“The fickleness of the women I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me.”
Explore More About George Bernard Shaw
If you’re interested in learning more about George Bernard Shaw and their impact on history, here are some recommended resources:
- 1300+ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW QUOTES: Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote more than 60 plays during his lifetime and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925
- Bernard Shaw: The One-Volume Definitive Edition
- George Bernard Shaw
- The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Letters and Essays: Plays, novels, essays, and political satire from a Nobel Prize winner
- Saint Joan (Clydesdale Classics)
- Best-Loved Bernard Shaw (Best-Loved Irish Writers)
- Bernard Shaw: a biography. A complete set of 4 volumes – The search for love, 1856-1898: The pursuit of power, 1898-1918: The lure of fantasy, 1918-1951: The last laugh, an epilogue, 1950-1991
- George Bernard Shaw Plays Collection: Pygmalion, Arms and the Man, Man and Superman, Heartbreak House, The Devil’s Disciple, Major Barbara, Androcles … Warren’s Profession, The Doctor’s Dilemma
- George Bernard Shaw’s Plays: Mrs Warren’s Profession, Pygmalion, Man and Superman, Major Barbara : Contexts and Criticism
- Major Cultural Essays (Oxford World’s Classics)
- George Bernard Shaw: with annotations (Chesterton Greatest Works)
- Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw
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This witty and cynical observation captures a common human dilemma. The words belong to the celebrated Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. He was a master of paradox and social commentary. This particular quote reveals a deep understanding of romantic frustration. It exposes the painful irony often found in matters of the heart. The line perfectly balances humor with a sharp, almost cruel, honesty about desire and attraction.
In essence, the quote presents a two-sided problem. On one hand, the speaker desires people who are emotionally unavailable or inconsistent. On the other hand, he receives persistent attention from those he does not desire. This creates a no-win situation familiar to many. It is a concise summary of unrequited love and unwanted affection happening simultaneously.
The Source of Shaw’s Wit
This memorable line comes from Shaw’s 1897 play, The Philanderer. Source The play itself is a satire. It critiques the social conventions of late Victorian England, particularly regarding love and marriage. The main character, Leonard Charteris, is a charming but commitment-phobic man. He finds himself entangled with two women: one he pursues and another who pursues him.
Charteris speaks this line to articulate his romantic predicament. The woman he loves, Julia Craven, is volatile and unpredictable. Her