Mixed-Up Shaw's

"This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

I came across the italicized quote in search of some quotes for the Habitat for Humanity trip we had embarked on. I was inspired so I looked up more information about George Bernard Shaw and it turns out that he was quite the advocate for social justice and worked extensively to criticize education, health care, religion, government, and class privilege.

He's won the Nobel Prize for Literature (turned down the monetary prize) and an Oscar for the movie Pygmalion.

I had originally thought the quote came from the Civil War colonel, Robert Gould Shaw who led the 54th colored regiment. If you've ever watched the movie Glory, you'd get an idea of who Robert Gould Shaw was (I'd highly recommend it if you haven't seen it already). The movie is based on the 200+ letters he had written on his travels as a Union soldier. I felt a bit guilty getting their identities mixed up but since they're both notable advocates of social justice, I don't think either would mind the mix up. =)