s-1
pltesc
pentru
desvrire, pe cnd tu apelezi ntotdeauna
la experiena celeilalte categorii pentru a-i
justifica propria delsare.
There are two sorts of genius in this
world. One is produced by the breed
throwing forward to the godlike man,
exactly as it sometimes throws backward to
the apelike. The other is the mere monster
produced by an accidental excess of some
faculty musical, muscular, sexual even. A
giant belongs properly to this category : he
has a genius for altitude. Now the second
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
order of genius requires no education : he

(or she) does at once and without effort his
feat,
48
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
Providence likes to be tempted. Thats the secret of the

successful men.
167 Nu ursc oamenii care au reuit n via; dimpotriv. Dar

mi-e groaz de succes. A fi reuit nseamn s nu mai ai nimic de
fcut n via, asemenea pianjenului care e ucis de femel ndat
ce a reuit s-o cucereasc. mi place starea de continu devenire,
s am un el n fa i nu napoi. i la fel mi place s lupt cu
oamenii care au reuit n via ; s-i contrazic, s-i strnesc, s le
pun valoarea la ncercare, s le drm castelele de nisip pentru ca
ei s-i construiasc altele de piatr i aa mai departe. Asta
dezvolt muchii. i apoi, mai i nvei din asta ; nimeni nu-i
spune ceva dac nu-1 contrazici. Ursc eecul. Dar succesul
trebuie s fie un succes adevrat,
1 capacitate adevrat, o putere adevrat i nu doar
popularitate n ziare i bani i nici frivolitate rutcioas.
don't hate successful people ; just the contrary. But

I dread success. To have succeeded is to have
fi nished one's business on earth, like the male
spider, who is killed by the female the moment he
has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of
continual becoming with a goal in front and not
behind. Then, too, I like fi ghting successful people ;
attacking them ; rousing them; trying their mettle;
kicking dotvn their sand castles so as to make them
build stone ones, and so on. It develops one's
muscles. Besides, one learns from it : a man never
tells you anything until you contradict him. I hate
failure. Only, it must
CUNOATERE
40
be real success real skill, real ability, real power, not mere
newspaper popularity and money, nor wicked frivolity.
(C. L., p. 645)
1 68 Dac studiezi cu dragoste orice fiin uman, vei gsi

multe caliti n ea ; ai s descoperi cte lucruri minunate snt
necesare pentru a face chiar i cea mai obinuit dintre fiinele
omeneti. nc nu-i dai seama, cred, ce enorm de mult trebuie s
ai n mn nainte de a ncepe s trieti cu adevrat. In aceast
privin viaa este ca i jocul de whist. Pare surprinztor c un
om i partenerul su trebuie s fie destul de inteligeni i norocoi
pentru a ctiga ase levate i totui s nu puncteze deloc ; dar
aceasta este natura jocului : Este nevoie de multe merite chiar
pentru un pic de succes", i toate succesele reale la n urm o
cantitate imens de munc neluat n jseam.
...if you study any human being aff ectionately you will fi nd
a good deal in them : that is only your disco-rery of what a
wonderful deal it takes to make even the most ordinary sort
of human being. You do not yet realize, I imagine, what a
tremendous lot a man must have in hand before he begins
to score. Life is like whist in that respect : it seems
surprising that a man and his partner should be clever and
lucky enough to win six tricks and yet not score at all ; but
that is the nature of the game : ,,it takes a great deal of
merit to make even a small success" ; and all the solid successes have an immense deal of uncounted work be-hhnd
them.
C. I,., pp. 534535)
50
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
PRIETENI
169
Nu i-ai gsit cel mai bun prieten

tine
n
nsui ?
Have you not found your best friend in
yourself ? (B. M., p. 957)
170 Singurul serviciu pe care un

prieten
i1
poate
face, ntr-adevr, este s-i menin curajul
punndu-i n fa o oglind n care s-i vezi
propria
imagine.
The only service a friend can really
render is to keep up your courage by
holding up to you a mirror in which you can
see a noble image of yourself.
(C. L., p. 828)
171 Doar cei ce s-au ajutat singuri
tiu
cum
s-i
ajute pe alii i s respecte dreptul lor de a
se
ajuta
singuri.
Only those who have helped themselves
know how to help others, and to respect
thier right to help themselves.
50
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
(Q. I., p. 39)

FERICIRE I NEFERICIRE
172 Nu este natural s nu fii fericit.

It's not natural not to be happy.
(S.U.I., p. 1221)
173 Fericirea i Frumuseea snt
produse
secundare.
Happiness and Beauty are by-products.
174 D unui om sntate i un el de
urmat
i
nu
se va opri o clip s se ntrebe dac este
fericit
sau
nu.
Give a man health and a course to steer ;
and
he'll
never stop to trouble about whether he's
happy
or
not.
(C.B.C., p. 329)
175 Cel care dorete o via de
fericire
alturi
de
o femeie frumoas, dorete s se bucure de
gustul
vinului inndu-1 tot timpul n gur.
50
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
He who desires a lifetime of happiness

with a beautiful woman desires to enjoy the
taste of wine by Iceeping his mouth always
full of it.
176
Fericirea nu conteaz niciodat

n
faa
Naturii.
...happiness never matters to Nature.
J
(Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S., p.
169)
177 Secretul de a fi nefericit const
n
a
avea
rgazul necesar pentru a-i bate capul dac
eti
sau
nu
nefericit. Leacul const n ocupaie, cci
ocupaia
nseamn preocupare ; iar omul preocupat
nu
este
nici fericit, nici nefericit ci pur i simplu viu
i
activ,
ceea ce este mai plcut dect orice fericire,
pn
te-ai
sturat de asta. De aceea, ca s fii fericit,
trebuie
s
fii obosit. Muzica dup cin e plcut ;
muzica
nainte de micul dejun este att de
50
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
CUNOATERE
neplcut
nct
e
pur i simplu nenatural. Pentru oamenii
care
nu
snt surmenai, vacana e o pacoste. Pentru
oamenii
surmenai i care-i pot permite o vacan,
aceasta
devine un ru necesar. O vacan nesfrit
e
o
definiie ct se poate de cuprinztoare a
iadului.
123
The secret of being miserable is to have

leisure to bother about whether you are
happy or not. The cure for it is occupation,
because occupation means preoccupation ;
and the preoccupied person is neither
happy nor unhappy, but simply alive and
active, which is pleasanter than any
happiness until you are tired of it. That is
why it is necessary to happiness that one
should be tired. Music after dinner is
pleasant : music before breakfast is so
unpleasant as to be clearly unnatural. To
people who are not overworked holy days
are a nuisance. To people who are, and who
can afford them, they are a troublesome
necessity. A perpetual holiday is a good
working definition of hell.
178 Nefericirea este o avertizare de a
merge
mai
departe, nu de a sta jos.
XJnhappiness is a teaming to move on.
not to sit down.
(C. L., p. 313)
124
179 Marile evenimente sentimentale

sint
ntotdeauna eecuri.
...great sentimental events always are
failures.
(J.E.O.I., p. 443)
180 Durerea cea mai intolerabil este
produs
prin
prelungirea celei mai intense plceri.
The most intolerable pain is produced by
prolonging the keenest pleasure.
(Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S.. p. 192)
III MORAVURI I INSTITUII SOCIALE
TRADIIE
181
Tradiia
include
toate
neajunsurile
ct
i
toate
lucrurile desvrite.
The
tradition
includes
all
the
shortco7nings as well as the excellencies.
(L. M , p. 202)
MORALITATE
182 Atac moralitatea curent ntruct
a
ajuns
s
nsemne un sistem de respectare strict a
125
unor
reguli
fixe de conduit. Astfel, un om moral" este
cel
care
respect cele zece porunci : iar un om
imoral"
este
cel care le ncalc. n rndui claselor
cugettoare
acest ru (cci aa l socotesc eu) este
intensificat
prin adugarea la ce ie zece porunci a unor
obligaii
sentimentale de a aciona n funcie de
standardele
ideale de eroism... n clipa n care ncepem
s
venerm aceste porunci i idealuri de dragul lor,
Ie
plasm de fapt n opoziie cu nsui scopul pe
care
au
fost menite s l serveasc, adic fericirea
uman.
1 attack the current morality because it has
come
to
mean a system of strict observance of
certain
fixed
rules of conduct. Thus, a moral" man is
one
icho
keeps the ten commandments ; and an
126
immoral"
man is one who breaks them. Among the
more
thoughtful classes this evil (for such I hold
it
to
be)
is
intensified
by
the addition to the ten
command-
54
MORAVURI I INSTITUII SOCIALE
127
ments of sentimental obligations to act up to ideal standards

of heroism... the moment ice begin to worship these
commandments and ideals for their own sakes, we actually
place them in opposition to the very purpose they vere
instituted to serve, i. e. human happiness.
(C. L., p. 277)
183 Moralitatea const n suspectarea altor oameni c nu snt

cstorii legal.
...morality consists in suspecting other people of not being
legally married.
(D. Dilemma)
134 Concluzia mea este c nu poi fi moral n mod empiric :

cutarea unor reguli de aur de comportare i a unor modaliti
rigide de a-i face datoria este la fel de iluzorie ca i cutarea pietrei
filozofale *. Trebuie ntotdeauna s acionm cu ntreaga responsabilitate pe care ne-o d contiina c dac moralitatea" noastr
provoac rul, nu mai poate fi scuzat de dragul ei. tot aa cum nu
poate fi scuzat imoralitatea".
My conclusion is that you cannot be moral by rule of thumb,
that the search for golden rules of conduct and fi xed modes
of duty is as chimerical as the search fot the philosopher's
stone, and that we must ahvays act under the full
responsibility put upon us by the knowledge that if our
morality" causes evil,
* O piatr imaginar, cutat de alchimitii antici, care credeau c,
dac o vor gsi, vor putea transforma n aur orice alte metale sau vor
obine elixirul vieii.
it is 'no more to be excused for its own

sake than ,,immorality".
(C. L., p. 278)
EGALITATE
185 Egalitatea este fundamental n
toate
compartimentele organizrii sociale.
Equality is fundamental
in every
department of
social organization.
54
128
186 Ei bine, majoritatea legilor snt i

toate
legile
ar trebui s fie mai tari dect cel mai
puternic
individ.
Noio most laws are, and all laws ought to
be,
stronger than the stronges individual.
SOCIALITI
187 Muli oameni snt socialiti fr
s
o
tie.
...many people are socialists
without
knowing it...
(C. L., p. 576)
REVOLUIONAR
188 O persoan sub treizeci de ani
care
nu
este
un revoluionar, dei cunoate ordinea
social
existent, este un om inferior.
Any person under the age of thirty, xoho,
having any knowledge of the existing social
order, is not a revolutionist, is an inferior.
129
NCHISOARE
194 Caia este nchisoarea fetei i locul de trud al femeii.

Home is the girl's -prison and the woman's workhouse.
(Man and Superman, n
C.P.B.S., p. 193)
POLITICA
195 Amintete-i :
este
o
politic
neleapt
s
construieti un pod de
argint
pentru
un
duman care fuge.
Remember : it is a
good policy to build a
bridge of silver for a
flying foe.
(S. C, p. 1248)
189 Un revoluionar este acela care

dorete
s
nlture ordinea social existent i s
ncerce
s
construiasc una nou.
A revolutionist is one who desires to
discard the existing social order and try
another.
JUSTIIE INJUSTIIE
190 Justiia rmne justiie chiar dac
este
ntot-
130
deauna ntrziat i chiar dac este in final

iacuia
din greeal.
Justice is none the less justice though it
is always delayed, and finally done by
mistake.
(T.T.B.G., p. 1163)
191 Dac cea mai nalt curte nu
poate
fi
pus
n
micare de cel mai umil individ, justiia este
o
batjocur.
Unless the highest court can be set in
motion by the humblest individual justice is
a mockery.
(G., p. 1302)
192 Este de datoria unui judector s
aib
grij
ca s nu existe nici un ru fr remediu.
It is the business of a judge to see that
there is no wrong without a remedy.
(G., p. 1303)
193 Milioanele snt prin ele nsele
nedrepte.
...millions are in themselves an injustice.
(M.. p. 1280)
131
cept for the blood ; a mud bath for every

soul concerned in it.
(B. M., p. 875)
199 Fac distincie ntre ndemnarea
tehnic
a
gmditorului i tacticianului care d maselor
o
politic
i calitile maselor care le determin s
doreasc
o
linie politic.
...I distinguish between the technical skill
of the thinker and tactician who provides
the masses with a policy, and the qualities
in the masses which lead them to want a
policy.
(C. L., p. 389)
200 Nici un ordin nu este lipsit de
raiune
i
toate
ordinele snt lipsite de popularitate.
No order is unreasonable ; and all orders
are unpopular.
(P. C, p. 1092)
ARGUMENTE
132
201 Exist discuii n care vtraiul

este
singurul
argument posibil.
...there are discussions in which the
poker is the only possible argument.
(G. M.. p. 581)
PARAZITISM
202 n zilele noastre un gentleman
este
un
om
care
are destui bani pentru a face ceea ce ar
face
orice
prost dac i-ar putea permite ; cu alte
cuvinte s consume fr s produc.
A gentleman oj our days is one who has
money enough to do what every fool would
do if he could afford it : that is, consume
without producing.
203
Adevratul
diagnostic
al
nobilimii moderne
o parazitismul.
The true diagnostic of modern gentility is
parasitism.
133
204
Omul este singurul animal care

se
consider
bogat n proporie cu numrul i voracitatea
paraziilor si.
Man is the only animal ivhich esteems
itself rich in proportion to the number and
voracity of its parasites. \
J (Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S., p. 191)
205
Impozitele
snt
ocupaia
principal
a
unui
cuceritor al lumii.
...taxes are the chief business of a
conqueror of the world.
(C & c., p. 264) COMITET CLICA
206 Exist doar un singur comitet
care
este
mai
bun dect un comitet din doi ; acesta este
un
comitet
clin unu.
There is only one sort of committee that
is better
IIIIIIIMIMIIIMIIIIIMMIMIIIIHIHI
60
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
than s committee of two : and that is a

committee of one.
(A. C, p. 1025)
207 Clicile cele mai rele snt formate
dintr-un
singur om.
...the worst cliques are those which
consist of one man.
(B. M., p. 947) ORGANIZAII RELIGIOASE
208 Toate organizaiile religioase
triesc
vnzndu-se bogailor.
All religious organizations exist by selling
themselves to the rich.
(M. B p. 480)
CIVILIZAIE
209 Civilizaia este o boal produs de
obinuina de a construi societile dintr-un
material putred. Civilization is a disease
produced by the practice of building
societies with rotten material.
(Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S., pp. 193
194)
SUPERIORI I INFERIORI
210 Dac doi oameni clresc acelai
cal, unul trebuie s clreasc n spatele
celuilalt.
7/ tivo men ride the same horse, one
must ride behind.
(A. C, p. 1024)
211 Att stpnii ct i servitorii snt
tirani,
dar
stpnii depind cel ma mult de ceilali.
Masters and servants are both tyrannical
; but masters are the more dependent of
the two.
212 Cnd stpnul ajunge s fac
totul
prin
sclavul su, sclavul devine stpnul su, acesta
nemaiputnd tri fr el.
...when the master has come to do
everything through the slave, the slave
becomes his master, since he cannot live
without him.
(B. M., p. 958)
PROFESIUNI I TITLURI
213
Toate
profesiunile
snt
conspiraii
mpotriva
nespecialitilor.
All professions are conspiracies against
the laity. (D. Dilemma, p. 515)
214 Oamenii mari refuz titlurile cci
snt
geloi
pe ele.
Great men refuse titles because they are
jealous of them.
215 Titlurile l disting pe omul
mediocru,
l
jeneaz pe cel superior i snt repudiate de
cel inferior.
139
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
63
Titles
distinguish
the
mediocre,
embarrass the superior, and are disgraced
by the inferior.
(Man and Superman. n C.P.B.S., p. 190)
INTENII BUNE
216 Iadul este pavat cu intenii bune,
nu
cu
intenii rele.
Hell is paved with good intentions, noi
with bad ones.
217 Toi oamenii au intenii bune.
All men mean well.
SACRIFICIU
218 Dac ncepi prin a te sacrifica
pentru
acei
pe
care i iubeti, vei sfri urndu-i pe aceia
pentru
care
te-ai sacrificat.
If you begin by sacrificing yourself to
those you love, you will end by hating those
to whom you haoe sacrificed yourself.
140
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
63
219 Sacrificiul de sine ne permite s-i

sacrificm
pe alii fr s roim.
Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice
other people without blushing.
(Man and Superman. n C.P.B.S.. p. 195)
220 Idealurile noastre, ca i zeii din
vechime,
cer
mereu sacrificii umane.
Our ideals, like the gods of old, are
constantly demanding human sacrifices.
(Q. I., p. 130)
221 Martirajul este singurul mod prin
care un om
poate deveni faimos fr a avea talent.
Martyrdom... is the only way in which a
man can
become famous ivithout ability.
CD. D., p. 240)
EXTREMISM I FAIR PLAY
222 Nici un om nu ndrznete s
exprime
att
de
mult din ceea ce gndete nct s-i apar
siei
un
extremist.
141
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
63
No man dares say so much of ivhat he

thinks as to appear to himself an extremist.
p.23 Orice prost poate spnzura cel mai
nelept om din ar.
Any fool can hang the wisest man in the
country. (S.B.P., p. 591)
224 Dragostea pentru fair play este
calitatea
spectatorului, nu a protagonistului.
The love of fairplay is the spectator's
virtue, not the principal's.
225 Aici nu exist nici un fair play
pentru
tine
sau pentru oricine altcineva. Cine dorete
fair
play
?
Londra este o fortrea n care oricine, ca
strin,
trebuie s-i fac o sprtur pentru a intra.
Apoi intr cu sabia n mn. Succesele,
realizrile, mplinirile nseamn moarte. Din
fericire ei lupt mpotriva ta din spatele
baricadelor pe fiecare strad dac ai
drmat zidul, aa c ntotdeauna exist un
obstacol i, prin urmare, ntotdeauna exist
142
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
63
un scop n via. No fair play here for you or

anyone else. Who wants fair play ? London
is a fortress in which every man must, as an
outsider, batter a breach for himself. Then
in, sword in hand. Success, achievement,
fruition, is death. Fortunately, they fight
you, from behind barricades in every street
when you have carried the wall ; so there is
always an obstacle, and, consequently, an
object in life.
(C. L p. SC8)
226 In ceea ce m privete promit c
nu
m
voi
certa. Voi lupta dac va fi nevoie ; dar
acesta
este
un
lucru cu totul diferit : nu face snge ru l
purific
de fapt.
As for me I promise not to quarrell : I'll
fight il 1 have to ; but that is quite a
different thing : it makes no bad blood
clears it amay, in fact.
(C. L., p. 748)
BUNELE MANIERE
143
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
63
227
Pstrarea
distanelor
este
ntregul
secret
al
bunelor maniere ; fr bunele maniere
societatea
omeneasc este intolerabil i imposibil.
Keeping our distance
is
the whole
secret of good manners : and without good
manners human society is intolerable and
impossible.
(A. C, p. 1033)
RESPECT RESPECTABILITATE
228 Oamenii care se respect unii pe
alii
stabilesc
ntotdeauna acorduri stricte i corecte,
rezervndu-i
drepturile unul de dragul altuia ca i pentru
sine.
People ivho respect each other always
make
strict
and fair agreements, reserving their rights,
each
for
the other's sake as well as for his own.
(C. L., p. 643)
229 Adresa nu este o garanie a
respectabilitii.
144
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
...the address is
respectability.
(F.F.P., p. 659)
not
guarantee
63
of
CINSTE
230
Nu
exist
brbai
perfect
onorabili
;
dar
fiecare brbat adevrat are o trstur de
onoare
principal i cteva mai puin nsemnate.
There are no perfectly honorable men ;
but every true man has one main point of
honor and a few minor ones.
(Man and Superman, n C.P.B.S.. p. 190)
231 Cinstea este invers proporional
cu
tentaia.
...honesty varies inversely with temptation.
(O.T.N., I., p. 245)
66
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
67
EGOISM
232 Nimic nu-1 face pe om mai egoist
ca
munca.
...nothing makes a man so selfish as work.
(C.B.C., p. 329)
ECONOMIE I RISIPA
233 Economia este arta de a obine
maximum
din
via.
Economy is the art of making the most of
life.
234 Nu este o economie adevrat s
cumperi
articolele cele mai ieftine.
...it is not true economy to buy the
lowest priced article.
(G. M p. 575)
66
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
67
235 De ce s fii lacom ? Ce ar valora

momentele
de aur dac s-ar repeta mereu ?
Why be greedy ? What would the golden
moments be worth if they came always ?
(C. L., p. 659)
236 Cel ce d bani pe care nu i-a
ctigat
prin
munca sa este generos cu munca altora.
He who gives money he has not earned is
generous with other people's labor.
COMPARAIE
237 Compasiunea este sentimentul
de
simpatie
al
celor lipsii de nelepciune.
Compassion is the fellow-feeling of the
unsound.
238 Nici o virtute sau nici un viciu
concret
al
unui om nu implic existena vreunei alte
virtui
sau
vreunui alt viciu specific la el, orict de
66
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
67
strns
le-ar
putea asocia imaginaia.
No specific virtue or vice in a man implies
the existence of any other specific virtue or
vice
in
him,
however
closely
the
imagination may associate them.
OBLIGAIE I PLCERE
;|39 O persoan care propune sau
accept un contract nu doar pentru a face
ceva ci pentru a-i place s fac acel lucru,
ar fi calificat drept nebun. A person
proposing or accepting a contract not only
to do something but to like doing it would
be certified as mad.
240 Oamenii nu-i iau n serios
afacerile i politica, dar ei niciodat nu se
joac cu distraciile lor. Men trifle ivith their
business and their politics ; but they never
trifle with their games.
(R., p. 1196)
8{) GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

DENATURARE
241 Diavolul l poate cita pe
Shakespeare
pentru
a-i atinge propriile sale scopuri.
...the devil can quote Shakespere for his
own purpose.
(C. L., p. 622)
242
Pedeapsa mincinosului const nu

n
faptul
c
nu este crezut, ci n faptul c el nu poate
crede
pe
nimeni.
...the liars punishment is, not in the least
that he is not believed, but that he cannot
believe anyone else... (Q. I., P. 2)
243 Oamenii de rnd nu se roag ; ei
doar
ceresc.
Common people do not pray... they only
beg.
MODESTIE
244 Oh, dac oamenii ar fi destul de
modeti
s
cread n ei nii !
Oh, if people only loould be modest

enough to believe in themselves !
(C. L., p. 656) INFLUENA I DOCILITATE
245 Nu este dificil s orientezi ideile
oamenilor
atunci cnd i-ai convins o dat c le doreti
binele.
Ei
snt foarte bucuroi s scape ele grija de a o
face
ei
nii, la care se adaug plcerea de a fi
admirai,
ndrgii, ajutai .a.m.d.
li is not difficult to arrange people's ideas
when they are once convinced that you
wish them well. They are only too glad to
be saved the trouble of doing it for
themselves, with the additional luxury of
being admired and helped and the rest of
it. (C. L.. p. 606)
246
Docilitatea poate supravieui ca

o
deprindere
de lenevie, mult timp dup ce a ncetat s
fie
un
instinct folositor.
Docility may survive as a lazy habit long
after it has ceased to be a beneficial
instinct.

247 4 Supunerea nseamn scutirea
de
oboseala
intolerabil a gndirii.
Obedience
is
freedom
from
the
intolerable fatigue of thought.
(S.U.I., p. 1239)
243 Nu asculta de sfatul nimnui.
Never take anybody's advice.
(C. L., p. 456)
RlS
249 Nu ine de simul realitii s rzi
de propriile tale prejudeci, dar ine de el
s te simi insultat cnd altcineva le
ridiculizeaz.
It is not common sense to laugh at your
own prejudices : it is common senze to feel
insulted when anyone else laughs at them.
(O.T.N., III, p. 86)
70
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
250 Rsul fr compasiune este un

abuz distrugtor al unei funcii nobile ;
descompunerea
unui
neam
poate
fi
msurat prin gradul cu care se las prad
lui.
To laugh without sympathy is a ruinous
abuse of a noble function ; and the
degradation of any race may be measured
by the degree of their addiction to it. '
(O.T.N.. II, p. 118)
TV EDUCAIE i ETICA
PROGRES I DECADENA
251
O epoc este
doar
o
oscilaie
a
pendulei
;
fiecare generaie crede c lumea progreseaz
pentru
c
este ntotdeauna n micare.
An epoch is but a sicing of the pendulum
; and each generation thinks the ivorld is
progressing because it is always moving.
(M. & S., p. 387)
252
Orice
progres
nseamn
rzboi
cu
Societatea.
AU progress means tvar with Society.
(G. M., p. 559)
253
Decadena
i
poate
gsi
adepi
doar
atunci
cnd poart masca progresului.
Decadence can find agents only when it
wears the mask of progress.
254
ritmul
propriu
Moda se schimb
manierele,
rele
mai
repede
Orice i are
de
schimbare.
mai repede dect
maniedect
moravurile,
moravurile
mai
repede dect pasiunile i, n general, viaa
intelectual,
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
73
raional, lucid, mai repede dect cea

afectiv, intenional, instinctiv.
Everything has its own rate of change.
Fashions
change
more
quickly
than
manners, manners more quickly, than
morals, morals more quickly than passions,
and, in general, the conscious, reasonable,
intellectual life more quickly than the
instinctive, wilful, affectionate one.
(O.T.N.. I, 167)
255 Dezvoltarea trebuie s vin
dinspre centru, nu
dinspre periferie.
Development must come from the centre,
not from 1 the periphery.
(T.T.B.S., p. 59) CALITATE PERFECIUNE
256 La urma urmei, problema este
una
de
calitate
i numai de calitate, chiar dac un
eveniment
sau
altul
pare pentru moment s contrazic acest
lucru.
In the long run the question is one of
quality and quality alone, hovjever this or
that event may seem for the moment to
contradict this.
157*
(C. L., p. 639)

257 Pot spune c mintea mea este
astfel
alctuit
c dac a putea concepe un zeu crend n
mod
deliberat ceva ce este mai puin dect el nsui,
l-a
clasifica drept o canalie. Dac a fi pur i simplu
satisfcut
de el nsui, l-a clasifica drept un mscrici
lene.
Zeul meu trebuie s lupte permanent
pentru a se auto-depi.
...may I say that my mind is so
constituted that if I could conceive a god.
as deliberately creating something less
than himself, I should class him as a cad. If
he were simply satisfied with himself, I
should class him as a lazy coxcomb. My god
must continually strive to surpass himself.
(S. R., p. 59)
258 Nu i pot spune la ce m pricep
cel
mai
bine
;
cci cel mai bine este un grad pe care nu lam
atins
ncfi.
158*
I cannot tell you zvhat I am best at ; for

best is a rank that I have not yet attained.
(C. L., p. 060)
259
Urmeaz-i metoda in mod logic

i
pn
la
capt. Vei descoperi c eti un artificier n
politic
i
un vivisector n tiin.
Follow your system logically to the end ;
and you will find yourself a dynamiter in
politics, and a vivisector in science...
(C. L., p. 268)
260 Cel care urc scrile nu le ia cu
el,
chiar
dac
viseaz pentru moment c fiecare treapt
pe
care
o
urc este o scndur pe care va pluti spre sf
ritul
cltoriei sale.
...he who mounts does not take the stairs
with him, even though he may dream for
the moment that each
J Aforisme, paradoxuri, cugetri
159*
74 GEORGE BERNARD
EDUCAIE I ETICA
75
SHAW
stair, as he touches it, is a plank on which

he will float to the end of his journey.
(C. L., p. 625)
COPII I PRINI
261
Ce
este
un
copil
?
Un
experiment.
Este
o
nou
ncercare de a perfeciona omul cinstit ;
adic,
de
a
face pe om divinitate.
What is a child ? An experiment. A fresh
attempt to produce the just man made
perfect : that is, to make humanity divine.
262 Copilul creeaz brbatul. Da ?
Atunci
n
numele
bunului
sim,
de
ce
tratm
ntotdeauna
copiii
pe
baza
supoziiei
c
brbatul
e
tatl
copilului
?
O,
taii
tia !
160*
The child is father to the man. 7s he ?

Then in the name of common sense, why do
we always treat children on the assumption
that the man is father to the child ? Oh,
these fathers !
'263 Copilul nu are nici o aprare n
nici un caz dect buntatea i contiina
adultului ; iar adultul n-ar trebui s uite
acest lucru cci atrage asupra lui o grea
rzbunare.
The child has no defence in any case
except the kind-iess and conscience of the
adult; and the adult had better not forget
this, for it involves a heavy responsibility.
264 Prinii cu experien, cnd li se
cere s acorde copiilor drepturile cuvenite,
ntreab n mod foarte firesc dac copiilor li
se poate permite s fac ceea ce le place s
fac. Cel mai bun rspuns e ntrebarea dac
adulii au voie s fac ceea ce le place. Cele
dou cazuri snt similare. Adultul necioplit
nu are voie s fac ceea ce-i place ; tot
astfel copilul necioplit. Nu exist nici o
deosebire, n principiu, ntre drepturile unui
161*
copil i cele ale unui adult ; diferena n

cazul lor e una de circumstan.
Experienced parents, when children's
rights are \yrcached to them, very naturally
ask whether children are to be allowed to
do ivhat they like. The best reply is to ask
ivhother adults are to be allowed to do
what they like. The two cases are the same.
The adult who is nasty is not allowed to do
what he likes : neither can the child ivho
likes to be nasty. There is no difference in
principle between the rights of a child'and
those of an adult : the difference in their
cases is one of circumstance.
265 Este extrem de iritant pentru un
printe
ca
propriul su copil s i se adreseze cu un aer
de
superioritate.
It is extremely irritating to a parent to be
spoken to by a child in a superior manner...
(S. L., p. 127)
EDUCAIA COPILULUI
162*
266 Copiii cei mai bine crescui snt

aceia
care
^
i-au vzut prinii aa cum snt. Ipocrizia
nu este
163*
76GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
77
prima ndatorire a prinilor.

The best brought-up children are those
who have seen their parents as they are.
Hypocrisy is not the parent's first duty.
267 Simpla contemplare i privire la
lucruri
este
o parte important a educaiei unui copil :
de
aceea
copiii pot fi cu desvrire mobilizai fr s
se
transforme n vagabonzi. Un vagabond nu se afl
nicieri
n elementul su pentru c hoinrete : un
copil
ar
trebui s hoinreasc pentru c ar trebui s
se
afle
n elementul su pretutindeni.
Mere wondering and staring at things is
an important part of a child's education :
that is why children can be thoroughly
mobilized without making vagabonds of
them. A vagabond is at home nowhere
because he wanders : a child should wander
because
it
ought
to
be
at
home
everywhere.
165*

268 Greutatea provocat de copii
este
aceea
c
ci
au nevoie de aprare mpotriva riscurilor pe
care
sint
prea mici s le neleag i mpotriva
atacurilor
pc
care nu le pot evita i crora nu le pot nici
rezista.
Riscurile libertii trebuie s le ngduim
tuturor
;
dar riscurile ignoranei i neajutorrii snt
cu
totul
altceva. Nu numai copiii, ci i adulii trebuie
aprai
de ele.
The difficulty with children is that they
need protection from risks they are too
young to understand, and attacks they can
neither avoid nor resist... The risks of
liberty we must let everyone take ; but the
risks of ignorance and self-helplessness are
another matter. Not only children but adults
need protection from them.
269 Nu putem educa un copil cu
desvrire,
cci
166*
educaia se poate termina numai o dat cu

viaa
i
nici
atunci nu va fi desvrit.
...we cannot completely educate a child ;
for its education can end only with its life
and will not even then be complete.
(Parents and Children, n C.P.B.S., p. 66!
270 Cel mai important i simplu
adevr
economic
fundamental pe care trebuie s-1 impunem
copilului
n civilizaiile complicate n. care trim, este
adevrul
c oricine consum bunuri sau se bucur de
servicii
pe care nu le-a produs printr-un efort
personal
echivalent consumului, impune societii exact
acelai
neajuns pe care l produce un ho i pentru
care,
n
orice
stat cinstit, ar fi tratat drept ho indiferent
ci
bani,
fcui de alii, i-ar umple buzunarele.
The most important simple fundamental
economic truth to impress on a child in
167*
complicated civilizations like ours is the

truth that whoever consumes goods or
services without producing by personal effort the equivalent of what he or she
consumes, inflicts on the community
precisely the same injury that a thief
produces, and would, in any honest State,
be treated as a thief, however full his or her
pockets might be of money made by other
people.
168*
79
Ti!
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
271
Trebuie s considerm munca, nu

ca
un
blestem aa precum ne-o prezint colile,
nchisorile
i
uzinele noastre capitaliste care urmresc
profitul,
ci
ca o prim necesitate a unei existene
tolerabile.
...we must finally reckon work, not as the
curse
our
schools and prisons and capitalist profit
factories
make it seem today, but as a prime
necessity
of
a
tolerable existence.
272 Exist toate motivele ca miui
copil
s
nu
i
se
permit s munceasc pentru un profit
comercial
sau pentru ntreinerea prinilor si n
detrimentul
propriului su viitor ; dar nu exist nici o
raiune
ca
un copil s nu efectueze o munc oarecare
n
folosul
su propriu sau n folosul societii dac se
poate
dovedi c att copilul ct i societatea vor fi
beneficiari.
There is every reason why a child should
not be allowed to toork for commercial
profit or for the support of its parents at
the expense of its own future ; but there is
no reason whatever why a child should not
do some work for its ovjn sake and that of
the community if it can be shewn that both
it and the community will be the better for
it.
273 In viitor copiii i vor ctiga
ntr-un
grad
mai mare sau mai mic singuri existena
de
la
o
vrst fraged. Acest fapt nu va oca pe
nimeni
deoarece nu e vorba de munc grea n
fabrici
zece
ore pe zi, nici de a trudi de la ora 9 la 6 n
birouri
subterane ale centrului comercial londonez
la
lumina
lmpilor
de
gaz
metan.
Adolescenii de ambele sexe vor fi,
probabil, n stare s produc att ca s acopere cheltuielile de ntreinere ale unei
persoane costisitoare fr s munceasc
prea tare sau prea mult timp, avnd drept
recompens atta fericire de ct vor fi n
stare s se bucure.
The child of the future... will work more
or less for its living from an early age ; and
doing so it will not shock anyone, provided
there be no longer any . reason to associate
the conception of children ivork-\ing for
their living with infants toiling in a factory
for ten hours a day or boys drudging from
nine to six under gas lamps in
underground city offices. Lads and lasses
in their teens will probably be able to
produce as much as the most expensive
person now costs in his own person...
without working too hard or too long for
quite as much happiness as they can
enjoy.
274 Problema muncii copiilor, ns, nu
este o problem a ceea ce ar trebui s fac
copilul pentru societate. La ce grad trebuie
s se califice este o alt chestiune. Dar

dificultatea cea mai mare n a convinge
copiii s nvee ar disprea dac preteniile
noastre ar deveni nu numai clare dar i
finite. Cnd nvmntul este doar un motiv
pentru
ntemniare,
acesta
este
un
instrument de tortur care devine cu att
mai dureros cu ct progresul e mai mare...
Copilul are dreptul la finalitate n ceea ce
privete lec-
EDUCAIE I ETIC
80
EDUCAIE I ETICA
81
iile sale obligatorii. Tot aa cu privire la
pregtirea sa fizic.
The question of children's work, however,
is only a question of what the child ought to
do for the community. How highly it should
qualify itself is another matter. But most of
the difficulty of inducing children to learn
would disappear if our demands become
not only definite but finite. When learning
is only an excuse for imprisonment, it is an
instrument of torture which becomes more
painful the more progress is made... A child
has a right to finality as regards its
compulsory lessons. Also as regards
physical training.
(Parents and Children. n C.P.B.S.. pp. 65
66)
275 Trebuie s formm la copii un sim
al obligaiilor, s le inculcm idcea de a
plti societii pentru tot ceea ce consum
i de ceea ce se bucur. Aceasta s le fie o
EDUCAIE I ETIC
datorie de onoare. Dac am proceda astfel

iar numai o cras lips de corectitudine
ne mpiedic s-o facem nu ar mai exista
bogtai inactivi, probabil nici un fel de
bogta deoarece nu mai poate fi bogat cel
care pltete pe loc prin efort personal, aa
cum face clasa muncitoare. Deci. ar trebui
ca fiecare copil s efectueze o activitate
folositoare societii de cel puin o
jumtate de or pe zi. Munca productiv la
copii are avantajul unei discipline izvort
dintr-o necesitate impersonal i nu se
bazeaz pe vreun interes personal frivol.
Copiii din regiunile noastre industriale deabia ateapt s scape de coal i s intre
n uzin. Nu pentru c uzina le-ar oferi
sarcini mai uoare i ore mai puine, nici
pentru c ar ctiga bani, nici chiar pentru
c li s-ar oferi o activitate nou, ci pentru
c uzina le ofer o munc de demnitate de
care doar adulii se bucur.
...we must habituate children to a sense
of repayable obligation to the community
for what they consume and enjoy, and
inculcate the repayment as a point of
honor. If we did that today and nothing
but flat dishonesty prevents us from doing
it we should have no idle rich and indeed
EDUCAIE I ETIC
probably no rich, since there is no

distinction in being rich if you have to pay
scot and lot in personal effort like the
working folk. Therefore, if for only half an
hour a day, a child should do something
serviceable to the community.
Productive work for children has the
advantage that its discipline is the
discipline of impersonal necessity, not that
of xvanton personal coercion. The eagerness of children in our industrial
districts to escape from school to the
factory is not caused by lighter tasks or
shorter hours in the factory, nor altogether
by the temptation of ivages, nor even by
the desire for novelty, but by the dignity of
adult work.
(Parents and Children, in C.P.B.S.. p. 64)
\ UTOEDUCATIE
276 A nva s trieti e ca i cum ai
nva s patinezi : ncepi dndu-te n
spectacol
ntr-un
mod
ridicol.
Dar
patinatorii au trecut cu toii prin asta.
82
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Probabil aceasta face ngduina lor i

mai exasperant, cci presupune c ei cred
c eti exact ca i ei o insuportabil
umilire pentru oricine cu un destin de
stea...
Learning to live is like learning to skate :
you begin by making a ridiculous spectacle
of yourself. But the skaters have all been
through it. Perhaps that makes their
indulgence more exasperating, because it
implies that they think you are just like
them an intolerable disparagement to
anyone with a starry destiny...
(T.Y.A., p. 58)
EXAMENE
277 Examenele snt inutile : ele
probeaz
cunotinele, nu capacitatea. De fapt ele
acioneaz
mpotriva omului capabil care cunoate doar
subiectul
su i are propriul su punct de vedere
asupra
lui
i
favorizeaz
doar
pe
cel
care
memorizeaz,
care
poate
repeta
papagalicete
toate
manualele,
indiferent de subiect.
Examinations are useless : they test
knowledge, not capacity. In fact, they
operate against the capable man who has
only his own subject and takes his own view
of it, in favour of the mere memorizer who
can parrot all the text-books on all the
subjects.
(T.T.B.S., p. 24)
UNIVERSITI
278
Universiti
vor
exista
ntotdeauna
ca
o
comunitate de
persoane care doresc s-i
ridice niveIul cultural la cel mai nalt grad posibil,
nu ca studeni solitari care studiaz n
singurtate, ci ca membrii unui grup de
indivizi care cu toii snt preocupai de
cultur n sensul c o discut, o gndesc i,
mai ales, o critic.
Randamentul universitilor noastre ar
crete enorm dac am exclude din ele pe
acei care nu i-au c-tigat existena timp
de civa ani prin propria lor munc.
...The university will always exist in some
form as a community of persons desirous of
pushing their culture to the highest pitch

they are capable of, not as solitary students
reading in seclusion, but as members of a
body of individuals all pursuing culture,
talking culture, thinking culture, above all,
criticizing culture.
...if our universities would exclude
everybody who had not earned a living by
his or her own exertions for at least a
couple of years, their effect toould be
vastly improved.
(Parents and Children, n C.P.B.S., p. 64
65)
NEHOTARRE I VOCAIE
279 Toate felurile de complicaii din
cele mai lipsite de sens se pot nate din
faptul c sntem prea lenei i capricioi s
ne hotrm asupra a ceea ce vrem s facem.
...all manner of the most nonsensical
complications might arise from our being'
too lazy and petulant to make up our minds
as to what we mean to do. (C. L., p. 644)
84
85
280 Omul i gsete adevrata

vocaie
la
ora
ncercrii.
...it is in the hour of trial that a man finds
his true profession.
(D. D., p. 249)
281 Cel ce poate, face. Cel ce nu
poate,
l
nva
pe altul.
He ivho can, does. He who cannot,
teaches.
282 Ursc oamenii care nu se pot
hotr
:
prea
mi amintesc de mine.
I do hate people ivho cant make up their
minds : they remind me of myself.
(E.T.B.S.C., p. 29)
MODERAIE
283 Nu poi avea prea mult dintr-un
lucru
bun,
dar poi suporta greutile mult mai mult
timp
dect
ai putea suporta raiul. Dragostea este ca i
muzica.
Muzica este foarte frumoas, dar o femeie

care
cnt
la pian toat ziua este un blestem. O femeie
care
face dragoste cu tine toat ziua este mult
mai
rea
;
i totui nu este nimic mai plcut dect
dragostea,
pn la un punct.
...you can't have too much of a good
thing ; but you can bear hardship much
longer than you could bear heaven. Love is
like music. Music is very nice... but a
woman who plays the piano all day is a
curse. A woman who makes love to you all
day is much worse ; and yet nothing is
lovelier than love, up to a point.
(S.U.I., p. 1236)
284 Moderaia nu este niciodat
aplaudat de
dragul ei.
Moderation is never applauded for its
oivn sake.
285
Exist
ntotdeauna
motive
excelente
pentru
a nu aciona : numai c, dac motivele
predomin,
lucrurile rmn nefcute.
...there are always excellent reasons for
not doing things : only, if the reasons
prevail, the things are not done.
(C. L., p. 627)
286 Este la fel de neplcut s
primeti
mai
mult
dect te ateptai, ca i s primeti mai
puin.
It's just as unpleasant to get more than
you bargain for as to get less.
(G. M.. p. 552)
AUTORITATE
287 Autoritatea este un fel de geniu ;
sau
o
ai,
sau
nu o ai.
Authority is a sort of genius ; either you
have it or you have not.
(G., p. 1324)
288 Orice aciune concertat implic
subordonare
i numirea unor coordonatori la al cror
semnal
ceilali s acioneze. Nu este necesar pentru ei
s fie superiori celorlali, tot aa cum nu
este necesar ca o cheie de bolt a unui arc
s fie fcut dintr-o piatr mai taro ca

bolta.
All
concerted
action
involves
subordination and the appointment of
directors at whose signal the others will
act. There is no more need for them to be
superior to the rest than for the keystone
of an arch to be of harder stone than the
coping.
GUVERNARE
289 Oamenii nu sint condui de
justiie,
ci
de
lege sau de puterea de convingere.
Men are not governed by justice, but by
law or persuation.
290 Cel care confund libertatea
politic
cu
libertatea,
iar
egalitatea
politic
cu
asemnarea
nu
s-a gndit niciodat timp de cinci minute la
vreuna
din ele.
He who confuses political liberty with
freedom, and
political equality with similarity has

never thought
for five minutes about either.
(Man and Superman. n C.P.B.S., pp. 188
139)
RESPONSABILITATE I INDIFERENA
291
Libertatea
nseamn
responsabilitate.
De
aceea majoritii oamenilor le este team
de ea.
Liberty means responsibility. That's why
most men dread it.
292 Cnd oamenii nu se mai tem de
judecata
lui
Dumnezeu, ei trebuie s nvee s se judece
singuri.
When men no longer fear the judgment of
God,
they must learn to judge themselves.
(S.U.I., p. 1245)
293 Contiina c trim n public, c
nu
mai
exist
locuri secrete unde pot fi fcute lucrurile
rele
i
puse
la cale conspiraiile ticloase, poate aduce
o
mare
mbuntire a moravurilor.
The knowledge that we all live in public,
and that there are no longer any secret
places where evil things can be done and
wicked
conspiracies
discussed,
may
produce a great improvement in morals.
(G., p. 1317)
294 Nu-mi poi mpri contiina
ntr-un
departament al rzboiului i un departament al
pcii.
You cannot divide my conscience into a
war department and a peace department.
(T.T.B.G., p. 1159)
295 Cel mai mare pcat fa de
semenii
notri
nu este acela de a-i ur, ci de a fi indiferent
fa
de
ei : aceasta este esena lipsei deomenie.
The worst sin toivards our felloiv
creatures is not to hate them, but to be
indifferent to them ; that's the
essence of inhumanity.
88
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
187
EDUCAIE I ETICA
__________
CALITATE
OMENEASCA
296
Nu avem nevoie de oameni buni

i
oameni
ri, aa cum nu avem nevoie nici de uriai i
pitici.
Ceea ce ne trebuie este o nalt calitate de
oameni
normali, adic oameni care pot fi mult mai
buni
dect ceea ce numim azi un om responsabil,
fr
sacrificiul de sine. Buntatea contient, ca i
efortul
muscular contient, poate fi folositoare n
cazuri
de
urgen ; dar pentru necesiti cotidiene ea
este
neglijabil ; iar efectul ei asupra caracterului
individului ar fi dezastruos.
We do not want good men and bad men
any more than we want giants and dwarfs.
What we do want is a high quality of our
normal : that is, people who can be much
better than what ice now call respectable
188
EDUCAIE I ETICA
__________
without self-sacrifice. Conscious goodness,

like conscious muscular effort, may be of
use in emergencies ; but for everyday
national use it is negligible ; and its effect
on the character of the individual may
easily be disastrous.
(Getting Married, in C.P.B.S., p. 11)
297 In vechime, sfinii i stareele

spuneau
:
Ateapt pn vom muri ; atunci ne vom
intilni
n
c r.-uri". Stupid din partea lor. atunci cnd e
a
tit
de
simplu s devii un nger pe pmint.
In the old days, saints and abbesses used
to say : Wait until we die ; we shail meet in
heaven." Stupid of them, when it is so
simple to become an angel on earth.
(C. L., pp. 591592)
BUNTATE
298 Buntatea nu nseamn fericire.
Goodness is not happiness.
(G. c, p. 805)
299 Ceea ce se cheam buntate
trebuie
inut
n
triu tot aa de atent ca i ceea ce se
189
EDUCAIE I ETICA
__________
cheam
rutate,
cci constituia uman nu va rbda foarte
mult
nici
una nici cealalt fr serioase consecine
psihologice negative.
What people call goodness has to be kept
in check just as carefully as what they call
badness : for the human constitution will
not stand very much of cither without
serious psychological mischief...
(Getting Married, in C.P.B.S., p. 10)
VIRTUTE
tWO Virtutea const nu n abinerea de
la viciu, ci n nervnirea lui.
Virtue consists, not in abstaining from
vice, but in not desiring it.
(Man and Superman, in C.P.B.S., p. 1!)1)
301 Virtutea, care este sfidtoare i
plin de dispre fa de morala chiar atunci
cnd nu este n conflict real cu ea, este fora
motrice a dramei. ...virtue, which is defiant
and contemptuous of morality even when It
has no practical quarrel with it, is the
lifeblood of high drama.
(T.T.B.S., p. 56)
190
EDUCAIE I -ETICA
Bl
90
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
302 Trebuie s cultivm virtuile

nobile
care-i
au rdcina n mndrie.
We must cultivate the noble virtues that
have their root in pride.
303 Renunarea nu este o virtute ;
este
doar
efectul prudenei asupra ticloiei.
Self-denial is not a virtue ; it is only the
effect of prudence on rascality.
ONOARE
304 Nu poi crede n onoare pn cnd
nu
ai
dobndit-o. Cel mai bun lucru este s te menii
curat
i strlucitor : tu eti fereastra prin care
trebuie
s
vezi lumea.
You cannot believe in honor until you
have achieved it. Better keep yourself clean
and bright; you are the window through
which you must see the world.

DATORIE
305 Cnd un prost face ceva de care i
este
ruine,
el declar ntotdeauna c i face datoria.
...when a stupid man is doing something
he is ashamed of, he always declares that
it is his duty. (C. & C, p. 275)
URA
306 Ura este rzbunarea laului
pentru c este
intimidai.
Hatred is the coward's revenge for
being intimidated.
(M. B., p. 74) SUBIECTIVITATE
307 Nu tiu dac eti una din mamele
care
cred
c fiii lor pot face totul, sau una din cele
care
cred
c fiii lor nu pot face nimic.
I do not know whether you are one of the
mothers icho believe that their sons can do
everything, or one of those who believe
their sons can do nothing.. (C. L., p. 671)
SELECIE
308 Mnia este un ru sfetnic :

alung
mnia.
Mila este cteodat i mai rea : alung mila.
Dar
nu
alunga clemena.
Anger is a bad counsellor : cast out
anger. Pity is sometimes worse : cast out
pity. But do not cast out mercy.
(St. J., p. 994) .
SECRETE
309 Nu exist secrete mai bine
pstrate dect secretele pe care le ghicete
toat lumea.
92 GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
EDUCAIE I ETICA
93
There are no secrets better kept than the
secrets everybody guesses.
(Mrs W. P.. p. 89)
310 Nu exist secrete n afara celora
care
se
pstreaz singure.
There are no secrets except the secrets
that keep themselves.
(B. M., p. 908)

TRATAMENT
311 Dei tratarea oamenilor ca fiine
umane
ar
putea s nu produc ntotdeauna rezultatul
pe
care
interesele egoiste l fac pe cel n cauz s le
atepte,
nu exist un alt mod posibil de a-i trata.
...although treating people like human
beings
may
not always produce the result ivhich the
selfish
interests of the operator lead him to
expect,
there
is no other possible way of treating them.
(C. L p. 605)
OPRIMAREA VOINEI
312 Nu exist un tablou mai tragic
sau
o
suferin mai nimicitoare dect aceea de a
vedea
oprimarea fr contiin a voinei.
...there
is
nothing
so
tragic
to
contemplate or so devastating to suffer as
the oppression of will without conscience.
GENTLEMAN
313 Astzi, dac cineva m-ar ntreba
despre o persoan : Este un gentleman ?",
a rspunde : O, da, e un actor" i asta ar
rezolva problema imediat. Noioadays, if
anybody asks me of a person, Is he a
gentleman ?" I should say, Oh, yes, he is
an actor,'' and that would settle the matter
at once. (S. T., p. 191)
95
V ARTA
ARTIST
314 Cel ce spune artist, spune
spadasin.
Who says artist, says duellist.
(C. & C, p. 275)

ARTA
315 Arta este unic i indivizibil.
...art is one and indivisible.
(E.T.B.S.C., p. 75)
316 Noi spunem c Timpul nseamn
Bani.
nseamn civilizaie, art, literatur, rgaz,
plcere
:
pe
scurt, o via mai bogat.
We say that Time is Money. It is
civilization, art, literature, leisure, pleasure
: in short, life more abundant.
(C. L., p. 155)
317 Arta este oglinda magic pe care o
creezi pentru a reflecta visele tale invizibile
n imagini vizibile. Pentru a-i vedea faa
foloseti o oglind de sticl : foloseti
operele de art pentru a-i vedea sufletul.
...art is the magic mirror you make to
reflect your irisible dreams in visible
pictures. You use a glass mirror to see your
face : you use works of art to see ijour soul.
(B. M., p. 957)
318 Artele frumoase snt singurul

dascl
cu
excepia torturii.
...fine art is the only teacher except
torture.
319 Dificultatea const n faptul c
arta,
care
singur ne poate educa n spiritul graiei
trupului
i
sufletului i care singur poate face istoria
s
triasc din nou pentru noi, sau sperana
viitorului
s
.strluceasc pentru noi, care singur poate
da
delicatee i spirit nobil poftelor noastre
brutale,
care
este vehiculul statornicit al inspiraiei, in
realitate
este nfierat i socotit ca imoral pentru
noi
cci,
oriunde se nal, apare rezistena fa de
tiranie,
se rup lanurile i se simte suflul libertii.
The difficulty is that... art, which alone

can educate us in the grace of body and
soul, and which alone can make the history
of the past live for us or the hope of the
future shine for us, which alone can give
delicacy and nobility to our crude lusts,
ivhich
is
the
appointed
vehicle
of
inspiration... is actually branded as sinful
among us because, whenever it arises,
there is resistance to tyranny, breaking of
fetters, and the breath of freedom.
(Parents'and Children, in C.P.B.S.. p. 95)
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
96
ART A
97
320 Producem ceea ce vedem. S nu

ndrzneasc
nici un om s creeze in art un lucru care nu
ar
vrea
s existe n via.
We produce what we see. Let no man
dare to create in art a thing that he would
not have exist in life. (B. ML, p. 959)
321 Cele mai mari lucruri n art nu
pot
fi
niciodat dep site.
The greatest things in art can never be
surpassed. (B.M., p. 947)
322 Arta este o iluzie.
Art is an illusion.
(B. M., p. 959)
323 Oricine poate fi tragic, dac are
acest
lucru
nnscut ; dar ca fiecare micare s fie
frumoas
i
plin de for, s fie plcut ochiului i
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
urechii,
aceasta numesc eu art.
Anybody can be tragic if they are born so
; but that every stroke shall be beautiful as
well as powerful, beautiful to the eye and
ear ; that is what I call art. (C. L.. p. 338)
324 Arta, ca i viaa, ti'ebuie s se
rennoiasc
intorcindu-se mereu la copilria sa i
ngropndu-i
morii.
Art, like life, has to renew itself by
returning repeatedly to its childhood and
burying its dead. (T.T.B.S., p. 35)
325 Natura artistic detest vidul.
Artistic nature abhors a vacuum.
(T.T.B.S., p. 110)
326 In art, ca n politic, nu exist
recunotin.
...in art, as in politics, there is no such a
thing
as
gratitude.
(O.T.N., I, p. 277)
327 Nu se poate combina goana
dup
bani
cu
cutarea artistic.
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
You cannot combine the prusuii of money

with the pursuit of art.
(T.T.B.S., p. 56)
328 Cnd un lucru este amuzant,
caut-i
un
adevr ascuns.
When a thing is funny, search it for a
hidden truth. (B.M., p. 956)
329 Consider simul artistic ca fiind
adevrata
baz a corectitudinii morale.
...I believe the artistic sense to be the
true basis of moral rectitude...
(C. L., p. 260)
CREAIE I IMITAIE
330 Imaginaia este nceputul creaiei.
...imagination is the beginning of creation.
(B.M., p. 858)
98
ARTA
99
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
331 Nu poi crea nimic altceva dect

pe
tine
nsui.
...you can create nothing but yourself.
(B. M., p. 957)
332 Toi ncepem ca dubluri i
sfrim,
probabil,
ca mari actori.
We all begin as understudies, and end,
perhaps, as great actors.
(G, p. 1322)
333
Orice virtuozitate pe
care
am
putea-c
dobndi provine de cele mai multe ori din
imiiardu
unor artiti nnscui. \
Any virtuosity tve happen to get comes
by imitation of born artists.
(O.T.N., II, p. 39)
MREIE
334 Mreia unui poet este mreia
celui mai mare
moment al su.
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
...the greatness of a poet is the

greatness of his greatest moment.
335 Mreia unui dramaturg nu este
o dimensiune
spaial, ci o dimensiune temporal.
The greatness of a dramatist is not a
space dimension but a time dimension.
(T.T.B.S., pp. 8182)
MIESTRIE
336 Nici un scriitor nu-i folosete
miestria
pentru a-i ascunde sensul.
No writer uses his skill to conceal his
meaning.
(Q. I., p. 122)
337 Miestria cu care cineva face un
lucru
pe
care 1-a fcut n fiecare zi timp de douzeci
de
ani
nu este o iluzie.
The skill with which a man does that
which he has done every day for twenty
years is no illusion.
(O.T.N., II, p. 126)
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
333 Tinerii nu-i dau seama de cit

munc este nevoie pentru a produce un
efect ct de mic. Young people don't realize
what a tremendous deal of work it takes to
make a very small effect. (C. L., p. 786)
339 Piesa n care dramaturgul atinge
punctul
su
cel mai nalt reprezint cu adevrat ultima
sa
pies,
chiar dac ar mai scrie altele, ulterioare din
punct
de vedere calendaristic.
...the play in which the playwight reaches
his farthest point is really his last play,
even though he may write others that are
later in the calendar.
(T.T.B.S., p. 83)
CAPODOPERE
340 Nu pot repeta o capodoper.
...It cannot repeat a masterpiece....
(C. L., p. 642)
100 GEORGE BERNARD
ART
101
SHAW
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
341 Nu am formulat adesea leciiie

uceniciei mele ca scriitor. Dar am scris
odat ntr-un caiet de notie ceva cam aa :
nu poi fi artist dac nu te concentrezi in
limitele artei tale. Dar efectul pe care-1
produce artistul asupra altora este un efect
de ne-iirnitare. i tocmai acest mare mister
i aceast nemrginire este ceea ce ne
atrage pe toi spre art n zilele noastre.
Dar dac ajungi s practici o art vezi c
distana nelimitat n faa ta este de exact
aceeai natur ca i distana nelimitat n
faa unui cal ntr-un circ. ncepi la captul
de nord al arenei i n galop imens i
srituri peste obstacole ajungi n partea de
sud. Eu am o mare slbiciune pentru simul
rafinat al frumosului un sim aproape de
devotament i pentru marile eforturi i
iscusina n execuie care produc un anumit
gen de oper i pentru ideile cuteztoare,
pentru mnuirea ndrznea lipsit de
scrupule, pentru iluziile imaginaiei care
produc un alt fel de oper.
1 have not often formulated the lessons
of my apprenticeship as a writer ; but 1 did
once write down in a notebook something
like this : You cannot be an artist until you
have contracted yourself within the limits
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
of your art. Now the effect the artist

produces on others is that of unlimitedness
; and it is this great mystery and infinitude
which attracts us all to art at first in these
days. But when you get to practice an art
you find that the unlimited length before
you is of exactly the same nature as the
unlimited length before a horse in circurs.
You start at the north end of the ring, and
with immense galloping and jumping
of
hurdles you get to the south side... I have
my feeling for the exquisitely cultivated
sense of beauty an almost devotional
sense and the great pains and skill of
execution which produces work of one kind,
and for the bold ideas, the daring
unscrupulous handling, the imaginative
illusions that produce another kind. (C. L.,
p. 490491)
SCRIITORI
342 Scriitorul care vrea s produc
banalitile
care nu snt ale unei epoci ci ale tuturor
timpurilor", i gsete rsplata n faptul c este
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
necitit
n
toate epocile.
The writer who dimes at producing the
platitudes which are not for an age, but
for all time" has his reward in being
unreadable in all ages...
343 Cel ce scrie despre el nsui i
timpul
su
este
singurul care scrie despre toi oamenii i
despre
toate
timpurile. Cellalt fel de om, care crede c
el
i
epoca sa snt att de deosebii de toi
ceilali
oameni
i de toate celelalte epoci nct ar fi lipsit de
modestie i irelevant s te referi la ele sau s
presupui
c
ar putea ilustra altceva dect propria
creaie,
este
cel mai infatuat dintre toi egoitii i n
consecin
cel mai necitit i neglijabil din toi autorii.
The man who writes about himself and
his own time is the only man who writes
about all people and about all time. The
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
98
other sort of man, who believes that he and

his period are so distinct from all other men
and periods that it would be immodest and
irrelevant to alude to them or assume that
they could illustrate anything but his own
private
circumstances,
is
the
most
infatuated
of
all
the
egotists,
and
consequently the most unreadable and
negligible of all the authors.
344
Niciodat diferena dintre voin

i
intelect
nu iese la iveal att de pregnant ca n cazul
poetului, cu excepia doar a ndrgostitului.
In no case does the difference between
the will and the intellect come out more
clearly than in that of\ the poet, save only
that of the lover. (Q. I., p. 56)
ZIARISTICA
345 Ziaristica poate pretinde c este
cea
mai
nalt
form de literatur, cci cea mai nalt
form
de
literatur este ziaristic n ntregimea sa.
...journalism can claim to be the highest
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
form
of
literature ; for all the highest literature is
journalism.
346 Pentru un ziarist cel mai sigur
mod
de
a
ajuta
un confrate e s-i dea de lucru.
The surest way for one journalist to help
another is to hand him over a spare job.
(C.L., p. 629)
ARTA PLASTICA
347 Marile opere literare constituie
victoriile
dobndite prin trud de marile spirite
asupra
fanteziei.
Great works in fiction are the ardous
victories of great minds over great
imaginations.
(O.T.N., III, p. 16)
FABULA
348 o fabul nu este un lucru care a
avut
loc
n
trecut, ci un lucru care va avea loc n viitor.
98
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
...a fable... is not a thing that was done

in the past, but a thing that is to be done in
the future. (B. M., p. 945)
PORNOGRAFIA N LITERATURA
349 Romanul pornografic apeleaz la
o
nevoie
pe
care literatura nu o poate satisface. El ofer
omului
i'imnd o descriere a unei cine.
The pornographic novel appeals to a
want which literature cannot supply. It
offers a hungry man a description of a
dinner.
(T.T.B.S., p. 119)
350 TJn romancier pornografic este
acela
care
exploateaz instinctul sexual n acelai mod
ca
i
o
prostituat. Un roman de dragoste autentic
i
explic
sau scoate n relief poezia, tragedia sau
comedia
.sa.
A pornographic novelist is one who exploits
the
sexual instinct as a prostitute does. A
legitimate sex
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
104
ARTA
105
novel elucidates it or brings out its
poetry, tragedy, or comedy.
(T.T.B.S., p. 125) NVAREA SCRISULUI
351
Spui c nu eti nc
aproape
deloc
n
stare
s
scrii cri. Tocmai de aceea te sftuiesc s
nvei.
Dac te-a sftui s nvei s patinezi, nu
mi-ai
rspunde c nu ai nc destul echilibru. Omul
nva
s
patineze cltinndu-se i fcndu-se de rs.
ntr-adevr n orice domeniu progreseaz doar
fcndu-se
de
rs. Nu vei scrie niciodat o carte bun pn
nu
vei
fi scris cteva cri proaste. \
You say you are scarcely competent to
write books just yet. That is just why I
recommend you to learn. If I advised you to
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
learn to skate, you would not reply that

your balance was scarcely good enough
yet. A man learns to skate by staggering
about and making a fool of himself. Indeed
he progresses in all things by resolutely
making a fool of himself. You will never
write a good book until you have written
some bad ones.
(C. L., p. 465)
352
S nu scrii o carte cu scopul de-a

fi
ars.
Scrie-o cu gndul c va fi publicat i c va fi
folositoare i reuit. Apoi vezi ce se va
ntmpla.
Probabil nu vei putea s gseti un 'editor, dar
vei
fi
nvat att de multe prin efortul de a o fi
scris
nct
vei continua cu fore proaspete i o vei
depi.
Dar
n-o arde, chiar dac-i este ruine de ea.
Pstreaz-o
undeva ntr-un sertar. La treizeci de ani i
va fi lehamite de ceea ce ai scris la
douzeci. Dar la patruzeci de ani i vei
rectiga ceva din respectul pentru visele
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
din tineree. De altfel, s-ar putea dovedi

demn de publicat. Nu se tie niciodat.
Singurul lucru sigur este c trebuie s scrii,
s scrii n fiecare zi timp de civa ani dac
vrei s devii maestru n profesiunea ta.
Do not write a book for the purpose of
burning it. Write it on the assumption that
it is going to be published and to be useful
& successful. Then see what will happen.
Probably you will be unable to find a
publisher ; and. you will have learnt so
much by the effort of writing it that you will
go on afresh and pass it by. But don't burn
it, even if you became ashamed of it. Keep
it in a drawer somewhere. At thirty, you will
be impatient of the stuff you wrote at
twenty ; but at forty, you will recover some
of your respect for the dreams of your
youth. Besides, it may turn out worth
publishing. One never knows. The one
certain thing is that you must write, write,
ivrite every day for several years if you are
to become a master workman in your
profession.
(C. L., p. 470) MUZICA I POEZIE
353 Adevrul este c poeii se folosesc
de metru i rim numai pentru a intensifica
efectul pur muzical al versurilor. Singura
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
rim care are efect muzical este

muzical. Pn cnd cuvintele nu vor
rima
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
ARTA
107
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
fi att ele ncrcate de emoie nct s

tind struitor spre muzic aa cum lemnul
odat aprins devine flacr, sau pin cnd
fora lor retoric nu reclam btaia tobei
sau rsunetul almurilor pentru a rspunde
cerinelor accenturii, pn atunci nu vor fi
de
folos
muzicianului
cu
adevrat
dramatic... Atta timp ct este ntr-adevr
sentiment i nu simpl afirmaie sau calcul
sau argument, cuvintele snt material
pentru muzician. Chiar i comediile bune
produc librete bune, pentru c, dei muzica
nu poate atinge spiritul, ea poate s
exprime buna dispoziie i tandreea care
strbat comedia cea mai bun. The truth is
that poets use metre and rhyme only to
enhance the purely musical effect of their
vef\e... The only rhyme that tells in music is
musical rhyme... Not until words are so
charged with emotion that they crave to
glow into music as a heated stick glows into
flame, or until the rhetorical force of them
demands the stroke of the drum or the
crash of the brass for satisfying emphasis
are they of any use to the truly dramatic
musician... So long as it is feeling, and not
mere statement or calculation or argument,
it is material for the musician. Even good
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
comedies make good libretti, because,

though the music cannot touch wit, it can
express the gaiety and tenderness which
run all through the finest comedy.
(C.I*, pp. 833834)
354 Modul adecvat este acela de a-i
mpri piesa n micri asemntoare
acelora unei simfonii. Vei descoperi c
exist multe seciuni care pot fi luate cu
siguran cu un allegro sprinten i cteva
care pot fi luate prestissimo : de exemplu
cele care servesc doar la explicarea
mecanismului intrigii. Fiecare allegro va
mbunti reprezentaia dac este bine
ales i condus.
The proper ivay is io divide your play into
movements like those of a symphony. You
will find that there are several sections
which can be safely taken at a brisk allegro,
and a few that may be taken prestissimo :
those, for instance, which serve only to
explain the mere mechanism of the plot.
Each
allegro
will
improve
the
representation if it is judiciously chosen
and managed.
(S. S, p. 31)
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
TEATRU
355 Teatrul este pentru lucrtorii
activi
i
spirite
vioaie.
The theatre is for active ivorkers and
alert spirits. (O.T.N., II, p. 72)
356 Dac iei oamenii n serios atunci
cnd
nu
snt
pe scen, de ce nu i-ai lua n serios atunci
cnd
snt
pe ea, atunci cnd sint sub o constrngere
decent
?
...if you take people seriously off the stage,
why
shouldnt you lake them seriously on it,
where
theyre under some sort of decent restraint
?
(Ph., p. 38)
!)
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
357
Un Teatru Naional Britanic* este

o
contradicie de termeni.
A
British
National
Theatre
is
a
contradiction in terms.
(T.T.B.S., p. 60)
358 Teatrul a intrat n Epoca
* Adjectivul britanic sugereaz elementele caracteristice ' Marii
Britanii i locuitorilor si, iar in timpul in care a fost scris;! cugetarea
referirea era i mai larg, fcndu-se la ntregul Common .vealth britanic.
Cum n Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii i Irlandei de Nord triesc alturi de
englezi veli (galezi), scoieni i irlandezi, este evident c sintagma teatru naional britanic este de fapt un oximoron.
** Dac la nceput i pe scena britanic toate personalele feminine erau
interpretate de ctre actori, un moment reprezentativ pentru aceasta
fiind epoca elizabethan, epoca dominat de geniul dramatic al lui
Shakespeare, n epoca lui Shaw ridicarea unui numr impresionant de
actrie de mare talent 1-a fcut pe dramaturg s considere c acest avnt
deosebit al artei spectacolului de teatru s-a datorat n mare msur
femeilor, de unde constatarea c teatrul a intrat n Epoca Femeii".
Femeii.**
...the Age oj Women has come in the
theatre.
(T.T.B.S., p. 46)
359 Filozofia, concepia de via se
schimb,
nu
miestria unui scriitor.
It is the philosophy, the outlook on life,
that changes, not the craft of the playwright. \
(S. S., p. 217)
]
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
360
neleg
s
joc
pe
baza
presupunerii
c
este
adevrat.
I mean acting on the assumption that it is
true.
(C.L., p. 702)
RESURSE ARTISTICE
361 Nu duci o via cereasc abinndute, ci te abii pentru c duci o via
cereasc... Evanghelia mea considerat ca o
simpl evanghelie a abstinenei e fals. Nu
poi juca doar cu fasole i ap : dac nu
gseti nimic mai bun ca aceasta, trebuie
s apelezi la whisky, morfin... Dar rmine
ntotdeauna religia, dac o poi atinge
religia Simfoniei a noua a lui Beethoven,
religia care-1 redescoper pe Dumnezeu n
om i pe Sfinta Fecioar n soia oricrui
dulgher, care spulber orice minune i
relev vechile dogme ca adncimile din care
faptele zilnice snt numai suprafaa, care
sfinete ntreaga via i nlocuiete
'..chiul eu materialist cu demnitatea
profund i autorespectul. Aceasta este cea
mai tonic din toate religiile : cu ajutorul ei
poi tri cu o jumtate de boab de fasole
pe zi, dac aceasta este tot ce cere
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
bunstarea trupului tu. ...you do not lead

the heavenly life by abstaining : you
abstain because you live the heavenly life.
...my gospel, regarded as a mere gospel of
abstinence, was a false one. You cannot act
on beans and water : if nothing better than
that is available, you must take to whisky,
morphia... But there is always religion if
you can reach it the religion of
Beethoven's ninth symphony, the religion
which rediscovers God in man and the
Virgin Mother in every carpenter's wife,
which sweeps away miracle and reveals the
old dogmas as the depths of which
everyday facts are only the surface, which
sanctifies all life and substitutes a
profound dignity and self-respect for
the old materialistic self. This is the most
recreative of all religions : with it you can
live on half a bean a day, if that is all that
your bodily wellbeing requires.
(C. L., p. 505)
ARTA DRAMATICA
* Arter principal din Londra care urmrete malul de nord al

cursului Tamisei.
** Pia important din centrul Londrei, renumit pentru pitorescul
su.
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
362 Arta dramatic, ca i alte forme

de
art,
face
un deosebit de remarcabil serviciu public.
...the art of the theatre, like many
other arts, renders... very conspicuous
public service. (S. T., p. 197)
363 n vechime, Aristotel spunea c
tragediJ
purific sufletul prin mil i teroare, iar
vechea
definiie a comediei era c purific moravurile
i
mbuntete manierele cci cuvntul le
exprima
pe
amndou prin ridiculizare. Niciodat nam
privit aceasta drept o definiie permanent.
Ridiculizarea poate fi destul de inuman. Cred c
cel
mai
ru tip de pies este comedia n care
autorul
v
face
s rdei unii de alii. Vechiul tip de
comedie,
s
lum
numai un exemplu foarte simplu, fcea
ntotdeauna
haz pe seama femeilor btrne, doar pentru
c
erau
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
btrne. Ei bine, acest lucru era oribil i cu

totul
detestabil.
i
aa
mai
departe,
pretutindeni.
Ct despre mil i teroare, dac sufletele
oamenilor pot fi ndreptate numai prin mil
i teroare, atunci cu ct se va sfri mai
repede cu rasa uman, cu att mai bine. Nu
poi comptimi dac nu ai nenorociri de
deplns. Apropo de asta, acesta este
motivul penARTA
!_jj^_jE ANA
- \LBA
tru care nu snt filantrop, pentru care nu
mi plac filantropii, cci ei iubesc suferina
de toate felurile. Ei nu snt niciodat fericii
dac altcineva nu este nefericit, astfel nct
s-i poat exercita filantropia. Eu nu mai
vreau s fie mil n lume, cci nu mai vreau
s existe nimic care s fie comptimit i nu
mai vreau s existe teroare cci nu vreau ca
oamenii s aib vreun motiv de team.
Dar exist i alte lucruri. Poi arunca mila
i teroarea de o parte i poi revela viaa,
poi stimula gndul legat de ea i poi educa
judecata oamenilor. Dac priveti viaa aa
106
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
cum i se prezint singur, este un lucru

extraordinar de lipsit de semnificaie. Este
exact ca atunci cnd ai lua un aparat de
filmat i ai iei pe trand* sau n Piccadilly
** i ai ncepe s ntorci din manivel, dup
care s-i developezi filmul i s spui : Ei,
asta-i viaa toi oamenii tia care se
mic ncoace i ncolo". Muli din ei au
istorii tragice, civa din ei au istorii
comice ; civa snt plini de bucurie pentru
c snt ndrgostii, alii snt pe punctul de
a se sinucide pentru c au fost dezamgii
n dragoste. Totul este minunat ! Dar cnd
priveti filmul, exclami : Dar nu vd nimic
altceva n el dect o mulime de oameni
care alearg ncoace i ncolo ntr-un mod
cu totul i cu totul lipsit de sens. Ei bine,
ceea ce poate face teatrul, i ceea ce tace
cu adevrat, este s ia acest spectacol de
via dominat de hazard i lipsit de
semnificaie, care nu-i
AR TA
113

transmite nici un sens i s-1 aranjeze
ntr-o ordine inteligibil i, mai mult, s-1
aranjeze ntr-un astfel de mod nct s te
oblige s te gndeti mult mai profund la el
dect ai visat vreodat s te gincieti la ntmplri reale care au ajuns la cunotina
ta. Acesta este teatrul i acesta este un
serviciu public deosebit de important pe
care l are de ndeplinit. In the old days
Aristotle said that tragedy purged the soul
with pity and terror ; and the old definition
of comedy was that it chastened morals,
chastened manners because the word
expressed both by ridicule. I have never
regarded that as a permanent definition.
Ridicule may be rather unkind. I thifik the
worst kind of play is the comedy in which
the author sets you laughing at one
another. The old-fashioned comedy, to take
a simple example, always made fun of old
women, simply because they were old.
Well, that was abominable and detestable.
And so on all through.
AR TA
113
As to pity and terror, if people's souls

could only be set going right by pity and
terror, then the sooner the human race
comes to an end the better. You cannot pity
unless you have misfortunes to pity. That is
the reason, by the way, why I am not a
philanthropist,
why
I
do
not
like
philanthropists because they love
suffering of all kinds. They are never happy
unless some one else is unhappy, so that
they can exercise their philanthropy. I do
not want there to be any more pity in the
world, bacause I do not want there to be
anything to pity ; and. I want there to be no
more terror because I do not want people
to have anything to fear.
But there are other things. You may
throw pity and terror on one side, and you
can reveal life, and you can stimulate
thought about it, and you can educate
people's senses. If you look on that life as it
presents
itself
to
you,
it
is
an
extraordinarily unmeaning thing. It is just
as if you took a movie camera and went out
into the Strand or Piccadilly and began tot
turn the handle, and afterward developed
your film and then said, Well, that is life
all those people moving about." Lots of
AR TA
113
them have tragic histories, some of them

have comic histories ; some of them are
abounding toith joy because they are in
love, others are going to commit suicide because they have been disappointed in love.
It is all very wonderful I But when you look
at the film you say, "Well, I don't see
anything there but a lot of people running
about in a perfectly meaningless way." Noiv
what the drama can do, and what it actually
does, is to take this unmeaning, haphazard
show of life, that means nothing to you,
and arrange it in an intelligible order, and
arrange it in such a way as to make you
think very much more deeply about it than
you ever dreamed of thinking about actual
incidents that come to your knouledge.
That is drama, and that is a very important
public service to render. (S. T,, pp. 197
198)
364 o bun melodram e mult mai greu
de scris dect toate comediile astea mult
prea inteligente : trebuie s ajungi pn la
inima umanitii pentru a o obine i dac e
destul de bun, de ce nu, ajungi s scrii
Lear sau Macbeth.
114
ARTA
11!'
A good melod.rcma is a more difficult

thing to wrH than all this clever-clever
comedy : one mxtst go streight to the core
of humanity to get it, and if it is only good
enough, why, you have Lear or Macbeth.
(E.T.B.S.C., p. 23)
SHAW AUTOR DRAMATIC
365 Scriu piese pentru c-mi place i
pentru
c
nu-mi amintesc de nici o perioad din viaa
mea
cnd
puteam s m stpncsc s nu inventez
oameni
.i
scene. Nu snt povestitor : lucrurile mi apar
ba
scene, cu aciune i dialog ca momente,
evolund
din propria lor vitalitate.
...7 write plays because I like it, and
because I cannot remember any period in
my life when I could help inventing people
and scenes. I am not a storyteller : things

occur to me as scenes, with action and dialogue
as
moments,
developing
themselves out of their own vitality.
(C. L., p. 461462)
366 Cred nu c ai idee de limitrile la
care
snt
constrns atunci cnd scriu, de cutarea
perpetu
a
adevratei distincii, fie c e vorba de stil,
gndirc.
umor sau vulgaritate i nici nu-i trece
prin
gnd
ct de delicat i totui categoric trebuie s
formulezi
adevrul pentru a putea descoperi cu o
astfel
de
precizie adevrata eroare nct s scot n
eviden
faptul
c acesta a fost primul lucru ce i-a venit n
minte
personajului prin intermediul cruia l
rostesc.
You have no idea, I believe, of the
limitations under trliich I write, the
constant search for the right sort of
distinction, whether of style, or thought, or
humor, or rulgarity hoio very niclely I

have to ascertain the truth in order that I
may find the true error with such precision
as to make it appear that it was the first
thing that came into the head of the
character into tclwse mouth I put it.
(C. L., p. 492493)
367 M-am rentors la stilul clasic i am
scris lungi replici retorice asemntoare
solourilor de oper, considerndu-mi piesele
ca pe nite spectacole muzicale, exact aa
cum fcea Shakespeare.
7 ivent back to the classical style and
wrote long rhetorical speaches like operatic
solos, regarding my plays as musical
performances precisely as Shalces-pear did.
(S. T., p. 220)
363 Reputaia mea de dramaturg
crete cu fiecare pies care nu mi este
jucat.
My reputation as a dramatist grows with
every play of mine that is not performed.
(A.Y.C.O.L., p. 81)
369 Refuzurile nu nseamn nimic : o
pies poate fi o capodoper i totui s nu
se potriveasc gustului unui anumit
director sau altul. Refusals mean nothing :

a play may be a masterpiece and yet not
suit this or that particular manager. (C. Lb,
p. 533)
lit)
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
ARTA __ l"-7
370 Nu exist Viitor : exist numai
Prezentul. i nchipui cumva c te voi lsa
s m tratezi aa cum l tratezi pe
Shakespeare s m joci la cteva
secole dup ce am murit ? Nu : nu voi face
nici un fel de promisiuni i nici un trg cu
tine pentru anul viitor : pn atunci aurul
meu se va fi transformat n frunze uscate n
geamantanul tu. There is no Future : there
is only the Present. Do you suppose I will
let you treat me as you treat Sha-kespear
play me centuries after I am dead ? No : I
ivill make no bonds and bargains for next
year : l\y then my gold will have turned into
withered leaves In your portmanteau.
(E.T.B.S.C., p. 22)
DRAMA CONVENIONALA
371 Reproez dramei convenionale

faptul c este doctrinar pn la extremele
absolute
ale
dogmatismului
ca
dramaturgul, fiind att de ncorsetat n
teorii despre comportare, nu poate nici
mcar s-i exprime clar soluia sa
convenional, ci las s fie vag neleas i
astfel nu poate n ruptul capului s scrie un
ultim act tolerabil.
...my quarrel with the conventional
drama is that it is doctrinaire to the
uttermost extreme of dogmatism that
the dramatist is so straight-jacketted in
theories of conduct that he cannot even
state his conventional solution clearly, but
leaves it to be vaguely understood, and so
for the life of him cannot write a decent last
act.
(C. L p. 402)
372 Nu accept idealurile convenionale.
Lor le opun n pies viaa de fapt i
moravurile omului competent i realist,
gata cu modestie s fac fa oricror
riscuri, atent dar nu cavaleresc, rbdtor i
practic ; pe femeie o reprezint ca
ndrgostindu-se instinctiv de toate acestea
chiar cnd toate ideile ei despre ce
nseamn un brbat cu caliti deosebite

snt violentate i, mai mult, pun punctul pe i
fcn-clu-1 s spun desluit : Vrei s spui,
nu-i aa, c eu snt primul brbat care te-a
luat ntru totul n serios etc.".
I do not accept the conventional ideals.
To them I oppose in the play the practical
life & morals of the efficient, realistic man,
unaffectedly ready to face what risks must
be faced, considerate but not chivalrous,
patient and practical; and I not only
represent the woman as instinctively falling
in love with all this even whilst all her
notions of finemannishness are being
outraged ; but I dot the i's by making him
say in audible words ''You mean, dont
you, that I am the first man that has ever
taken you quite seriously &c".
(C. L, p. 427) EXPERIMENTUL ARTISTIC
373 Drama progreseaz p'rintr-o serie
de experiene efectuate asupra publicului
de ctre actori i actrie cu piese noi.
Publicul
poate
hotr
rezultatul
experimentului, dar publicul nu poate
niciodat s fac experimentul... Iniiativa
vine ntotdeauna de la actor i actri.
them. Then you do know horv to make them & you think of a
few more. When they miss fi re, you are greately put out. But
fi nally the points all integrate into one continuous point,
which is the whole part itself.
(C. L., p. 658)
375 Sntem contieni i avem ncredere doar n

acele fore pe care le-am cucerit prin truda noastr.
...it is only those powers which we have conquered
by labor that we are conscious of and gain confi dence
from...
(C.L., p. 627)
376 Pasiunea mea, ca i cea a tuturor artitilor,

este pentru eficien, ceea ce nseamn intensitate de
via,
orizont
i
varietate
de
experien.
i
deja
gsesc, ca dramaturg, c pot s ptrund printr-o singur lovitur, la miezul lucrurilor care reduc literatul pur la platitudini incolore.
yiy passion, like that of all artists, is for effi ciency, which
means intensity of life and breadth and variety of experience
; and already I fi nd, as a dramatist, that I can go at one
stroke to the centre of matters that reduce the purely literary
man to colorless platitudes. (C. L., p. 463)
377
Inevitabilul
nu
m.
impresioneaz
;
dar
ne-evitarea evitabilului, neglijarea posibilului, lipsa
de eficien, claritate, precizie i frumos m nfurie. Nu m
intereseaz n cel mai nalt grad nimic dect uri lucru bine
executat si de-onroce nimeni nu m
The drama progresses by a series of

experiments made on the public by actors
and acireses with new plays. The public
may
determine
the
result
of
the
experiment; but the public never makes the
experiment... The initiative comes always
from the actor or actress...
(C. L., p. 528)
PERFECIUNE ARTISTICA
374 Pe vremea cnd erai un copila mic,
un copila foarte mic, cu mult nainte de a
te ii putut ncrede n tine i de a te fi
nscut, nu aveai oase. Apoi steluele i

prticelele de os au nceput s apar n tine
ca gruncioarele de unt n laptele btut.
Aceste prticele s-au multiplicat i au
crescut pn cnd s-au integrat cu toate ntrun mic schelet complet, pe care a fost
cldit Ellen Terry. Aa devii actri. La
nceput ncerci cteva pri i nu tii cum s
le faci. Apoi tii cum s le faci i te mai
gndeti la ceva. Cnd nu reueti eli
distrus. Dar pn la urm prile se
integreaz toate intr-o parte continu, care
este ntregul nsui.
When you were a small baby a very
small baby long before you could de
trusted by yourself and were born you
had no bones. Then little stars & points of
bone began to appear in you like the specks
of butter in churned milk. These points
multiplied
and
grew
until
they
all
integrated into a complete skeleton, upon
which Ellen Terry was built. Now that is how
you become an actress. At first you try to
make a few points & don't know how to
make
nimic mai prejos nu ma

poate ajuta in acest sens, poate
satisface. The inevitable does not touch
me ; it is the non-avoidance of the evitable,
the neglect of the possible, the falling short
of attainable efficiency, clearness, accuracy,
and beauty, that set me raging. I really care
deeply for nothing but fine work, and since
nobody can help me in this, no less can
greatly affect my self-sufficiency...
(C. L., p. 585)
COMIC
373 Orice artist comic trebuie s aib
vulgaritatea n degetul cel mic, pentru a o
folosi atunci cnd este necesar. Dar
vulgaritatea n locul nepotrivit, sau inuta
nengrijit n vorbire sau n orice alt domeniu, ca deprindere personal n locul
simulrii artistice, nu trebuie tolerat la nici
un actor i n nici un spectacol.
Every comedian should have vulgarity at
his fingers' eiids for use when required. But
vulgarity
in
the
ivrong
place,
or
slovenliness of speech in any other place as
a matter of personal habit instead of
artistic assumption, is not to be tolerated

from any actor or in any entertainment.
(O.T.N., III, p. 25)
379 Poi strica orice glum cnd o
priveti cu snge rece.
You can spoil any joke by being cold
blooded about it. (J.B.O.I., p. 409)
380 Nimic n lume nu este att de comic
ca seriozitatea unui englez.
...there is nothing in the world quite so
exquisitely comic as an Englishman's
seriousness.
(O.T.N., I., p. 20)
COMEDIE
331 _ Comedia trebuie s fie inteligibil
imediat i intens sau este pierdut.
Comedy mut be instantly and vividly
intelligible or it is lost.
(O.T.N., III, p. 33)
382 Nu ai dreptate s dispreuieti
comedia bur-lesc. Eu, ca i Heine, i-am
fcut pe oameni s m asculte sunnd din
clopoeii unei tichii de bufon. Orice munc
intelectual autentic este plin de umor.
You are wrong to scorn farcical comedy. It

is by jingling the bells of a jester's cap that
I, like Heine, have made people listen to
me. All genuinely intellectual work is
humorous.
(C. L., p. 832)
ACTOIII I ACTRIE
333 Trebuie s fi existat vreun brbat,
poale, in Grecia antic, sau oriunde doreti,
care, n loc de a-i ctiga o existen
cinstit ca dulgher sau zidar sau ntr-o
meserie asemntoare, sau chiar ca politician, dei asta i-ar fi putut satisface
instinctele
22
ARTA
123
acelai lucru este valabil i pentru femei

[...] care nu vrea s fie el nsui. El vrea
s-i mreasc dimensiunile, el vrea s fie
un erou. N-ai n fiecare zi ocazia s fii ceea
ce se numete un erou adevrat... S-ar putea s nu ai nici o ans, iar rezultatul e
acela c nea-vnd nici o ans real de a fi
soldat trebuie s te prefaci c eti soldat,
aa c i dezvoli personalitatea i i dai
aerele unui soldat. i pori prul, sau o faci
doar cteodat, la lungimea la care crezi c
l purtau eroii n oricare perioad s-ar
ntmpla s fie i pozezi n faa celorlali
semeni ai ti i dai glas sentimentelor
eroice. Dac ai greuti n improvizarea
sentimentelor eroice, l gseti pe altul care
s o fac pentru tine i apoi le nvei pe de
rost : n acest caz inventezi autorul
dramatic m inventezi de fapt pe mine.
Dar acest tip de om exist nc i el trebuie
s-i distreze pe ceilali. El ncepe recitind,
jucnd singur toate personajele i aceast

nclinaie mai persist nc printre actori.
There must have been some man,
probably in archaic Greece or anywhere you
like, who, instead of earning an honest
li7:ing as a carpenter or a mason or something of that kind, or even as a politician,
although that might have satisfied his
instincts You find that this man and
the same thing applies to women, although
it bagan with men this man does not
want to be himself. He wants to magnify
himself, he wants to be a hero. You dont't
get opportunities every day of being ivhat
is called a real hero... You may have no
opportunity at all : and the result is that,
not having an actual opportunity of being
a real soldier, you have to pretend to be a
soldier ; so you develop your personality,
you give yourself the air of a soldier. You
wear your hair, or sometimes do, of a
length at which heroes were supposed to
have worn it at whatever particular period
it happens to l>e ; and you pose before
your fellow-creatures, you utter heroic
sentiments. If you are in a difficulty as to
improvising the heroic sentiments, you may
possibly get another person to do it for
you, and learn them off by heart : in which

case you invent the dramatic author you
invent me, in fact. But still there is this
type of man. and he has to entertain. He
begins by reciting, by playing all the
different characters himself, and that is a
propensity which still lingers among actors.
(S. T., p. 192193)
384 Nu ntotdeauna satisfacerea
instinctului este cea care determin o
carier
:
cteodat
este
presiunea
economic a carierei. Acei oameni care snt
mpini spre scen de aceast pasiune
extern snt foarte adesea cei mai buni
actori, iar oamenii care snt iremediabil
ndrgostii de scen snt uneori cei mai
slabi actori cu putin.
...it is not always the satisfaction of the
instinct that settles a career : sometimes it
is the economic pressure of the career...
Those people who are driven by this
outside pressure onto the stage are very
often the best actors, and the people who
are most hopelessly stage-struck are
sometimes impossibly bad actors.
(S. T., p. 192)
124
GEORGE BERNARD
ARTA
SHAW
385 Oamenii cu o personalitate bine

definit... se lupt ndelung cu rezervele lor
fireti i cu puterea lor critic, n timp ce
alii, lipsii cu totul de caracter i cu prea
puin judecat, gsesc imediat o identitate
n pies i exist doar att ct snt pe scen.
Dar cei ce au caractere bine conturate, care
snt ei nii, nu simple stafii, devin cei mai
buni actori cnd strbat aceast cale i snt
singurii actori clasici cu putin. ...people
with positive characters... have a long
struggle with their natural reserve and
critical power, whilst others, with no
character at all, and very little sense, jind
selves in plays at once, and exist onlh when
they are on the stage. But the ones with
the positive characters, who are selves, not
spooks, make, the best actors when they go
through with it, and are. indeed the only
possible classical actors.
(T.Y.A., pp. 5960)
336 O actri nu este constituit : ea
crete. An actress is not constituted : she
grows. (T.YA., p. 35)
387 Actria triete doar pentru a se

drui,
ca
s
ctige dragostea lumii ntregi.
The actress lives only to give herself
away so that she may gain the love of the
whole world. (O.T.N., II, p. 86)
388 Capacitatea ta de a juca teatru
trebuie
s
fie
pur i simplu rezultatul capacitii tale de a
tri.
Pentru actria nnscut am un mare
dispre
;
pentru femeia care este un artist
desvrit
am
un
profund sentiment de simpatie. Prima este
un fals ; a doua este o realitate complet
exprimat. Exist un mod n care a dori s
dispreuieti interpretarea ca vocaie". E
vorba de munca ce-i vine n cale i trebuie
s o execui att de bine ct este posibil ;
dar trebuie s fii ntotdeauna stpna artei
tale i nu sclava beatitudinii i emoiilor. n
propria mea art snt gata, de mi s-ar da
timp, s rspund pentru execuie, pn la
ultima virgul ; iar dac mi vine inspiraia", nu o las s-mi scape pe jumtate :
tiu cum s o stpnesc i s o frmnt
astfel nct s storc din ea tot ceea ce este

comestibil.
Your ability to act must only be a mere
consequence of your ability to live... For the
born actress I have a certain contempt; for
the woman who is a consumate artist I have
a deep fellow-feeling. The one is a sham.;
the other a reality completely expressed.
There is thus a certain sense in which I
would have you despise acting as a
vocation." It is the work that comes to
your hand, and you must do it as well as it
can be done ; but you must always be the
mistress of your art & not the slave of its
intoxications & excitements. In my oivn art
I am ready, if only time be given me, to
answer for the workmanship to the last
comma ; and now, if inspiration" comes, it
does not half escape me : I know haw to
seize it and knead it so as to exhaust all the
nutriment in it.
(C. L., pp. 296297)
389 Dar opus tragedianului, care se
teme mai mult dect orice altceva pe lume
s se rd de el lucrul cel mai cumplit i
chiar fatal pentru el este ridicolul
250

de orice fel apare, alturi de el, orict
ar prea de ciudat, pentru a restabili acel
echilibru pe care Natura pare s-1 aib
ntotdeauna n vedere, cellalt tip de
brbat, nscut cu o fantastic dorin de a
provoca rsul i care va suporta orice
njosire, care-i va picta nasul cu rou, carei va lsa pe oameni s-1 loveasc cu piciorul
i care se va bui orict de pmnt, doar ca
s-i fac pe oameni s rd.
But over against this particular actor who
* Este vorba de piesa. Captain Brassbound's Conversion
(Conversiunea cpitanului Brassbound) i de rolul Lady Cicely.
is the tragedian, and tvho dreads above

everything else on earth being laughed at
the one terrible and fatal thing for him is
ridicule of and kind there, s\de by side,
strangely enough, in order to restore that
balance which Nature always appears to
have in view, there arises the other sort of
man, who is born with a tremendous desire
to be laughed at and who will undergo the
most extraordinary ignominy, who will paint
his nose red, who will alloiv people to kick
251
him about, icho will have the most

disastrous falls, if ' only he can make
people laugh.
(S. T., p. 194) '
390 Impresia pe care o au unii oameni
c ai nevoie de mai puin personalitate
pentru a fi actor dect pentru a fi orice
altceva este cea mai mare greeal. Trebuie
s v scoatei asta din cap cu orice pre.
Felul n care scena va da n vileag orice
slbiciune, orice vanitate pe care o ai, orice
absurditate, orice scpare, ct de mic a
autocontrolului pe care o poi avea, este
de-a
dreptul
nspimnttor.
The
impression which some people have that
vou require less character to be an actor
than to be anything else is a most terrible
mistake. You must get that out of your
heads at all possible costs. The way in
which the stage will find out every single
weakness that you have got, every vanity
that you have got, every folly that you have
got, every little slip in self-control that you
are subject to, is really very terrible.
(S.T., p. 196)
252
391 Actorul modern se cutremur

cnd
i
vede
numele scris cu litere mici.
The modern actor shudders when he sees
his name in small letters.
(S.T., p. 191)
ARTA ACTORICEASCA I OPERA
DRAMATICA
392 Scriind piesa am fcut ceea ce un
autor
face
n mod obinuit. Autorul, scriind pentru un
anumit
geniu, pentru o anumit personalitate, n
loc
s
se
gndeasc s-i fac pe plac personalitii
respective
permindu-i s scape pentru o clip de
propriul
eu,
surprinde
aceast
personalitate
i
o
dramatizeaz.
Am
fcut acest lucru cu Ellen Terry ntr-o pies
*
pe
care
a jucat-o cu mare succes. Dar ntr-o anumit
ocazie,
ea mi-a spus : A dori ca cineva s scrie
pentru
mine
253
un rol pe care s-1 joc. n piesa asta a ta nu

am
nimic
de fcut dect s m urc pe scen i s fiu
eu nsmi
254
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
i treaba e gata fcut". Vedei, aici a

intervenit
aceast dorin curioas : ea dorea s
scape
de
ea
nsi, voia pentru o clip s fie altcineva.
Vedei asta pe scen i, foarte interesant,
ntlnii,
de
asemenea, exact opusul su. Vedei alt fel
de
artiti,
a cror dorin nu este de a scpa de ei
nii.
Dorina
lor e amplificarea eului. Ei vor s-i dezvolte
i
s-i
intensifice personalitatea ntr-o msur
255
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
to develop
and intensify their own personalii;! to a

tremendously magnetic and overwhelming extent, end in
doing so, pursuing this entirely egotistical aim, they
sometimes attain a degree of fascination which is quite
extraordinary, and then you see the infl uence that an actor
or an actress may have.
(S. T., p. 195)
393 Doresc o renviere a artei actoriceti ; tiu c aceasta ar fi o

imposibilitate fr un exerciiu asiduu, ieit din comun i tinznd
mereu spre perfeciunea execuiei, nu printr-un mecanic studiu al
jocului de scen i al pronunrii (dei fiecare actor trebuie s fie
un expert n artele plastice i n fonetic), ci prin cultivarea
sentimentelor elevate i totala renunare la asperitile
popularitii. i trebuie s ntruchipez acest lucru n piesele, mele.
I want a revival of the art of beautiful acting ; and I know it
to be impossible without tremendous practice and constant
aiming at beauty of execution, not through a mechanical
study of poses and pronunciations (though every actor
should be a plastic and phonetic expert), but through a
cultivation of delicate feeling, and absolute renunciation of
all the coarser elements of popularity. And I must lay my
plays out for that.
(C. L., p. 492)
394 Nu mai e nevoie s v spun c o actri trebuie s joace

multe roluri n multe piese despre care are o prere proast. Se
ntmpl uneori ca autorul s nu fi scris un singur rnd ca lumea :
iar actria tre-
extrem
de
atrgtoare i copleitoare i fcnd astfel,
urmrind
acest scop att de egoist, ei ating cteodat
un
grad
de
fascinaie care este cu totul extraordinar i
atunci
putei vedea influena pe care un actor sau
o
actri
o pot avea.
\
In writing the play I did the sort of usual
thing that an author does. The author, in
writing for a. particular genius, a particular
personality,
instead
of
thinking
of
256
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
gratifying that personality and enabling her

or him to escape for a moment from himself
or herself, seizes on the personality and
dramatizes it. I did this with Ellen Terry in a
play which she played with great success.
But she said to me on one occasion : "I wish
somebody would write a part for me to act.
In this play of yours I have nothing to do
but go on the stage and be myself, and the
thing is done." There, you see, there came
in this curious desire, that she wanted to
escape from herself ; she wanted to be
somebody else for a time.
You. get that on the stage, and you also
get, very interestingly, precisely the
opposite. You get other sort of artists
ivhose desire is not to escape from themselves. Their desire is self-intensification.
They want
ARTA
______ 131

buie s inventeze ea nsi rolul i s-1
joace ntre. rnduri sau s-i rosteasc
cuvintele cu o intensitate patetic care te
face s uii c adevratele cuvinte n-au nici
un patetism n ele, emoionind publicul aa
cum Sarah Bernhardt* emoiona oamenii
care nu tiau un cuvnt franuzesc sau
precum Eieonora Duse** impresiona pe cei
care nu cunoteau deloc italiana. Uneori un
autor nu scrie dect o singur scen reuit,
dar acea scen face piesa bun de jucat. Pe
* Sarah Bernhardt
(18441923) a fost
o
mare
actri
urm unele pri ale unei piese se uzeaz
mai repede ca altele. E greu s pui n scen
aceste pvi groaznice dac nu le putem
scoate : cnd ajung la ele m prefac doar c
joc teatru ceea ce e cel mai groaznic
sentiment de dezonoare trit de cineva pe
scen, dei acest lucru probabil nu e uor
de neles de ctre oamenii care cred c
arta actoriceasc nu e dect prefctorie.
Dar v asigur c acestea snt sentimentele
mele i c un rol pe care-1 pot juca cu
convingere m atrage mai mult dect cea
ARTA
______ 131
mai mare pies de succes pe care eu a

considera-o imperfect. Aadar am puternice preferine pentru unele piese i nu
pentru altele. I need not tell you that an
aclress has to play many parts in many
plays of which she has no very high
opinion. Sometimes the author has not
wrilten one single line right : the actress
has to invent the part for herself, and play
it between the lines, or else speak her
ivords ivith a pathetic intensity that makes
you forget that the actual words do not
mean anything pathetic at all, affecting the
public as Sarah Bernhardt affects people
who do not know a word of French, or Duse
people who do not know a ivord of Italian.
Sometimes the author has only succeeded
in a single scene, though that scene may be
worth producing the play for. Then some
bits
of a play wear out faster than
others... These are terrible bits to get over
on the stage when they cannot be cut out:
when I come to them I am only pretending
to act, which is the most horribly
dishonorable feeling you can have on the
stage, though perhaps that will not be
easily understood by people who think that
acting is all pretence. But I assure you that
ARTA
______ 131
is how I feel ; and the result is that a part

that I can play from beginning to end with
conviction attracts me more than the most
popular play in which my faith is imperfect.
Consequently I get strong preferences for
one play over another.
(C. L., pp. 528529)
395 Nu uita c nu te poi drui total
pentru a mulumi un public ; i nu exist
nici o metod cu ajutorul creia s poi
transmite o impresie att de puternic a
modestiei puterii incontiente. Cu toat
seriozitatea nu ncerca s ai succes n
sensul teatral al cuvntului.
ARTA
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
133
uiesc pe Shakespeare atunci cnd mi

msor mintea cu a sa. Intensitatea
intoleranei mele fa de el atinge
cteodat un asemenea nivel nct cu
siguran c ar fi o uurare pentru mine s
dau cu el de pmnt i s arunc cu pietre n
el, tiind, aa cum tiu, cit este de incapabil
mpreun cu adoratorii si s neleag
orice form de jignire mai puin evident...
Dar trebuie s adaug c l comptimesc pe
omul cruia nu i place Shakespeare. Acesta
dinuiete n timp mult mai mult dect mii
de gnditori mai abili dect el i va dinui
mai mult decit alii o mie. Darul su de a
spune o poveste (cu condiia c altcineva ia spus-o nainte) ; uriaa sa stpnire a
limbii, la fel de remarcabil n folosirea ei
abuziv i lipsit de sens ca n minunile sale
de expresie ; umorul su ; simul su pentru
personaje foarte bine individualizate i rezerva sa prodigioas de energie vital care
este, se pare, adevrata calitate care-1
deosebete pe omul de geniu, n afara
nsuirilor bune, rele sau nesemnificative, l
face capabil s ne amuze att de eficace nct oamenii i scenele pe care le-a creat ne
par mai reale dect viaa noastr adevrat.
With the single exception of Homer, there is
ARTA
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
133
Remember, you cannot give yourself away too com pletely to

please an audience ; nor is ' there any method by which you
can convey so strong an impression of the modest amiability
of unconscious strength. You must not try to make a succes
in the stage sense on the platform.
(C. L., p. 530)
396
Ateptarea
aplauzelor
nu
este
prezent
n
mod constant la un bun actor, cci aceasta investete
mult munc n jocul su i i reine complet atenia. Nu poi face dou lucruri deodat. Dac te gndeti la aplauze fie c nu joci, fie c joci mecaric...
Un actor poate fi desigur jignit dac, dup ce/i-a
terminat
complet
munca,
auditoriul
nu
pare
s
o
aprecieze
aa
poate
fi
oricare
artist.
Expectation of applause is not constantly present to
a good actor, because such a one puts a lot of work
into his acting, and this work keeps his attention fully
occupied. You cannot do two things at once. If you
arc thinking of the applause you are either not acting,
or acting mechanically... An actor may of course be
much mortifi ed if, after he has done his work thoroughly, the audience do not seem to appreciate it
so may any other artist.
(C
p. 153)
SHAW DESPRE SHAKESPEARE
397 Cu singura excepie a lui Homer, nu este nici

un scriitor eminent, nici chiar Sir Walter Scott, pe
care s-1 pot dispreui att de profund cum l dispre-
no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter

Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I
despise Shakespear when I measure my
mind against his. The intensity of mu
impatience with him occasionally reaches
such a pitch that it would positively be a
relief to me to dig him up and throw stones
at him, knoioing as I do how incapable he
and his worshippers are of understanding
any less obvious form of indignity... But I
am
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
bound to add that I pity the man ivho cannot enjoy

Shakespear. He has outlasted thousands of abler
thinkers, and will outlast a thousand more. His gift of
telling a story (provided some one else told it to him
fi rst); his enormous power over language, as conspicuous in his senseless and silly abuse of it as in his
miracles of expression; his humor; his sense of
idiosyncratic character ; and his prodigious fund of
that vital energy which is, it seems, the true diff erentiating property behind the faculties, good, bad, or
indiff erent, of the man of genius, enable him to
entertain us so eff ectively that the imaginary scenes
and people he has created become more real to us
than our actual life.
|
(S. S., pp. 5455)
'
398 Fascinaia lui Shakespeare este creat de frumuseea i fantezia muzicii cuvintelor sale.
...Shakespear's magic is created by the beauty and
fancy of his word-music.
(S.T., p. 102)
399 Ce pcat c oamenii crora le place cum sun

Shakespeare merg a Lit de rar la teatru ! Urechea este
cheia sigur a nelegerii sale : doar un muzician
poate nelege piesa de sentiment care este adevratul lucru de valoare n piesele sale timpurii. ntr-o
naiune de surzi, aceste piese ar fi murit de mult. Atitudinea
moral
existent
n
ele
este
convenional,
de mina a doua; ideile mprumutate, orict de frumos
exprimate,
nu
prezint
interesul
uman
copleitor
al
acelor prezentri critice originale ale vieii care sus-
in elementul retoric din operele sale

trzii... Doar criticilor muzicali ar trebui s li
se permit s se ocupe ele Shakespeare -i in mod deosebit de Shakespeare din
prima perioad.
VJhat a pity ii is that the people who love
the sound of Shakespear so seldom go to
the stage I The ear is the sure clue to him :
only a musician can understand the play of
feeling which is the real rarity of his early
plays. In a deaf nation these plays would
have died long ago. The moral attitude of
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
them is conventional and secondhand : the

borrowed ideas, however finely expressed,
have not the overpowering human interest
of those original criticisms of life which,
supply the rhetorical element in his later
works. (S. S, p. 7)
400 Shakespeare este ntr-o asemenea
msur muzicianul cuvintelor nct doar
inteligena practic, orict este de bine
stimulat de instinctul dramatic, nu-1 poate
face pe nimeni capabil s-i neleag operele sau s ajung la execuia lor corect
fr ndrumarea unei urechi sensibile. n
culmea marilor momente emoionale gsim
fragmente
care
snt
rossi-niene
prin
ntemeierea lor pe simetria melodiei i pe
fora de impresionare a marului, pentru a
compensa srcia nelesului. De fapt l-am
depit att de mult pe Shakespeare ca om
de idei nct astzi cu greu poi gsi un
fragment celebru din opera sa care este
considerat frumos pentru orice alte motive
n afara aceluia c sun frumos i trezete
n noi o emoie care s-a exprimat n primul
rnd prin frumuseea sa. Go-lete-1 de acea
frumusee a sunetului printr-o peri-
136
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
ARTA
137
that is, ingeniously breaking the verse up so as to I make

it sound like prose, as the professional elocu tionist prides
himself on doing and you are landed in a stilted,
monstruous jargon that has not even the prosaic merit of
being intelligible. (S.S., p. 15)
401
Atunci
cnd
ajungem
la
acele
pasaje
grandioase care nu au rival, n care Shakespeare pornete
ntreaga
org,
dorim
s
auzim
tuburile
nalte
de
1 6 picioare vuind sau eund (aa cum se ntmpl
adesea, aa de puini actori fiind nzestrai n mod
natural
cu
ele),
tonul
nnobilat
i
tempoul
domolit
brusc de maiestatea unui scop mai profund. Atingi i
Iu acele momente cnd versul, n loc de a deschide
adncimile sufletului, se ridic la cel mai strlucitor
clinchet
i
versurile
sun
ca
o
mie
de
trompete.
When we come to thouse unrivalled grandiose passages in which Shakespear turns on the full organ, we
' want to hear the sixteen-foot pipes booming, or,
.failing them (as we often must, since so few actors
lore naturally equipped with them), the ennobled
none, and the tempo suddenly steadied with the majV s ly of deeper purpose. You have, too, those moments when the verse, instead of opening up the
depth of sound, rises to its most brilliant clangor, and
the lines ring like a thousand trumpets.
I
(S.S., p. 113) .
402 Cnd l joci pe Shakespeare joac-1 n litera
versului,
prin
vers,
bizuie-te
pe
vers,
dar
niciodat
nu-1 juca printre rnduri. Pur i simplu nu exist
fraz prozaic i nu va mai rmne nimic

altceva dect o platitudine pe care chiar i
un profesor american de etic ar roi s o
ofere
discipolilor
si.
Distruge
acea
frumusee printr-o rostire aspr, neplcut
i i vei obliga auditoriul s se crispeze ca
i cnd l-ai cnta fals pe Mozart. Ignor-o,
evitnd melopeea" ntrerupind adic n
mod ingenios versul astfel nct s-1 faci s
sune ca proza, aa cum se laud oratorul
profesionist c o face i vei fi aruncat
ntr-un jargon monstruos i pompos care nu
are nici cel puin meritul banal de a fi
inteligibil.
136
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
ARTA
137
Shkespear is so much the word-musician

that/mere practical intelligence, no matter
how well profnpted by dramatic instinct,
cannot enable anybody to understand his
works or arrive at a right execution of them
ivithout the guidance of a fine ear. At the
great emotional climaxes we find passages
which are Rossi-nian in their reliance on
symmetry of melody and impressiveness of
march to redeem poverty of meaning. In
fact, we have got so far beyond Shakespear
as a man of ideas that there is by this time
hardly a famous passage in his works that
is considered fine on any ground than that
it sounds beautifully, and awakens in us the
emotion that originally expressed itself by
its beauty. Strip it of that beauty of sound
by prosaic paraphrase, and you have
nothing left but a platitude that even an
American professor of ethics would blush to
offer to his disciples. Wreck that beauty by
a harsh, jarring utterance, and you will
make jour audience wince as if you were
singing Mozart out of tune. Ignore it by
"avoiding sing-song"
136
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
ARTA
1] Aforisme, paradoxuri, cugetri
137
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
AR TA
130
timp pentru aa ceva. N-ai s introduci o

pauz de cinci msuri ntr-o simfonie a lui
Beethoven ca s ai timp s ridici beele de
tob i tot astfel nu trebuie s opreti
orchestra shakespearian pentru alte treburi. Nimic n afara unei procesiuni sau a
unui scandal n-ar trebui s prilejuiasc un
lucru att de extraordinar ca o tcere n
timpul unui spectacol shakespearian.
In -playing Shakspere, play to the lines,
through the lines, on the lines, but never
* Este vorba de
Imogen, fiica mai mare
a regelui Cym-beline,
between the lines. There simply isnt time
for it. You would not stick five bars rest into
a Beethoven symphony to pick u/ your
drumsticks ; and similarly you must not
stop
the
Shakespeare
orchestra
for
business. Nothing short of a procession or
of a fight should make anything so
extraordinary as a silence during a
Shaksperean performance.
(C. L., p. 666)
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
AR TA
130
403 Cel mai simplu lucru pe care-1 poi

face n public este monologul. Doar lipsa de
practic i face pe actori s-i piard
autoncrederea cnd li se cere sal in un
discurs sau s spun o anecdot pe scen
n' loc s pun sau s rspund la ntrebri,
sau s-.i' arunce unul altuia replici. De ce
nu eueaz nimeri n Hamlet ? Pentru c el
are replici lungi. The easiest thing to do in
public is a monologue. It is sheer want of
practice that makes actors self-mistrustful
when they are asked to deliver a speech or
tell a story on the stage instead of asking
or answering questions, or throwing
sentences at one another's heads. Why
does nobody ever fail as Hamlet? Because
he has long speeches.
(C.L., p. 795)
404 Vino, i-am s te nv rolul fr ca
s deschizi cartea mcar o dat. Voi face
rost de o biciclet tandem ; i ne vom
plimba cu ea peste cmpiile cereti. Eu i
voi repeta rolul mereu pn cnd l vei
prinde aa cum nvei o melodie dup
ureche. Aa ar trebui s fie nvate i
nsuite toate rolurile. n trupa mea ideal
nu va fi nici o actri care s tie s
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
AR TA
130
citeasc. Am nvat odat un rol (de fapt lam i jucat) l-am nvat din carte. Ce
munc trudnic de sclav ! Mai bine a scrie
articole sau o mie de piese. nchipuiete-i
s nvei emoii pline de via gnduri
pline de via dintr-un lucru mort
zdrene i cerneal de tipar. Come, I will
teach you the part without your opening
the book once. I will get a tandem bycicle ;
and we shall ride along over the celestial
plains, I dinning the part into your head
until you pick it up as one picks up a tune
by ear. That is how all parts should be
taught and learnt : in my ideal company
there shall not be an actress who can read.
I once learnt a part (and actually played it
too) learnt it from the book. What galley
slavery it was ! I had
140
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
AHT
141
rather write ten articles, or a thousand
plays. Imagine learning live emotion live
thought from dead matter linen rag
and printer's ink. (C. L., pp. 6,34635)
405 O, doamne, nu te nspimnt
gndul c i slbesc aptitudinile i memoria
cnd descoperi c versurile nu-i mai vin n
minte la fel de nerbdtoare, ci trebuie si fie prinse n minte cu ace de pr, fr s
fii sigur c rmn acolo ? Ei bine, simi
aceasta fiindc Shakespeare este din punct
de vedere dramatic mort de-a binelea.
Singura posibilitate de a-1 nva fr un
efort de nesuportat este s-1 nvei dup
ureche, cci muzica sa nu greete. Nu-i
citi niciodat rolul : pune pe cineva s i-1
spun de nenumrate ori s i-1 mne, s
i-1 aeze n fa, pn cnd capacitatea ta
de imitaie i reproducere te silete s-1
murmuri aa cum te simi silit s fredonezi
o melodie pe care ai auzit-o cntat pe
strad i care nu-i place absolut deloc.
140
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Great Heavens, doesn't it make you fear

that your faculties are decaying & your
memory failing when you find that the lines
wont come to you eagerly, but must be
fixed into your head ivith hairpins, without
any security for their sticking ? Well, that is
because Shaksperc is dead dramatically as
a doornail. Your only chance of learning him
without intolerable effort is to learn him by
ear ; for his music is unfailing. Never read
your part : get somebody to speak it to you
over and over again to urge it on you,
hurl it at you, until your mere imitative,
echo faculty forces you to jabber it as a
street piano forces you lo hum a tune that
you positively dislike.
(C. L., p. 644) TIEREA PIESELOR
406 n general, tierea unei piese
este
stupid
n
cel mai nalt grad.
Generally speaking, the cutting of the
play is stupid
to the last extremity.
(C. L., p. 653)
407 Dup cum vezi, nu am nimic
mpotriva
unei
nlturri inteligente a acelor pri moarte
140
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
i
artificiale din opera lui Shakespeare. Dar cnd i
propui
s tai din opera mea *, snt ncremenit de
ndrzneala
ta strigtoare la cer. M-am autocenzurat
ntotdeauna, extrem de sever, citind i recitind, pn
cnd
am
descoperit pasajele care nu pot fi n nici un
fel
jucate
pe scen... Cnd doar o virgul e lsat
deoparte,
aceasta e pentru c actorul a fost depit
de
autor.
i mie mi place ntotdeauna s-1 depesc
pe
actor
i s depesc publicul, puin : e singura
cale
care
s
te menii n ascensiune.
So you see I have no objection whatever
*
Referirea
se
face la spectacolul
cu
The Man cutting
of
to piesa
an intel-ligent
oul of the dead &
the false bits of
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
ARTA
148
Shakspere. But when you propose to cut
me, I am paralysed at your sacrilegious
audacity. I always cut myself to the bone,
reading the thing over and over until I have
discovered the bits that can't be made to
playact anyhow... If a single comma is
omitted, that will be because the actor has
been beaten by the author. And I always
like to beat the actor, and to beat the
public, a little : it is the only way to keep
screwing up the standard.
(C. L., p. 650)
CRITICI
408 Nu cred n iluzia criticilor care
snt
autori
ratai. Ca unul care a practicat ambel
ndeletniciri,
tiu c scrierea operelor literare este joac
de
copii
fa de critic... Adevrul este c un critic
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
st
ntre
creaia popular, pentru care nu este
suficient
de
prost i marea creaie, pentru care nu are
suficient
geniu.
I have no illusions about critics being
authors who have failed. I know, as one
who has practised both crafts, that
autorship is child's play compared to criticism... The truth is that the critic stands
between popular authorship, for which he is
not silly enough, and. great authorship, for
which he has not genius enough.
(Widower's Houses, n C.P.B.S.. p. 703)
409 Nu exist o formul special
pentru
a
deveni
critic dramatic. Acesta apare datorit unui
accident.
Cnd se ivete un post vacant de critic,
editorii se adreseaz celor care deja
profeseaz, snt cunoscui ca oameni cu
condei i care cunosc tainele meteugului... Nu uita, pentru a fi critic nu trebuie
s fii numai expert n domeniul tu ; trebuie
de asemenea s ai un sim literar i critic
dezvoltat, putere de analiz, comparaie,
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
etc. La Londra toi nceptorii au patruzeci

de ani, avnd n urm douzeci de ani de
munc grea i necunoscut i, erede-m,
cei douzeci de ani de obscuritate nu snt
partea cea mai rea din viaa cuiva i nimeni
nu trebuie s se team s le fac fa.
There is no way of becoming a dramatic
critic. It happens by accid.ent... It is to men
who are already in the profession, and
known as men who can write and who know
the ways of papers, that editors turn when
a vacancy occurs... Remember, to be a
critic, you must be not only a bit of an
expert in your subject, but you must also
have literary skill, and trained critical skill
too the power of analysis, comparison, &
c... In London all beginners are forty, with
twenty years of obscure hard work behind
them ; and, believe me, those obscure
twenty years are not the ivorst part in
one's life, nor need you nor anyone be.
afraid to face them.
(C. L., p. 433)
410 Prima datorie a criticului este s
recunoasc cu respect absolut dreptul
fiecrui om la un stil propriu.
144
US
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
say they will understand nearly as much of the plays as I

do myself.
(A.Y.C.O.L., p. 95)
SCULPTOR
414 Sculptorul trebuie s aib stof de zeu n el.

Din mna sa iese o form care reflect un spirit.
The sculptor must have something of god in him.
From his hand comes a form which refl ects a spirit.
(B. M., p. 944)
DANS
415 Dansul este o ncercare cu totul imatur de

a intra n ritmul vieii.
Dancing is a very crude attempt to get into the rhythm of
life.
(B. M., p. 938)
INTERVIU
416 Permite-mi s-i dau cteva sfaturi : 1) Nu

lsa niciodat pe un reporter s te pun n gard,
cci este singurul mod n care poate s te dezarmeze;
2) Nu-1 lsa niciodat s tie sau s vad ceva ce nu
este de publicat ; 3) Baricadeaz intrarea principal
sau pred-te fr condiii ; 4) Nu uita c poi fi intervievat sau nu, dup dorin, dar nu poi s fii i
s nu fi intervievat n acelai timp ; 5) Nu uita c
reporterul,
n
ciuda
tehnicii
sale
nefamiliare,
este
un comediant versat ; 6) Nu uita, de asemenea, c
The critic's first duty is to admit, with

absolute respect, the right of every man to
his own style. (C, L., pp. 460461)
411 Este una s spui c un critic nu

este de vin pentru c face anumite
concesii : este cu totul altceva s afirmi c
aceste concesii nu snt fcute, sau s tragi
concluzia c dac ele nu conteaz din punct
de vedere individual ele nu conteaz nici
social. But it is one thing to say that the
critic is not to blame for making certain
concessions : it is quite another to assert
that the concessions are not made, or to
144
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
US
infer that because they dont matter

individually they dont matter socially.
(C. L., p.328)
CRITICA
412 Obiectivitatea criticii este un
lucru,
acurateea sa este cu totul altceva.
...the fairness of criticism is one thing, its
adequacy quite another.
(Widowers' Houses, n C.P.B.S., p. 709)
COOPERAREA CITITORILOR
413 Dac cititorii i fac cinstit
datoria,
cred
c
vor nelege aproape la fel de rnult din
piese
ct
neleg eu nsumi.
If my readers do their fair share of the
work, I dare
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

AR TA
147
toate persoanele care acord un interviu spun exact aceleai lucruri i

c un reporter le tie pe de rost, pe cnd cel intervievat este
necesarmente un novice n comparaie cu el ; 7) Nu uita c interviul
publicat va fi o sum de interpretri greite i c reproducerea
portretului tu va fi un eec ngrozitor ; 8) Dac reporterul face nazuri
cnd i ceri s vezi corecturile, nu te certa, cere-le n scris de la
editur ; 9) Las-te intervievat ct mai des de ctre reporteri buni i
las-i s spun ce vor atta timp ct versiunea lor este amuzant ; 10)
(i cel mai important) : dac ai posibilitatea, scrie-i propriul tu
interviu. Now let me give you some advice. 1. Never let an in-
terviewer put you on your guard : it is only his icay of

putting you off it. 2. Never let hap. know or see anything
that is not for publication. 3. Either barricade the front door
or surrender at discretion. 4. Remember that you can be
interviewed or not interviewed, as you please ; but you
cannot be both interviewed and not interviewed at the same
time. 5. Remember that the intervieiver, in spite of his unfamiliar technique, is a practised comedian. 6. Remember
also that all interviewee's say exactly the same things, and
that the interviewer knows them by heart, whereas the
interviewee is necesarily a comparative novice. 7.
Remember that the published interview will be a mass of
misinterpretation & that the reproduction of your portrait
will be a hideous failure. 8. If the interviewer makes any
diffi culty about letting you see proofs, do not argue the
point,
but just write quietly for them to his

editor. 9. Get interviewed as often as you
can by good interviewers and let them say
what they like so long as their copy is
entertainmg'. 10. (& chief est)
Always
interview
yourself if you can.
(C. L., pp.380331)
1 ie muzica cuvintelor mele din lipsa unui sistem de notaie
adecvat. Compozitorii de muzic au un astfel ele sistem. Handel i

putea nsemna partiturile cu maestoso, Beethoven cu mesto,
Elgar cu nobilemente Strauss cu ceva mai linitit dar cu avnt
i entuziasm. Scriind cuvintele adagio sau prestissimo, ei fac
imposibil ca un dirijor s confunde un imn cu un dans rnesc.
Ei pot scrie ritardando, accellerando i tempo deasupra unui
fragment sau a altuia. Dar cele mai bune scene ale mele pot fi
distruse n mod ridicol n timpul unei reprezentaii din lipsa unor
astfel de indicaii. Ca tehnician m intereseaz n mod deosebit
consolidarea limbii prin arta scrisului i snt stn-jenit de
imperfeciunile acestei arte. Now, I, being not only a scribe but
a dramatic poet and therefore a icord musician, cannot write
down my word music for lack of an adequate notation.
Handel could mark his movements as maestoso, Beethoven
as mesto, Elgar as nobilemente, Strauss, as ewas ruhiger,
aber trotzdem schwungvoll und en-thusiastich. By writing the
words adagio or prestissimo they can make it impossible for a
conductor to mistake a hymyi for a hornpipe. They can ivrite
ritardando, accellerando and tempo over this or that passage.
But I may have my best scenes ridicidously ruined in
performance for want of such indications... as a technician, I
am specially concerned with the fi xation of language by the
art of writing, and hampered by the imperfections of that art.
(S. L., p. 115)
VI LIMBAJ
LIMBA ENGLEZA
417 Englezii nu au nici un respect
pentru limba lor i nu vor s-i nvee copiii
s o vorbeasc. Au o ortografie att de
ngrozitoare nct nimeni nu poate afla

singur cum sun. Este imposibil ca un
englez s i deschid gura fr a-i face pe
ali
englezi
s-1
urasc
sau
s-1
dispreuiasc. GermVma i spaniola snt
accesibile strinilor : engleza nul este
accesibil nici mcar englezilor.
The English have no respect for their
language, and will not teach their children
to speak it. They spell it so abominably that
no man can teach himself what it sounds
like. It is impossible for an Englishman to
open his mouth without making some other
Englishman hale or despise him. German
and Spanish arc accessible to foreigners :
English is not accesible even to Englishmen.
(Pygmalion, n C.P.B.S., p. 807)
ARTISTUL CUVINTULUI I LIMBAJUL
418 Eu fiind nu numai scrib ci i
dramaturg i deci muzician al cuvntului, nu
pot s atern pe hr-
LIMBAJ
150
281
... GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
419 Am fost agasai toat viaa de

oameni de tiin, clerici, politicieni i chiar
avocai
care
vorbesc
papagalicete,
repetnd cuvinte i expresii luate de la alii
dup ureche fr a se gndi o clip la sens i
care accept simple asocieri de idei ca un
substitut facil pentru logic. De multe ori ei
snt oameni cumsecade i chiar inteligeni ;
dar nu snt raionali. i snt iremediabil
robii obiceiurilor lor personale, pe care ei
le numesc natura uman. I have been
plagued all my life by scientists, clergymen,
politicians, and even lawyers, who talk like
parrots, repeating ivorcls and, phrases
picked up from one another by ear without
a moment's thought about their meaning,
and accept mereXassociation of ideas as an
easy substiute for logic. They are often
good fellows and even clever fellows ; but
they are not rational. And they are
incurably addicted to their personal habits,
which they call human nature... (S.L., pp.
112113)
LIMBAJ
282
420 Gndul triete pe hrtie prin

condei, dup ce
i-a plmdit un trup nemuritor n continu
cretere
Thought lives on paper by the pen, having
devised
for itself an immortal and evergrowing
body.
(S. L., p. 114)
CARACTERUL SOCIAL AL LIMBAJULUI
421 Nu exist o englez ideal
corect. Nu exist
doi englezi care s vorbeasc la fel.
...there is no such things as ideally
correct English.-No two British subjects
speak exactly alike. (S.L., p. 58)
422 Chiar atunci cnd manierele
noastre
de
acas
corespund ntocmai celor clin societate
i_
bineneles ar trebui s fie cu mult mai bune
snt
ntotdeauna diferite ; i deosebirea este mai
mare
in
limbaj dect n orice altceva.
LIMBAJ
283
Even when our home manners as good as

our company manners and of course they
ought to be much better they are always
different ; and the difference is greater in
speech than in anything else. (S. L, p. 61)
423 Este un fapt bine cunoscut c
marea
mas
a
populaiei noastre este bilingv. Oamenii au
un
limbaj oficial ca parte a manierelor lor din
societate,
pe
care nu l folosesc acas sau n conversaia
cu
egalii lor.
This is so well known that masses of our
population are. bilingual. They have an
official speech as pari of their company
manners which they do not use at home or
in conversation with their equals. (S. L, p.
127)
424
Nici
chiar
n
relaiile
confideniale
cu
persoane educate nu trebuie s vorbeti prea
bine.
Aplic
acest principiu n ncercrile tale de a
nva
limbi
strine i nu ncerca niciodat s le vorbeti
LIMBAJ
284
prea
bine. i nu te sfii s cltoreti. Te va
surprinde
ct
de puin trebuie s .tii sau ct de ru poi
s pro-
285
nunti. A vorbi prea corect e o poz

pedant chiar printre englezi. La un strin
este mai mult dect o poz : este o insult la
adresa btinaului care nu-i nelege
propria limb cnd este vorbit prea bine.
Even in private intercourse with cultivated
people you must not speak too well. Apply
this to your at-iemps to learn foreign
languages, and never try to speak them too
well. And do not be afraid to travel. You will
be surprised to find how little you need to
know or how badly you may pronounce.
Even among English people, to speak too
well is a pedantic affectation. In a foreigner
286
diat c eti un strin, va ncerca s te neleag i va fi gata s te

ajute.
2 have already explained that though there is no such thing
as perfectly correct English, there is presen table English
which ice call Good English" ; but in London nine hundred
and ninety nine out of every thousand people not only
speak bad English but speak even that very badly. You may
say that even if they do not speak English well themselves
they can at least understand it when it is well spoken. They
can when the speaker is English ; but ivhen the speaker is
a foreigner, the better he speaks the harder it is to
understand him... Therefore the fi rst-thing you have to do is
to speak with a strong foreign accent, and speak broken
English : that is, English without any grammar. Then every
English person to whom you speak will at once Iznow that
you are a foreigner, and try to understand you and be ready
to help you.
(S. L pp. 6263)
PRONUNIE I ORTOGRAFIE
426 Influena cuvntului tiprit asupra pronuniei nu poate fi

exagerat... Dac noi, oamenii de litere, nu vrem s scriem aa
cum se pronun, oamenii vor sfri prin a pronuna aa cum
scriem. ...the infl uence of the printed word over pronuncia tion can hardly be exaggerated... If we, the literary men,
will not spell as we pronounce, the world will end by
pronouncing as we spell.
(S. L, pp.1415)
it is something worse than an affectation :

it is an insult to the native who cannot
understand his own language when it is too
ivell spoken.
(S. L., pp. 6364)
^
425 Am mai spus c dei nu exist o
englez de-svrit, exist o englez
prezentabil pe care o numim engleza
bun" ; dar la Londra nou sute nouzeci i
nou din o mie de locuitori nu numai c vorbesc o englez inferioar, dar chiar i pe
aceea o vorbesc foarte prost. S-ar putea
spune c, chiar dac ei nii nu vorbesc
bine englezete cel puin neleg cnd se
287
vorbete corect. neleg cnd vorbitorul este

englez , dar cnd vorbitorul este strin, e cu
att mai greu de neles cu ct vorbete mai
corect... De aceea, primul lucru pe care
trebuie s-1 faci este s vorbeti cu un
pronunat accent strin i s vorbeti o
englez stricat : adic, o englez fr nici
o gramatic. Atunci orice englez cruia i te
vei adresa va ti ime-
288
LIMBAJ
3 >*
LIMBAJ
153
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
427 n cele din urm, oamenii

pronun
cuvintele
aa dup cum snt scrise i astfel limba se
schimb
n mod absurd.
...in the long run people pronounce
words as they are spell ; and so the
language gets senselessly altered. (S. L, p.
26)
428
Analfabetismul a fost
timp
de
secole
simbolul unei clase. Dar astzi nici limba, nici
scrisul
nu
mai snt simboluri sigure ale unei clase.
...illiteracy was for centuries a mark of
class.
But
neither speech nor writing can now be
depended
on
as class indexes. >
(S. L., p. 125) \
429 Atunci cnd li se pune n fa o
transcriere
fonetic a limbii lor, toi oamenii, fr
excepie,
i
resping cu vehemen exactitatea.
All men, without exception, when first
confronted with a phonetic representation
289*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
of their own speech, vehemently repudiate

its accuracy.
(S. L., p. 20)
430 Nimic nu-1 irit mai mult pe un
vorbitor
nativ al limbii engleze dect transcrierea
fonetic
fidel
a sunetelor pe care le rostete. El i
nchipuie
c
o
deviere de la ortografia convenional
nseamn
o
deviere de la standardele corecte ale limbii
engleze,
aa cum e vorbit de buna societate. Vai !
Aceste
standarde corecte ale englezei vorbit de
buna
societate nu snt cunoscute foneticienilor. Ele fac
parte
doar din multele nscociri care nucesc
srmanele
noastre mini de snobi. Nu exist aa ceva ;
dar ce importan are acest fapt pentru
oamenii care din fraged copilrie snt
instruii s fac din credina n abstraciuni
i lucruri de necrezut un punct de onoare ?
290*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
...nothing annoys a native speaker of

English more than a faithful setting down in
phonetic spelling of the sounds he utters.
He imagines that a departure from
conventional spelling indicates a departure
from the correct standard English of good
society. Alas '. this correct standard English
of good society is unknown to phoneticians.
It is only one of the many figments that
bewilder our poor snobish brains. Nu such
thing exists ; but what does that matter to
people trained from infancy to make a point
of honor of belief in abstractions and
incredibilities ? (S. L., p. 6)
431 Nu e nevoie s repet argumente
cunoscute
despre
irosirea
timpului
nvtorilor i dificultile presrate n
calea copiilor englezi care nva s citeasc propria lor limb, sau faptul c
nimeni fr
1 memorie vizual pentru cuvinte nu
reuete
s
st-pneasc
ortografia
convenional orict de nvat ar fi, sau
despre bariera dintre Anglia i Frana ridicat de ctre ambele naiuni care folosesc
tiparul pentru a-i ascunde limba una de
alta.
291*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
2 need not repeat familiar arguments

about the waste of teachers' time, and the
difficulties throivn in the way of English
children learning to read their own
language ; or the fact that nobody without
a visual memory for words ever succeeds in
spelling conventionally, however highly
educated he or she may be, or the barrier
placed between England and France by both
nations using their printing presses to conceal their language from one another... (3.
L., p. 18)
432 Dac nu adoptm un sistem de
ideograme
chineze, s nvm pe de rost cte un semn
arbitrar
separat pentru fiecare cuvnt din dicionar,
trebuie
s scriem fonetic.
Unless we adopt a system of Chinese
ideographs, and
learn by heart a separate arbitrary symbol
of every
word in the dictionary we must spell
phonetically.
(S. L., p. 33)
]
292*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
433 Singurul pericol pe care pot s-1

prevd
n
stabilirea unui alfabet englez este pericolul
unui
rzboi civil.
The only danger I can forsee in the
establishment of an English alphabet is the
danger of civil tear. (S. L., p. 135)
434 Consecvena nu este
ntotdeauna o virtute ;
dar ortografia devine o himer fr ea.
Consistency is not always a virtue ; but
spelling becomes a will o' the wisp without it.
(S. L., p. 125)
LIMBI MOARTE
435 Limbile, chiar i cele moarte, snt
folositoare,
dup cum multora dintre noi ni se pare c
matematicile snt folositoare.
iMnguages, even dead ones, have their
uses ; and as it seems to many of us,
mathematics have their uses.
'(Parents and Children, n C-PB.S., p. 76)
293*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
155
436 Engleza lui Shakespeare e o

limb
moart.
Nici un om n via azi n-o poate vorbi, nici
scrie.
O poate imita aa precum Milton * i Landor
**
au
imitat poezia latin ; iar oamenii cu talent
literar
o
pot inelge fr dificultate.
...Shakespeare's English is a dead
language. No living man can speak it or
write it. He can imitate it just as Milton and
Landor imitated Latin poetry ; and people
with a literary turn can understand it
without difficulty.
(S. L., p. 13) LIMBA I GNDIRE
437 Gndurile mor mai repede dect
limbile.
...thoughts die sooner than languages.
(B. M., p. 915)
PSIHOLOGIA LIMBAJULUI
294*
154
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
438 Ferocitatea cu
*
John
Milton
(16081674), mare
poet i revoluionar
englez,
care
npentru
lupt
vinte este uimitoare.
295*
care
155
oamenii
cu-
IIIHIIMINIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIII
153
GEORGE
BEFNARD
LIMBAJ
159
SHAW
...the ferocity with which people fight

about words is astonishing.
(S. L., p. 135)
439 Nici un om pe deplin stpn pe
limba
sa
nu
va
putea stpini vreodat alta.
No man fully capable of his own language
ever masters another.
440 Un limbaj comun face desigur o
alian
mai
uoar ; cu toate aceste, nu trebuie s
uitai
c
face
i cearta mai uoar.
A common language certainly makes an)
alliance easier ; though you must not forget
that it a So makes quarreling easier.
(T.T.B.S.)
STILUL
441 Vei constata ntotdeauna c

atunci
cnd
cineva stpnete bine sensul unui cuvnt,
iar
altcineva l are ntr-un mod vag i mereu
schimbtor,
ultimul l acuz ntotdeauna pe primul de
ambiguitate.
You will always find that when one man
has a tight grip of the meaning of a ivord,
and another man has a loose and
perpetually shifting one, the latter always
accuses the former of quibbling. (C. L., p.
316)'
442 Ei snt att de proti nct cred c
stilul
vine
n mod natural unor oameni care au situaia
lor
;
i
astfel ei nu nva niciodat. Exist
ntotdeauna ceva profesional n a face ceva
bine la modul superlativ. ...theyre such
fools that they think style comes by nature
to people in their position ; and they never
learn.
Theres
always
something
professional
about
doing
a
thing
superlatively well.
(P., p.739)
443 Stabilete-i mai nti faptele :
aceasta
este
baza oricrui stil, pentru c prin stil te
exprimi
pe
tine nsui i nu te poi exprima cu
sinceritate
dect
pe baza unei realiti precise.
Get your facts right first : that is the
foundation of all style, because style is the
expression of yourself ; and you cannot
express yourself gemiinely except on a
basis of precise reality.
(C. L., p. 464)
444
Nu am urmrit stilul n viaa mea

:
stilul
este
un fel de melodie care mi intr singur n
propoziie.
Dac un scriitor spune ceea ce trebuie s
spun
ntr-un mod att de adecvat i eficace ct i
st
n
puteri, stilul va avea grij de sine nsui,
dac
arc
vreun stil.
I have never aimed at style in my life :
style is a sort of melady that comes into my
sentences by itself. If a writer says what he

has to say as accurately and effectively as
he. can. his style will take care of
itself, if he has a style.
(Immaturity, n C.P.B.S.. p. 677)
445
Pentru un Shakespeare cuvintele

se
gsesc
acolo n stilul i msura cea mai potrivit
odat
cu
contiina lucrului care trebuie descris sau
cu
formarea gndului.
...for a Shakespear the words are there in
due style and measure as soon as the
consciousness of the thing to be described
or the formation of the thought.
(Cashel Byron's Profession, n C.P.B.S., p.
697)
446 Un adevrat stil original nu este
niciodat
dobndit doar de dragul su. Un om poate i|
lti
de
la un iling la o guinee, n funcie de
posibilitile
sale, pentru a vedea, a auzi sau a citi
creaia
genial
a altui om ; dar el nu va plti cu toat viaa
i
sufletul su pentru a deveni un simplu virtuoz
n
literatur, pentru a prezenta o realizare care
nu-i
va
aduce nici cel puin bani, cum ar aduce

cntatul
la
vioar. Eficacitatea afirmaiei este alfa i
omega
stilului. Cel ce nu are nimic de afirmat nu are
stil
i
nici nu poate avea unul. Cel care are ceva
de
afirmat va ajunge att de departe n ceea ce
privete
fora
stilului ct l va duce importana ideii i
convingerea sa.
...a true original style is never achieved
for its own sake : a man may pay from a
shilling to a guinea, according to his means,
to see, hear, or read another man's act of
genius ; but he will not pay with his ivhole
life and soul to become a mere virtuoso in
literature, exhibiting an accomplishment
which will not even make money for him,
like fiddle playing.
Effectiveness of assertion is the alpha
and omega of s vie He who has nothing to
assert has no style and can have none ; he
who has something to assert will go as far
in power of style as its momentousness and
his conviction will carry him. rpRS n 165) (Man
and Superman, in C.P.b.b., p. ioo>
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
163
VII AUTOBIOGRAFICE
IRLANDA I IRLANDEZII
447 _
Toate
eecurile
Irlandei
se
clatoresc
Incapacitii sale de a crede n succes sau fericire.
*
...all Ireland's failures have been due to
her incapacity for believing in success or
happiness. (C. L., p. 691)
448 Inima irlandezului nu este nimic
altceva
dect
imaginaia sa.
...an Irishman's heart is nothing but his
imagination. (J.B.O.I., p. 410)
AUDITORIUL LUI SHAW
449 ntotdeauna simt i cred c

vorbesc
cu
adevrat unor milioane de oameni.
I always believe and feel that I really am
talking to millions.
(Truth by Radio, in P. P., p. 274) DRUMUL
N VIAA
450 Drumul meu este oseaua
principal
;
crrile ocolite i scurtturile tale doar duc
napoi.
My road is the highroad ; your bypaths
and shortcuts only lead backward.
(C. L., pp.674675)
451 Desigur c snt vegetarian. i-ai
nchipuit
cumva c am obiceiul de a roade corpurile
moarte
ale animalelor ? Uh ! i totui i
mrturisesc
c
am
fcut asta odat n mod obinuit, doar cu
cincisprezece ani n urm, dar nu i de atunci
ncoace.
Of course I am a vegetarian. Did you
suppose I was in the habit of chewing the
dead bodies of animals ? Ugh ! And yet I
confess I once did it habitually, as recently
as fifteen years ago ; bun not since then.

(E.T.B.S.C., p. 66)
SHAW I FEMEILE
452 Nu lucrurile mrunte le scap
femeilor
n
mine
* Beatrice Webb,
nscut
Beatrice
Potter, s-a cstorit
cu Sidney Webb in
1892. Cnd acesta a
ci lucrurile mari. Buzunarele mele snt
ntotdeauna
pline de mruniurile dragostei. Dar
acetia
snt
bani magici, nu bani adevrai. Doamna
Webb *,
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
__________165
164_ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

care este o femeie deosebit de
perspicace, i explicit libertatea fa de
fascinaia n faa creia le vede pe toate
celelalte cednd, spunnd . Nu te poi
ndrgosti de un spiridu ; iar Shaw este un
spiridu n astfel de lucruri, nu o persoan
real. Probabil c poi ghici adevrul n
aceast afirmaie ; snt prea lene s o
explic acum, chiar dac a nelege-o. Este
cu certitudine adevrat : mi plac femeile
(sau una dintr-o mie, s spunem) ; dar snt
serios cu privire la alte lucruri. Pentru cele
mai multe femei, un brbat i o via fac o
lume. Eu am nevoie de populaii ntregi i
de epoci istorice ca s-mi trezesc interesul
i s fac maina de scris (pentru c asta
este Q.B.S.) s lucreze la vitez i presiune
maxim : dragostea este doar divertisment
i recreaie. It is not the small things that
women miss in me, but the big things. My
pockets arc always full of the small change
of love-making ; it is magic money, not real
money. Mrs Webb, icho is a remarcabhj
shrewd woman, explains her freedom from
the fascination to which she sees all the
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
__________165
others succumb, by saying : You cannot fall

in love with a sprite ; and Shaw is a sprite
in such matters, not a real person." Perhaps
you can divine the truth in this : I am too
lazy to explain it now, even if 1 understood
it. It is certainly true : I am fond of women
(or one in a thousand, say); but I am in
earnest about quite other things. To most
women one man and one lifetime make a
world. I require whole populations and
historical epochs to engage my interests
seriously and make the writing machine
(for that is what
G.B.S. is), work at full speed,
pressure : Iove is nnly diversion
recreation to me.
(C. L., p. 801)
and
and
453 N-am s-i scriu n fiecare

sptmn, nici chiar n fiecare zi pentru c
scrisorile bune snt rare i nu-i pot face
apariia la fel de regulat ca i spltoreas.
i apoi nu trebuie s te obosesc. S tii c
n-am s-i fiu nici amant, nici prieten, cci o
zi a socotelilor va veni pentru dragoste
precum i pentru prieteni. Te-ai simi curnd
ca i Evreul Rtcii or : ai ti c trebuie s
te ridici i s pleci mai departe. Trebuie s
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
__________165
intri n mod categoric n relaii de interes cu

mine. Dragostea mea, prietenia mea, nu valoreaz nimic. Nimic pentru nimic. Pe mine
trebuie s m foloseti, s m integrezi n
structura vieii tale n msura in care este
ceva de folos n mine i s m arunci la o
parte cind nu mai snt bun la nimic. Doar
atunci cnd snt folosit simt c exist si m
bucur de via. Toate legturile mele de
dragoste sfresc tragic pentru c femeile
nu tiu s m foloseasc. Snt modeste i
m las s-mi fac iluzii n legtur cu ele,
dar n cele din urm ajung la o nefericire
nfricotoare i o oboseal de nedescris ;
iar Evreul Rtcitor trebuie s mearg mai
departe in cutarea cuiva care va ti s-1
foloseasc pe de-a ntregul. Tot ceea ce e
adevrat n via se bazeaz pe nevoie ; att
timp cit vei avea nevoie de mine te voi ine
strns n brae : dincolo de asta snt doar un
obiect de lux ; iar pentru obiectele de lux,
dragostea i ura snt aceeai pasiune.
166
GEORGE
BERNARD
SHAW
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
167
...I shall not write every week not even

every day, because good letters are rare &
cannot
come
as
reg-gularly
as
the
laundress. Besides, one must not weary
you. Mind, I am not to be your lover, nor
your friend ; for a day of reckoning comes
for both love and friendship. You would
soon feel like the Wandering Jew : you
would know that you must get up and move
on. You must enter into an inexorably
interested relation with me. My love, my
friendship, are worth nothing. Nothing for
nothing. I must be used, built into the solid
fabric of your life as far as there is any
usable brick in me, and thrown aside when I
am used up. It is only when, I am being
used that I can feel my own existence,]
enjoy my own life. All my love affairs end
tragically because the women can't use me.
They lie low and let me imagine things
about them ; but in the end a frightful
unhappines, an unspeakable weariness
comes ; and the Wandering Jew must go in
search of someone who can use him, to the
utmost of his capacity. Everything real in
life is based on need : just so far as you
need me I have you tightly in my arms :
beyond that I am only a luxury, and, for lux-
166
GEORGE
BERNARD
SHAW
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
167
Terry, c faci o mare greeal creznd c snt un astfel de om. Nu

snt : de ce a fi ? Ce-mi pas mie dac-mi scrii sau nu ? Ar trebui
s-i nfrnezi nclinaia de a-mi gdila vanitatea personal. Pieptul
meu perfect ordonat este cu totul insensibil fa de linguirile tale.
O, draga i binecuvntata mea Ellen, e cazul s m las de
ndrugat prostii pentru o clip... N-a existat nici un pericol ca tu
s m srui : nici o femeie, orict de neobrzat sau de prsit
ar fi, n-ar ndrzni s-i permit un asemenea lucru cu un
brbat care are o nfiare att de impuntoare ca a mea... Este
curios ct de puin utili snt creierii singuri ! Eu am un set ct se
poate de bun i totui am nvat mai multe lucruri de la prima
proast care s-a ndrgostit de mine dect am fost nvat
vreodat. I positively missed your letters. I, I, Bernard Shaw,
MISSED the letters of a mere mortal woman. But I pidled
myself together. I will not be the slave of a designing
female. Henceforth I shall regard my morning's mail with
the most profound indiff erence, the coldest calm. Let me tell
you, Ellen Terry, that you make a great mistake in
supposing that I am that sort of man. I am not : why should
1 b e l What difference does it make to me whether you
write to me or not ? You should curb this propensity to per sonal vanity. My well ordered bosom is insensible to you
fl atteries.
Oh my dear blessed Ellen, let me stop talking non sense
for a moment... There was no danger of your kissing me : no
woman, however audacious and abandoned, would dare
take such a liberty ivith a man
uries, love and hate are the same passion.

(C. L, p. 676)
454 Cu certitudine c mi-au lipsit
scrisorile tale. Eu, eu Bernard Shaw, AM
DUS
DORUL
scrisorilor
unei
simple
muritoare. Dar mi-am venit n fire. N-am s
fiu sclavul unei femei intrigante. Ca urmare
voi cerceta pota de diminea cu cea mai
profund indiferen, cu cel
mai ngheat
calm. S tii, Ellen
168
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
16i)
of my majestic presence... Curious, how

little use mere brains are ! I have a very
fine set ; and yet I learnt more from the
first stupid woman ivho fell in love with me
than ever they taught me.
(E.T.B.S.C., pp. 7981)
455 Oscar Wilde a spus despre mine :
,,Un om minunat : n-are nici un duman i
nici unul dintre prietenii si nu-1 place';. i
asta este foarte adevrat : ei nu m plac,
dar snt prietenii mei i civa din ei m
iubesc. Dac preuieti consideraia unui
brbat, lupt cu el. Cit despre plcut, i
place ziarul i l dispreuieti. A prefera si aminteti jimp de trei zile un lucru pe
care l-am spus, dect s m placi (doar)
300.000.000.000.000.000 de ani. Oscar
Wilde said of me : An excellent man : he
has no enemies ; and none of his friends
like him." And that's quite true : they dont
like me ; but they are my friends and some
of them love me. If you value a man's
regard, strive with him. As to liking, you
like your newspaper, and despise it. I had
rather you remembered one thing I said for
three days than liked me (only) for
300.000.000.000.000.000 years.
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
168
16i)
(E.T.B.S.C., p. 76) PERSPECTIVA

SCRIITORULUI
456 Din punct de vedere psihologic se
ntmpl un lucru curios. El m-a mpiedicat
s fiu un autor cu adevrat mare. Am din
nefericire aceast tentaie nebuneasc care
mi vine din senin, chiar n clipa n care
reuesc s m ridic cu adevrat la nlimea
forelor mele de a putea deveni cu adevrat
tragic i mre : mi vine n minte o glum
absurd i anti-ciimaxul devine irezistibil.
Asta mi amintete c este prezent printre
dumneavoastr astzi o actri deosebit de
distins *, care n loc s mi se adreseze n
mod respectuos ca domnule Bernard Shaw,
n maniera care se potrivete vrstei i
anilor mei, ntotdeauna mi se adreseaz cu
apelativul Joey, numele clovnului din
pantomim. Nu pot nega c n rnine exist
att tragedianul ct i clovnul, iar clovnul m
prinde cu ocaua mic n modul cel mai
neplcut. Publicul englez a remarcat de
mult timp c nu snt serios, cci niciodat
nu poi ti cnd va apare din senin vtraiul
nroit n foc sau cnd m voi mpiedica de
una sau de alta.
This is a curious psychological thing. It
has prevented me from being a really great
* Doamna Stella
168
AUTOBIOGRAFICE
16i)
author. I have unfortunately this desperate

temptation that suddenly comes on me,
just when I am really rising to the height of
my power, that I may become really tragic
and great : some absurd joke occurs, and
the anticlimax is irresistable. I am reminded
that there is a very distinguished actress,
who is among you today, who instead of
speaking of me respectfully as Mr. Bernard
Shaw, in the manner that is befitting to my
age and years, always addressed me as
Joey, the name of the cloivn in the
pantomime. I cannot deny I have got the
tragedian and I have got the
170
GEORGE BERNARD
AUTO
SHAW
BIOGRAFICE
171
clown in me ; and the clown trips mc up
in the most dreadful way. The English
public have said for a long time that I am
not serious, because you never know when
the red-hot poker will suddenly make its
appearance or I shall trip over something or
other.
(S. T., pp. 194195)
457 Un prieten al meu, medic specialist
n oftalmologie m-a lmurit cu privire la
condiia mea real. Acesta mi-a examinat
ochii ntr-o sear i m-a informat c
vederea mea nu-1 interesa ctui de puin
deoarece era normal. Am considerat
aceast declaraie, firete, ca un semn c
vedere;' mea este ca a celorlali oameni. El
ns a respins concluzia mea ca fiind drept
paradoxal i s-a grbit s-mi explice c
snt un om excepional i foarte norocos
prin faptul c am vedere normal i ca atare
vd lucrurile aa cum snt, ceea ce se poate
spune numai despre zece la sut dintre
oameni ; restul de nouzeci la sut avnd o
170
GEORGE BERNARD
SHAW
vedere anormal. Mi-am dat seama ndat

de ce nu am succes ca romancier ; ochiul
minii mele, ca i ochii obinuii, este
normal" i vede lucrurile altfel dect le vd
ali oameni i deci le vede mai bine.
I got a clue io my real condition from a
friend of mine, a physician who had
devoted himself specially to ophthalmic
surgery. He tested my eyesight one
evening, and informed me that it ivas quite
uninteresting to him because it was normal.
I naturally took this to mean thai it was like
everybody else's'; but he rejected this
construction as paradoxical, and hastened
to explain to me that I was an exceptional
and highly fortunate person optically, normal sight conferring the power of seeing
things accurately, and being enjoyed by
only about ten per cent of the population,
the remaining ninety per cent being
abnormal. I immediatey perceived the
explanation of my want of success in
fiction. My mind's eye, like my body's, was
normal" : it saw things differently from
other people's eyes, and
saw them better.
(S. L., p. xi)
315
INDICE TEMATIC
abilitate : 158 abolire : 17, 73 absolut :

100 abstinen : 361 abstraciune : 100,
430 absurditate : 98. 90, 390 abinere : 300,
361 abunden : 280 abuz : 250 accent :
425 accentuare : 353 accesibilitate : 417
oco;x! : 228 accident : 96 act : 371
activitate : 80, 177, 275
actori i actrie : 383391, 313, 329, 332,
373, 374, 378,' 384380, 388394, 396,
401405. 456
aciune : 97. 184. 288
acuratee : 412
316
acuz : 441 adecvare : 444 j^pi : 235

adevr : 90, 88, 270, 328,
350, 361, 366, 452 administraie : 245
admiraie : 38 adolesceni : 273 adoratori :
397 adres : 229 aduli : 263, 264. 275 aer :
125 afaceri: 33. 240 afectivitate : 254
afeciune : 45, 51 afinitate : 78 afirmaie :
353, 446 ngasare : 419 aju/or : 78, 171, 215
almuri: 353 alegere : 78, 198 alfa i omega
: 446
alfabet : 433 alian : 440 alinare : 78, 87
nmarfi : 41, 453 ambiguitate : 441
ameliorare : 129 american : 400 amintiri :
104, 195, 455 amuzament : 94 aiiai/abetii'm
: 428 anecdot : 403 Anglia : 431 a?iimai :
204 anormalitate : 457 anticlima.r : 450
antipatie : 132 aprare : 263, 268 apelativ :
456 apetit : 56 aplauze : 284, 396 aprecieri:
143 aprobare : 121 aptitudini : 405
argumente : 121, 200, 201
353, 431 Aristotel : 363 arma : 14
arta : 233, 315329, 341, 362, 388
arta actoriceasc i opera
dramatic : 392396 arta dramatic :
362364
arta literar : 347, 418
artist : 66, 314, 341, 376, 388, 392, 396
317
artistul cuvntului i limbajul : 418420

ascensiune : 407
ascultare : 162, 248
asemnare : 290
asociere : 78, 238
ateptare : 311
atacuri : 268
ateism : 83
atracie : 341
auditoriu : 396, 400
aur : 370
autocenzur : 404
autocontrol : 390
autodepire : 257
autoeducai* : 276
autoicredere : 403
autor : 363, 392, 394, 407, 408, 456
autorespect : 361
autoritate : 285, 287, 288
avere : 74
avertizare : 178
avocat : 419
banaliti : 341
bani : 167, 202, 236, 270, 275,
316, 327, 446, 452 baricade : 225
318
INDICE
TEMATIC
175
barier : 431 batjocur : 191 baz : 443
brbai : 14, 15, 60, 75, 230, 262, 372,
383, 384, 452, 455 brbai i femei : 27
43 btinai : 424, 430 btlie : 198
Beethoven, Ludwig von:
361, 402, 418 beneficiar : 272 Bernhardt,
Sarah : 394 bilingvism : 423 bine : 206, 216,
217, 245, 258 blestem : 271, 283 boal :
209 bogai : 204, 208, 275 bucluc : 46
bucurie : 275, 363, 453 bufon : 382
buncretere : 21, 266 bundispoziie : 353
buntate : 263, 269 bunele maniere : 227
bunuri : 270
calcul : 353
calificare : 274
calitate : 168, 199, 256, 397
calitate omeneasc : 296, 297
canalie : 257
caim ; 454
capacitate : 95, 106, 167, 277, 388
319
capodopere: 340, 341, 369 capriciu : 278

caracter : 126, 385 caracterul social al
limbajului : 421425 carier : 33, 384
carte : 58, 351, 352, 404 cas : 194
cauzalitate : 95, 96 cauz : 87, 95
Cavalerism : 15 cltorie : 260, 424 crare :
450
cstorie ; 15, 31, 55, 5975 183
cutare artistic : 327 ceart : 77, 226,
440 centri : 134 centra : 255 cer : 85, 297
cerc : 95 cerit : 243 certitudine : 452, 454
cinste : 100, 230, 231 circ : 341 citire : 431
civilizaie : 70, 209, 270, 316 clasa
muncitoare : 275 clas : 428
clasic : 366
clemen : 308
eterici : 419
etic : 207
clopoei: 382
clovn : 456
cod ciuiZ: 70
comediant: 416
comedie : 350, 353, 363, 364,
381, 382 comic : 3, 63, 378380 comitet:
206 companie : 67 comparaie : 237, 238
compasiune : 250 comptimire : 57, 83, 363
competen : 33 complicaii : 278 complot :
320
197 compozitori: 418 comunitate : 278

concentrare : 341 concesii : 411
concluzie : 121, 127, 184, 411,
457 condei : 420 condiie : 457
condiionare : 127 conduit : 4, 182, 184
confort : 8, 75 confrate : 346 confuzie : 290
consecine : 137, 290, 343
consecven : 433 consideraie : 455
conspiraie : 213 constan : 57
constringere : 356, 365 consum : 202, 270,
275 contiin : 87, 1G4, 263, 294,
312, 445 contemplare : 286
contemporan : 160 contestare : 87, 88
contract : 239 contradicie : 95, 357
contrazicere : 167 controvers : 87
conversaie : 134, 423 convingeri : 88,
160, 245,
274, 289, 394, 446 cooperarea cititorilor :
413 coordonatori: 288 copii : 14, 28, 58,
163, 374,
417, 431 copii i prini : 261, 265
copilrie : 83, 323, 430 corectitudine : 329,
425, 430 corecturi: 416 corp : 18, 19, 21
creaie : 257, 330, 343, 446 credin ; 85,
88, 118, 133,
244, 302. 307. 430, 447, 449,
454
321
credulitate : 87, 88, 155
INDICE
TEMATIC
177
cretere : 374, 420 crim : 98
critic ; 98, 278, 385, 412 critici : 83, 399,
408 cucerire : 375 cuceritor : 205 cultivare :
158, 301 cultur : 278
cunoatere : 8082, 125, 147, 158
cunoaterea comportamentului : 131
151, 160, 371 cunotine : 277 curaj : 30,
170 curenie : 302 curire : 126
curiozitate : 103 curte : !91
cuvinte : 353, 363, 394, 398, 400, 418,
419, 426, 427, 431, 432, 441, 445
dans : 415
dascl: 318
datorie : 184, 192, 275, 305,
410, 413 ddceal : 57
druire : 395 decaden : 253 decen :
49, 71, 75 declaraie : 305, 457 definiie :
363
delsare : 163 deliberare : 257
delicatea : 319 demnitate : 74, 275, 361
denaturare : 241213 deosebire : 264, 422
depire : 320, 352 dependen : 75
depopular : 15 depravare : 67 deprindere :
246 desvbrire : 163, 181, 269
descompunere : 250 descriere : 349 destin :
276 devenire : 167 devotament : 341

dezordine : 394 dezvoltare : 255
diagnostic : 203, 227 diavol : 241 dicionar :
432 dificultate : 33, 274, 319, 431, 436
dimensiune : 335 director : 369 dirijor :
418 discernmnt : 51 disciplin : 275
discipoli : 400 discurs : 403 discuii : 200,
278
dispre : 137, 301, 382, 397,
455, 457 distane : 227, 341 distincia :
365 distracii : 240 distrugere : 134. 139
divertisment: 452 divinitate : 163, 261
docilitate : 236, 245248 doctori : 21, 23,
24, 37, 457 dogmatism : 371 dogme : 361
domnioare : 16 Do?r Juan : 55 dor : 454
dorin : 383, 392 dragoste : 11, 4453,
124,
168, 283, 363, 452, 453 dramaturg : 335,
339, 348,
371, 376, 383, 392, 418 dram : 301, 371
373 drept : 171, 274 dreptate : 382
drepturi : 228, 264 dubluri : 332 durere :
180 Duse, Eleonora : 394 duman : 122, 195
echilibru : 351, 389 economie : 124, 233,
834 editor : 352, 409
educaia copilului : 266275 educaie :
83, 1G3 efect: 296, 302, 338, 341 eficien :
276, 377, 411, 446 efort : 270, 275, 296,

341, 352 egali : 423
egalitate : 185, 186, 290 egoism : 211,
223, 232, 392 egoist: 343 Elgar, Edward :
418 emoii : 353, 400, 404 energie : 397
englez : 123, 380, 417, 424,
431, 456 englez : 420, 425, 430 epoc:
251, 341, 343, 358,
452 eroism : 182 erori : 1S3, 366 erou :
383 eec : 179, 416, 447 eul : 392, 442
evenimente : 179 evlavioi : 84 evoluie :
163 Evreul Rtcitor : 453 exactitate : 429
examene : 277 excentric : 341 excepie : 87
exces : 163
execuie : 377, 393, 400
178
exerciiu : 393 exigen : 125, 126
existen : 271, 273 experien : 35, 51,
101110,
163, 261, 264, 376 experiment : 35, 373
expert: 393, 409 exprimare : 222, 443
extaz: 11, 159 extremism : 223, 226
extremist : 222
fabul : 348 faim : 221 fair play : 224

226 fals : 388 falsitate : 361 familie : 7479
fantezie : 347 fapte : 443
farmec : 31, 135, 158, 194
fascinaie : 392, 398, 452
fat : 74, 194
favorizare : 277
femei : 15, 75, 83, 136, 175,
283, 358, 363, 372, 383,
452454 fereastr : 302 fericire : 62, 72,
77. 172, 180,
273, 298, 363, 447 ferocitate : 438
fiina uman : 49 filantrop : 363
filantropie : 363 filozofi : 101, 358 film : 363
finalitate : 274 fizicieni: 83 flacr : 353
foame : 144, 157 folos .4 352, 434, 453
folosise : 453
fonetic : 393, 429, 430, 432
foneticicni: 430
form : 414
formul : 409
fortrea : 225
for : 301, 456
Frana : 431
frate : 78, 375
frumos : 323, 341
frumusee : 31, 135, 173, 400
fug : 195
gard : 416
gelozie : 214
generaie : 251
generozitate : 235
geniu : 158164, 287, 392,
397, 408, 446 gentleman : 201 germana :
417 germene : 45
germinafie : 165
gind : 102, 222, 278, 290, 352,
363, 405, 420, 437, 445 gndire : 132 247,
363, 374,
394
gnditor : 153, 199 glum : 94, 379, 456
gramatic : 425 gratuitate : 127 graie : 319
Grecia : 383 greeal : 110, 190, 454
greuti . 283
griji : 146 ;
gust : 175, 369 guvern : 123 guvernare :
289, 290
Hamlet : 303
Hanuel, Georg Friedrich: 418
hazard : 363 Heine, Heinrich : 382 himer
: 433 hrtie : 420 hoinreal : 267 Homer :
397 hotrrc : 279 ho : 270
iad : 84, 177, 216
ideal : 69, 120, 182, 220, 372,
421
idei : 54, 341, 372, 399, 400,

419, 447 ideograme chineze : 432 idiot :
130 idolatri : 196 iertare : 25, 139, 140
ignoran : 95, 125, 268 iluzie : 15, 48, 117,
320, 337,
341, 453 imaginaie : 87, 88, 119, 238,
330, 341, 448 imagine : 170, 317
imaturitate : 156, 163 imitaie : 313, 332,
333 imoralitate : 182, 184 imperfeciune :
418 impopularitate : 20 importan : 430
impozite : 205 improvizare : 383, 392
inactivitate : 285 incapacitate : 447
incorectitudine : 275 incredulitate : 87, 88
indecen : 136 indiferen : 295, 454
individ i ras : 9, 186, 191,
296, 363 individualitate : 33
indivizibilitate : 315 ineuitabiiul: 377
llilllliHlHlIU
180
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
181
infidelitate : 62 influen : 245, 392 inim
: 448 iniiativ : 373 inspiraie : 319, 388
instinct : 241, 254, 350, 383,
384, 400 instituie : 70 insult : 249, 424
integrare : 453 intelect : 344 inteligen :
400 inteligibilitate : 381 intensificare : 353
intenii : 52, 216, 217 interes : 147, 275,
311, 377,
452, 453 intervievare : 416 interviu : 416
intimitate : 78 intrig ; 354 inutilitate : 277
invenie : 383 ipocrizie : 266 iritare : 265
Irlanda : 447 irlandezi : 448 iscusin : 341
istorie : 108, 319 italiana : 394 iubire : 55,
218, 455
mpliniri : 225 nlime : 456 ncercare :
261, 280, 374 nchisoare : 87, 194, 271, 274
nclinaie : 383, 454 ncredere : 374, 375
ndatoriri : 33, 266 fndeminare : 199
ndrgostitul : 344, 363 ndrzneal : 222
ndreptare : 363 irifierare : 319 igduin :
268, 276 nger : 297 nrobire : 73 nrudire :
78 ntindere : 306 ntmplare : 78, 96
ntirziere : 190 ntrebare : 269 ntreg : 374
ntreinere : 273 nfeiegere : 140, 161,
269,
424, 425, 436 nelepciune : 105, 195,

237 znfeiepi : 104, 106, 109 infees : 400
nvare : 276, 281, 292, 351,
352, 405, 417, 431, 442 nvmint : 274
nvtor : 431 nvtur : 109 110, 167
jargon : 400 jeno : 215 jignire : 397
joc : 168, 240, 360, 383, 392, 393, 394,
396, 402, 404, 405
judecat : 292, 363, 385
judector : 192
jumti : 91, 92
justificare : 54
justiie injustiie : 190 193, 287
Landor, Walter Savage : 436
lascivitate : 136 la : 306 latin : 436
Lazr : 87 ocomie : 235 leac : 177 Lear :
364 lecii : 274, 341 legalitate : 183 lege a
naturii : 4 legi : 15, 186, 289 lene : 241, 257
lene : 278
libertate : 123, 268, 290, 291, 319, 452
libret: 353 limbaj : 440
limb : 397, 417, 418, 424,
427, 428, 429, 431, 437 439
limbi moarte : 435436
limitare : 366
limite : 341
linguire : 454
literatur : 134 316, 345, 347,
349, 446 locuitori : 425 logic : 98, 121,
259, 419 logician : 88 loialitate : 55, 56
Londra : 109, 122, 225, 273,
409, 425 loterie : 03
lucru : 143, 337. 346, 348,
863, 365, 366, 376, 445, 452,
455457 lume : 7, 98, 117. 132, 1.34,
197, 205, 251, 302, 309, 363,
387, 452 lupi : 1, 167, 225, 220, 257.
385. 438, 455 lux : 453
Macbeth : 364 maestru : 352 maimu :
163 mam : 21, 32, 55, 58, 307 maiiiere :
227, 254, 363, 422, 423
manual: 277
333
mar : 400
martiraj : 220
martor : 92
masacru : 16
masc : 253
mase : 199. 423
main de scris : 452
matematici : 434
material : 209, 353
maturizare : 156
maxim : 18
miestrie : 336339. 359
mreie i micime : 152
157, 334, 335, 456 mrturisire : 131, 451
mscrici : 257 msur : 53, 445
mediocritate : 215 melodie : 400, 404, 405,
444 melodram : 364 meiopee : 400
membri: 278 memorie : 405, 431
memorizare : 277 merit : 167 meserie : 383
metamorfoz : 88 metod : 259 metru : 353
roii : 308, 363 milioanele : 193 Milion. John
: 436
minciun : 90, 134
minte : 18, 19, 165, 257, 397,
430, 457 minuni : 8683, 365 miracol :
87, 88 mister : 95, 341 micare : 251, 323
mndrie : 301 minie : 77, 308 moarte : 370
ii
334
wcirl : 198 .iod : 254 moderaie : 283

286 modestie : 244, 341, 453 monolog : 403
monstru : 163 ?noral : 301, 329
moralitate : 182181 moravuri : 254, 363,
372 morfin : 361 mori : 323
motive : 15, 275, 285, 363 Mozart,
Wolfgang Amadeus: 400
mulumire : 149
munc : 75, 168, 232, 230,
271275, 278, 338, 382,
396, 397, 404, 409 muritor : 454
muenie : 134
muzic : 177 283. 353, 354, 418
muzician : 353, 397, 400, 401
natere : 21, 29, 87, 101, 164, 374
natura artistic : 325 natura uman : 419
natur : 116, 103, 176, 389 naiune : 162,
399, 431 nscocire : 430 neajunsuri : 181
neajutorare : 156, 268 neam : 250 nebun :
239
necesitate: 15, 51, 271, 275, 296
nedreptate : 193
nefericire : 172, 177, 180, 363,
453 negare : 88 nehotrre : 279, 282
nelimitate : 341 nemurire : 9, 420
nenorocire : 363 neomenie : 295 neplceri:
335
285 nerivnire : 300 nesiguran: 113, 114

nespecialiti : 213
nevoie : 349, 453 nobilime : 203 normal :
457 noroc : 457
nume : 391 numitor comun : 37
oaia neagr : 79 oameni de litere : 426
obicei : 131, 419 obiectivitate . 412
obinuin : 65, 209 obligaie : 78, 132, 240,
27'"> oboseal : 177, 247 453 obrz?iie:e :
54 obstacol : 225, 341 ochi : 457 ocupaie :
177 oftalmolog : 457 oglind : 126, 170, 317
om : 50, 83, 85, 8, 106109, 117, 119,
131, 143, 144, 146, 157, 161, 164, 166, 167,
177, 182, 183, 187, 188, 202, 204, 207, 210,
214, 217, 221, 228, 238240, 243245,
261, 277, 280, 289, 291, 292, 296, 311, 320,
343, 349, 351, 356, 363, 372, 382, 384, 385,
389, 390, 394, 397, 399, 410, 419, 423, 427,
430, 436, 438, 439, 442, 446, 449, 454, 455,
457 omenesc : 49
onoare : 230, 275, 302, 304, 430
onorabilitate : 230
184
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
INDICE TEMATIC
185
pcat : 295
p m n t : 297
prini : 74, 78, 266, 272
pedanterie : 424
pedeaps : 121, 242
perfecionare : 257261
perfeciune artistic . 374377, 393 pericol : 6, 11, 15, 91,
122,
128. 151, 433 periferie : 255
I perifraz
: 400 permisiune :
15, 264 persecuia : 132
persoan : 278, 424, 452
personaj ; 366, 383, 397
personalitate : 383, 384, 390
392
piatr fi lozofal : 184 piese :
373, 385, 392, 394, 399,
404, 406, 413 pitici : 296
plat : 275, 446 platitudini :
37G, 400 plcere : 78, 125,
180, 239,
240, 245, 283, 316, 365, 455
poet : 334, 334, 553 poezie :
134, 136, 350, 436 pofte : 40,
319 politic : 15,
33,
195
200,
240, 259, 290, 325 politician :
383, 419
oper : 341, 366, 408 oper de art : 317,

218 opinia public : 123 oprimarea voinei :
312 orator : 400 orchestr : 402 ordin : 200
ordine : 75, "63 ordinea naturii : 68
organizare social : 185, 188, 189
organizaii religioase : 208 org : 400
orientare : 245 originalitate : 448 oroare :
198
ortografie : 417, 430, 431, 434
pace : 294 pacoste : 22, 58 pantomin :
456 paradis : 84 paradox : 457 parazitism :
205220 parazii: 204 partitur : 418
336
184
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
INDICE TEMATIC
185
pasiune : 45, 47, 50, 65, 136, 146, 254, 376,

453
patetism : 394 patinaj : 276, 351
patinator : 276
popularitate : 59, 167, 393 populaie :
423, 452 pornografie n literatur:
349, 350 portret : 416 porunci : 182
posibilitate : 60, 446 posteritate : 164
povestitor : 365 po2 : 424 practic : 129
practic : 341 prefctorie : 394 preferine :
394, 455 pregtire : 274 prejudeci : 249
preocupare : 279 pres : 339, 354, 383,
365,
368, 369, 374 presiune economic : 384
presupunere : 41, 276, 341,
360
pretenii : 274
pre : 163, 446
preuire : 455
prezent : 111, 370
prezentare : 122
pricepere : 258
prieteni : 84, 122, 169171,
453, 454 principii : 89, 264, 424 producie
; 202, 273, 320
profesionalism : 442,
profesiuni : 33, 87, 213, 352
profesor : 400
337
184
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
INDICE TEMATIC
185
profit : 87, 276

progres : 251, 252, 254, 255,
351, 373 promisiuni : 370 pronunie :
393, 424, 426
434
proporie : 231 propoziie : 444
proprietate : 81 prostie : 128130, 441
prostituat : 350 prostituie : 75 proti :
128, 133, 162, 202, 305
providen : 165 provocare : 165 proz :
400 pruden : 302 psihologie : 117, 456
psihologia
limbajului :
438440 public : 373, 395, 396, 407,
456
publicare : 352 punct de vedere : 277
purificare : 226 putere : 167
rai : 84, 283
338
186
GEORGE
BERNARD IIAW
INDICE TEMATIC 187

randament : 278 raionalism . 97 raiune .
97100, 200, 256, 273
rdcini : 301 rgaz : 177, 816 rsplat :
341
ru : 90, 139, 157, 177, 132, 184, 192,
198, 207, 216, 23 rutate : 299
339*
rzboi : 1417, 252, 294, 433

rzbunare. : 263, 306 realitate : 249, 392,
443 realizri : 225, 446 recompens : 273
recreaie : 452 recunoatere : 51
recunotin : 325 refuz : 74, 369 rege : 196
regul : 115, 116, 121, 102, 184
relativitate : 121 124 relaii : 424
religie : 70, 83, 87, 361 remarc : 456
remediu : 192 remucare : 57 renghi : 155
renunare : 95, 301 repetiie : 235, 340,
368 replici : 305, 366
reporter : 316 representafie .- 353, 418
repro : 370 repudiere : 212 repulsie : 78
respect : 228, 352, 410, 417, 452
respectabilitate : 229 respingere : 457
responsabilitate ; 104, 184,
291295 resurse artistice : 361 retoric :
353, 363, 399 revoluionar : 188, 189
rezisten : 142, 197, 319 rezultai : 311,
373 ridicol : 276, 389 ridiculizare : 249, 363
rim : 353 riscuri : 268, 372 risip : 231
236 ritm : 254, 415 rs : 249, 250, 351, 363,
389 rol : 392, 394, 404, 405 roman : 349
romancier : 350, 457 rostire : 430 rude : 78
rugciuni : 93, 243 ruine : 305, 352
rutinar : 153 rutin : 149
340*
sabie :
394,
225
399
sacrific
senzai
iu : 218 e : 152
221, 296
satisfa
seriozit
cie : 148, ate : 380,
257, 377 452, 456
satura
servici
ie : 177
: 170,
270, 362,
363
sntat
servito
e : 18, 23, ri : 64
58, 174
211
scri :
sex :
260
350
scena
sfat :
vieii : 2 248, 270,
351, 416
scen :
sfetnic
356,
: 308
365, 384,
385,
390,
sfidare
392, 394 : 301
schimb
sfini :
are : 70, 296
341*
254, 426,
427
sclav :
40, 60,
123, 213,
388,
404,
454
scop :
182, 225,
241, 352,
392,
401
Scott,
Sir
Walter :
397
scrib :
418
Shakes
peare :
241, 386.
370,
407,
436. 445
Shaw
autor
dramatic
:
365
370. 376,
393, 407,
408,
443,
449451,
458, 457
Shaw
despre
Shakespe
are :
scriitor
397
: 336
405
340, 342
344,
342*
359,
444
Sliaw :
perspecti
va
autoruscris ;
lui :
364, 371, 404, 450,
418, 426 456, 457
428,
436,
Shaw
453, 454 i femeile
: 452
455
scrisori
siguran
: 453, 454 : 114
sculpto
simbol
r : 414
: 428
scurtt
simfoni
ur : 450 e : 354,
402
scuz :
simpati
184
e : 78,
237
secrete
simplit
: 130,
ate : 150
140, 166,
177,
227,
simm
309, 310 inte : 78
343*
securit
ate : 7, 8
seleci
e : 87,
308, 374
semeni
: 295
semnifi
caie :
363
sens :
336, 363,
419, 441
sentim
ent : 353,
383, 393,
simular
e : 378
sincerit
ate : 99,
443
sindica
lism : 75
singur
tate : 278
sinucid
ere : 363
sistem
: 98, 182,
418, 432
344*
INDICE TEMATIC
189
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

situaie : 444
singe : 29, 198, 226, 379
slbiciune : 390
snobi : 430
soare : 88
socialiti : 187
societate: 42, 56, 209, ,227,
251, 270, 272, 274, V275,
422, 423, 439 socoteal : 453 soldat : 30,
383 solo : 366 soluie : 78 so : 55, 58, 65,
66, 74 soie : 55, 58, 361 spadasin : 344
spaniola : 417 specialist : 130 spectacol :
3C3, 378 spectator : 224 speran : 319
spirit : 353, 414 standard : 182 stpini : 74,
211, 212 stea : 276
441stil : 365,
366, 416, 446
Strauss : 418 s-frni: 225. 424, 125
struguri : 145 studeni : 278 studiu : 278
stupiditate : 138 subiectivitate : 307
subordonare : 283 succes : 165168, 225,
395,
447, 457 suferin : 68, 312, 363 suflet :
317, 319, 363, 401,
446 sunet : 400
superiori i inferiori : 10, 74,

156,
198, 210212,
215, 288 superioritate : 51, 263
superlativ : 442 superstiii : 8 S suportare .
280 supoziii : 131, 201 supunere : 241
suspiciune : 18.':
sansa : 383 osea : 450 tiin : 125, 259
tactician : 199 taieif : 74, 158, 159,
221, 436
tandree : 57, 353 tat : 55
facere : 137, 302
tierea pieselor : 406, 407
team : 6, 105, 291, 363
teatrul: 355360, 363, 388, 399
tehnic : 199 tempo : 401
tentaie : 59, 142, 231, 456 teorii : 371
teroare : 363
Terry, Ellen: 374, 392, 454
ticloi: 157 ticloie : 302
timp : 107, 151, 283, 316,
341, 342 tineree : 352 tineri : 338 tipar :
404, 426, 431 tirani : 76, 211 tiranie : 319
titluri : 214 toba : 353 toleran : 29 ton :
401 tortur : 274, 318 tradiie : 181
tragedian : 456 tragedie : 350, 363 tragic:
312, 323, 363, 453,
456
tratament : 311 treab : 141 trecut : 104,

107, 348 trompet : 401
trud : 163, 194, 347, 375, 404
trap : 319, 361, 420, 431 trup : 404
turm : 79
(el : 167, 174 inut : 373
ucenicie : 341 umanitate : 364 umilire :
276 umor : 366, 382, 397 unicitate : 120
univers : 95
universiti: 90, 279, 315 ur : 50, 167,
218, 290, 295,
308, 417, 453 urcu : 260 urgen : 296
uria : 163, 296 uzin : 271, 273, 275
vacan : 177 vagabond : 267 valoare :
235, 453 vanitate : 390, 454 vduve : 42
vtrai : 200, 456 vecini : 132 vedere : 457
vegetarian : 451
190 GEOItGF BERNARD Sil AW
vehemen : 429
veneraie : 162
ventilaie : 125
verdict : 164
vers : 400402, 404
venicie : 5, 119\
via i moarta: 15, 9 13, 15, 20, 24,

29, 40, 83, 87, 95, 96, 102, 103, 118, 119,
129, 148, 167, 168, 175, 225, 233, 269, 276,
296, 316, 320, 324, 359, 361, 363, 365, 376,
399, 405, 415, 436, 446, 452, 453
viciu : 238, 300
victorie : 347
vid : 116, 325
viitor: 32, 104, 107, 111 116, 272, 273,
319, 348, 370
vin : 175
vinovie : 47, 134 virtuos : 446
Virtute : 124, 238, 300303, 433
vis i realitate: 117120,
260, 317, 352 vitalitate : 365 vocaie :
280, 281, 388 voin : 97, 344 vorbire : 134,
143, 378, 424,
425, 436 vrjitorie : 87 vrere : 279
vulgaritate : 366, 378 vulpe : 145
Webb, Beatrice : 454 Weismann : 87
whisky : 361 Wilde, Oscar : 455
zei : 220, 257, 292, 361, 414 ziare : 167,
455 ziaristic : 345, 346
INDCELE OPERELOR
PIESE
The Philanderer : 356
Mrs Warren's Profession : 309
The Man of Destiny : 143
The Devil's Disciple : 6, 221, 280
Caesar and Cleopatra : 205, 305, 311
Captain Brassbound's Conversion : 28,
174, 232
Man and Superman : 66, 123
John Bull's Other Island : 94, 179, 379,
418
Major Barbara : 17
The Doctor's Dilemma: 5, 61, 91, 99, 151,
183, 213, 295 Getting Married : 27, 40, 42,
76, 140, 201, 252, 286 The Shew:n?;-up of
Blanco Posnct : 14, 223 Misalliance : 2, 60,
166, 243; 239, 334 Fanny's First Play : 26,
43, 54, 72, 93, 103, 229 Androcles and the
Lion : 30, 38, 92 Overruled : 31, 47, 133,
144, 148 Pygmalion : 42
Great Catherine : 37, 150. 298
Back to Methuselah : 3, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13,
22, 48, 82, 87, 102, 104,
nnnuilMlMMIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIulllllllllllllllllllll
102
INDICELE OPERELOR
193
111, 113, 114, 137, 138, 147. 156, 196,

193, 207, 212, 306, 310, 317, 320322,
328, 330, 331, 348, 414, 415, 437 Saint Joan
: 308
The Apple Cart : 141, 206, 210, 227
Press Cuttings : 7, 52, 64, 108, 135, 200
The Glimpse of Reality.: 39
The Music-Cure : 101 \
Too True to Be Good : 29, 32, 34, 46, 107
Village Wooing : 36
On the Rocks : 16, 19, 63, 240
The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles :
35, 49, 53, 65. 172,
247, 292 The Six of Calais : 195 The
Millionairess : 62, 81, 193, 197 Geneva : 11,
287, 293, 332
PREFETE
Widowers' Houses : 408, 412
Man and Superman : 10, 18, 25, 59, 80,
85, 106, 109, 115, 117, 124, 125, 127, 128,
130, 131, 1.39, 142, 146, 152, 157, 161,
162, 173, 175, 176. 180, 185. 138. 189, 193,

196, 202, 203, 204, 209, 211, 214219,
222, 224, 230, 237, 238, 251, 253, 256, 281,
284, 290, 291, 300, 30.3, 304. 439, 446
Getting Married : 15, 58, 68, 69, 71, 73,
74, 75, 186, 239, 288, 296, 299
The Doctor's Dilemma : 20, 21, 23, 24
Parents and Children (Misalliance) : 70,
77, 84, 119, 177, 246,
261264, 267275, 273, 302, 312. 318,
435 Pygmalion : 417
The Sanity of Art : 342, 343, 345
Immaturity : 444
Cashel Byron's Profession : 445
ALTE OPERE
Collected Letters 18741894 : 33, 44, 50,
51, 79, 97, 98, 110,
112, 118, 121, 122, 154, 158, 159, 163,
164, 167, 168, 170, 178, 182, 184, 187, 199,
225, 226, 228, 235, 241, 244, 245, 248, 256,
258260, 279, 285, 297, 307, 311, 316,
329, 340, 341, 346, 351, 453, 360, 361, 365,
366, 369, 371377, 382, 388, 393396,
402407, 409411, 416, 441, 443, 447,
450, 452, 453
Ellen
Terry
and
Bernard
Shaw,
a
Correspondence : 282, 315, 364. 370, 451,
45-1, 455
To a Young Actress, the Letters of
Bernard Shaw to Molly Tompkins : 276, 385
Advice to a Young Critic and Other Letters
: 89, 368, 413
Shaw on Shakespeare : 354, 359, 397,
399401
Shaw on Theatre: 313, 362, 363, 367,
383, 384, 389392, 393, 456
George Bernard Shaw on Languange :
265, 418434, 436, 438, 457
Shaw on Religion : 83, 87, 88, 95. 96, 257
Our Theatre in the Nineties : 55, 67, 100,
155, 231, 249, 230, 254, 326, 333, 337, 340,
347, 355, 378, 380, 381, 387
194
London Music in 13881889 as Heard by
Corno di Bassetto : 202
The Quintessence of Ibsenism : 37, 56,
90, 145, 171, 220, 242, 336, 344
Platform and Pulpit : 132, 149, 165, 449
Table Talk of Bernard Shaw : 77, 126, 134,
136, 190, 225, 277, 294, 301, 324, 325/327,
335, 339, 349, 350, 357, 358, 440
BIBLIOGRAFIE
The Complete Plays of Bernard Shaio,

Paul Hamlyn, London, 1965.
The Complete Prefaces of Bernard
Shaw, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1965.
Collected Letters 18741897, ed. Dan.
H. Laurence, Max
Reinhardt, 1965. Ellen Terry and Bernard
Shaw, a Correspondence, ed.
Christopher St. John, Max Reinhardt,

London, 1952. To a Young Actress, the
Letters of Bernard Shaw to Molly Tompkins,
ed. Peter Tompkins, Clarkson N. Potter
Publisher,
New York, 1960. Advice to a Young Critic
and Other Letters, Capricorn
Books, New York, 1963. Shaw on Theatre,
ed. E. J. West, Hill and Wang, New York,
1961.
Shaw on Shakespeare, ed. Edwin Wilson,
E. P. Dutton & Co., New York.
George Bernard Shaw on Language, ed.
Abraham Tauber,
Peter Owen, London, 1965. Shaw on
Religion, Constable, London, 1967. Our
Theatre in the Nineties, 3 vol., Constable &
Co., 1948.
195
London Music in 18881889 as Heard by
Corno di Bassetto (Later Known as Bernard
Shaw) with Some Further Autobiographical
Particulars, Constable & Co., London.
The Quintessence of Ibsen]sm, London,
1891.
Platform and Pulpit, ed. Dan H. Laurence,
Rupert Hart-Davies, London, 1962.
CUPRINS
Prefa...... v
Not asupra ediiei
XVII
I Existent 1
II Cunoatere "
IIIMoravuri i instituii sociale .
.
.
53
71
IV.................Educaie i etic
V Art....... 94
VI Limbai.. .11R
lfl
VII Autobiografice
''
Indice tematic
Indicele operelor
17
'
191
Colecia COGITO
Cri n curs de apariie
Cugeiri poloneze
Antologia
nsumeaz
extrase
din
nelepciunea aforistic prezent n scrierile
unor personaliti ale culturii poloneze.
Volumul este realizat i prefaat de Nicolae
Mare.
Proverbe romneti i proverbele lumii
romanice
Lucrarea, prima de acest fel care apare n
ara
noastr,
reprezint
un
studiu
comparativ, cu trimiteri la surse, ntre
proverbele romneti i cele ale lumii
romanice
(latin,
francez,
italian,
portughez, spaniol).
Un amplu studiu introductiv datorat
pasionatului cercettor Gabriel Gheorghe
prezint opinii i concluzii de un real interes
privind vechimea i locul proverbelor
romneti n aria civilizaiei romanice.
Trei secole de paradox
Alctuit pe criteriul istoric, culegerea

cuprinde paradoxuri nfiate sub forme
lapidare, ca i pasaje mai ample cu caracter
de paradox, selectate din operele unor
valoroi scriitori (Swift, Voltaire, Gogoi,
Thackeray, O. Wilde, Shaw, Proust, Huxley,
Heine, R. Musil, Arghezi, Iorga, Clinescu,
Camil Petrescu etc). Antologia, alctuit de
Eugen B. Marian, este nsoit de o prefa.
semnat de criticul literar Silvian Ioifescu.

Aforisme, Paradoxuri, Cugetari - George Bernard Shaw

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PREFAA

Nu exist truism mai evident i mai banal

oper literar, deci, trebuie s fie n mod

a contribui la crearea unei societi mai

retorism, procedeu eficace pentru a obine

adevruri structurate ca paradoxuri, ci a

dovedi un conversaionalist" de mare

reciproc admiraia, nici unul nici cellalt nu

G.B.S. nu l-a neles pe Marx, n-a devenit un

n muzic milita pentru promovarea lui

scriu prefee substaniale i indicaii

pronunat, ce venea n contradicie cu

zise dup vrsta de 50 de ani, iar bietul

unde, prin elanul vital" ce slluiete n

G.B.S. recunotea mai trziu c are multe

poate ascunde artificialitatea situaiilor.

dictonului : Mai bine mai trziu dect

Culegerea de fa nu este dect strdania

Am ncercat n acest volum s dm o

ctre scriitor. Ea cuprinde 52 de piese, 5

constituit atacuri virulente la adresa imperialismului,

excepional de idei confer portretului

c am considerat necesar s oglindim cel

pn n prezent nici un singur volum de

s-au ndrgostit de acest vrjitor cu barba

derer Ph., Mrs Warren's Profession Mrs

XXII NOTA ASUPRA EDIIEI

S.C., The Millionairess M., Geneva G.

ale marelui maestru al cuvntului care a fost

It is a law of Nature that there is a fixed

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

not worth living if you have to bother about

jl3 Moartea nu nseamn nimic altceva

iile periculoase, pe scurt, pentru a

IS Un rzboi de exterminare este un

20 Folosete-i sntatea pn la limita

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

22 Trupul ntotdeauna sfrete prin a

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

24 F obligatoriu ca doctorul care

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

30 O femeie trebuie s fie mai

gerat de dificil s transfere ndatoririle lor

34 Un brbat trebuie s aib o femeie

38 Toi brbaii snt la fel fa de o

3 Aforisme, paradoxuri, cugetri

39 O fat srac nu poate da mai mult

passion : the passion is the germ of the

50 Un om este o unitate din punct de

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

decit cu o ur i o dragoste care sint

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

52 Dragostea dragostea adevrat

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

tandreea lor este adncit de remucarea

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

adesea i nici pentru prea mult timp

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

of the time he devotes to business and to

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

/ 61 Oamenii care au considerat

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

64 Orice femeie devine o servitoare