“I am a Millionaire. Source That is my religion.”
This single, audacious line comes from the character Andrew Undershaft in George Bernard Shaw‘s play Major Barbara. With his signature wit, Shaw encapsulates a profound critique of modern society. He strips away the veneer of piety and exposes a raw truth. In the industrial age, commerce was becoming the new faith. This quote serves as a perfect entry point into Shaw’s brilliant and relentless examination of capitalism, morality, and religion. He masterfully used satire to challenge the conventional wisdom of his time.
Shaw’s statement is intentionally provocative. By equating millionaire status with religion, he highlights a seismic shift in societal values. Religion traditionally provides a moral compass and a sense of purpose. However, Shaw suggests that the pursuit of wealth has usurped this role. The declaration isn’t just about greed. It is about a new belief system. This system has its own doctrines, ethics, and path to salvation. For Undershaft, financial power is the ultimate reality. It is more tangible and influential than any spiritual creed. This brilliant juxtaposition forces the audience to confront an uncomfortable question: what does our society truly worship?
The Gospel of Wealth: Shaw’s Critique of Capitalism
To understand Shaw’s wit, we must look at his politics. Source George Bernard Shaw was a leading figure in the Fabian Society. . This political philosophy deeply informed his writing. He did not see poverty as a moral failing of the poor. Instead, he viewed it as the ultimate crime committed by society itself. For him, capitalism was a system that created and perpetuated this crime.
His plays often feature characters who thrive in this system. Andrew Undershaft is an arms manufacturer, a merchant of death. Yet, Shaw presents him as clear-eyed and unsentimental. Undershaft argues that providing jobs and wages does more good than any charity. He sees poverty as the only true sin because it degrades the human spirit. Therefore, his “religion” of being a millionaire is his solution to this sin. Through this lens, Shaw critiques both the brutal logic of capitalism and the ineffective idealism of traditional morality that fails to address root causes.
Commerce as a New Creed
Shaw masterfully illustrates how the machinery of commerce mimics the structure of organized religion. The marketplace has its own high priests, the industrialists and financiers. It has its own sacred texts, like Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. Furthermore, this new creed promotes a specific set of virtues. Ambition, relentless competition, and profit maximization become the highest goals. In contrast, poverty is not just a state of being; it is a mark of failure, a form of damnation.
In this system, salvation is not found in the afterlife but in earthly financial success. Shaw’s genius was in recognizing this substitution. He saw that society paid lip service to religious ideals on Sunday. However, it practiced the religion of commerce from Monday to Saturday. The quote from Undershaft is the blunt confession of this societal hypocrisy. It reveals that the true power shaping human lives was not in the church, but in the factory and the bank.
The Fading Power of Traditional Faith
Shaw frequently aimed his satirical arrows at organized religion. He saw it as an institution often disconnected from the real-world suffering of the people. While churches preached of heavenly rewards, millions languished in squalor. He found this disconnect to be profoundly hypocritical. His work suggests that traditional faith had become a passive force. It was unable to solve the pressing social problems created by industrialization.
Consequently, characters like Undershaft represent a new, active power. His wealth can build cities, feed families, and shape nations. This tangible power makes spiritual promises seem abstract and weak. Shaw challenges the audience to consider which force has a greater impact on their lives. Is it the sermon from the pulpit or the wage from the factory owner? The answer, in Shaw’s world, is uncomfortably clear. His critique is not necessarily a rejection of spirituality itself. It is a powerful indictment of religious institutions that have lost their relevance in a world dominated by economic forces.
Ultimately, George Bernard Shaw’s wit remains incredibly potent today. We live in an age of consumer culture where net worth is often equated with self-worth. His observation that commerce has become a religion feels more relevant than ever. Shaw’s words serve as a timeless mirror, forcing us to examine our own values. He challenges us to think critically about the beliefs we truly live by. His brilliant satire reminds us that sometimes the most profound truths are hidden within the sharpest jokes.