George Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian. He felt it was cruel to kill animals for food when we can live healthy lives without the need for meat.
Shaw’s vegetarianism was because of his pacifist nature as he was also opposed to war and cruelty of any kind. Here are some of the best quotes from Shaw about vegetarianism:
When a man of normal habits is ill, everyone hastens to assure him that he is going to recover. When a vegetarian is ill (which fortunately very seldom happens), everyone assures him that he is going to die, and that they told him so, and that it serves him right. They implore him to take at least a little gravy, so as to give himself a chance of lasting out the night.
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The average age (longevity) of a meat eater is 63. I am on the verge of 85 and still work as hard as ever. I have lived quite long enough and am trying to die; but I simply cannot do it. A single beef-steak would finish me; but I cannot bring myself to swallow it. I am oppressed with a dread of living forever. That is the only disadvantage of vegetarianism.
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A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows.
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While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?
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We cut the throat of a calf and hang it up by the heels to bleed to death so that our veal cutlet may be white; we nail geese to a board and cram them with food because we like the taste of liver disease; we tear birds to pieces to decorate our women’s hats; we mutilate domestic animals for no reason at all except to follow an instinctively cruel fashion; and we connive at the most abominable tortures in the hope of discovering some magical cure for our own diseases by them.
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I choose not to make a graveyard of my body for the rotting corpses of dead animals.
Well, upon my soul! You are not ashamed to stand there and confess yourself a disgusting drunkard.
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There is no sincerer love than the love of food.
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Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.
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As well consult a butcher on the value of vegetarianism as a doctor on the worth of vaccination.
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George Bernard Shaw’s life and career
Great Irish quotes – a flair for the memorable quote