--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned long ago, never to wrestle with…" description: "\"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_i-learned-long-ago-never-to-wrestle-with_516630.png" --- # I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get… ![“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_i-learned-long-ago-never-to-wrestle-with_516630.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_i-learned-long-ago-never-to-wrestle-with_516630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_i-learned-long-ago-never-to-wrestle-with_516630.png) > “I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging with a problem that is inherently messy leads to personal compromise and a loss of dignity. **In simple terms:** Fighting a pig gets you dirty and the pig enjoys it. Key Takeaway Avoid futile conflicts that degrade you. Themes conflict integrity pragmatism Mood cynical pragmatic Type dramatic satirical When to use this quote - political debate - personal relationships - legal disputes - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts oral compromise self‑preservation Questions to Reflect On - When is it worth getting dirty for a cause? - Can compromise ever be honorable? A Different Perspective Some battles may be necessary despite messiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ## Related quotes > [Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/never-get-into-a-wrestling-match-with-a-pig-you-both-get-dirty-and/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“One of the things I learned firsthand as a child, growing up in Zacatecas, Mexico was... that when you fight with a pig, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/one-of-the-things-i-learned-firsthand-as-a-child-growing-up-in/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [I remembered something my first partner had told me. Never wrestle with a pig, Lindsay. You both get dirty. The pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-remembered-something-my-first-partner-had-told-me-never-wrestle/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) Udechukwu D0navan > [Don't ever wrestle with a pig. You'll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cale-yarborough/don-t-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-you-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) [Cale Yarborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cale-yarborough/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig. Youll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-youll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead. Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I learned long ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-wheels-are-turning-but-the-hamsters-are-all-dead-make-it-idiot/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/never-wrestle-with-pigs-you-both-get-dirty-and-the-pig-likes-it/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I like the expression, Dont fight with a pig. Youll just get dirty and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/i-like-the-expression-dont-fight-with-a-pig-youll-just-get-dirty-and/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [When you get in the mud with a pig, you get dirty and the pig gets happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/when-you-get-in-the-mud-with-a-pig-you-get-dirty-and-the-pig-gets/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [Administrators are like pigs; don't wrestle with a pig because you both get dirty and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/administrators-are-like-pigs-don-t-wrestle-with-a-pig-because-you/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Never Fight With A Pig. You Will Get Dirty, And The Pig Will Love It.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/never-fight-with-a-pig-you-will-get-dirty-and-the-pig-will-love-it/) Pacifiersucker > [Don't wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/don-t-wrestle-with-pigs-you-both-get-dirty-and-the-pig-likes-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you wrestle with a pig, he has fun, and you just end up dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/when-you-wrestle-with-a-pig-he-has-fun-and-you-just-end-up-dirty/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“As Bill likes to say, never wrestle a pig in the mud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/as-bill-likes-to-say-never-wrestle-a-pig-in-the-mud/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. 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