--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I must ... warn my readers that my…" description: "\"I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png" --- # I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed… ![“I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png) > “I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.” [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. Shaw warns that his critiques target the audience’s own flaws, not the characters he portrays. **In simple terms:** He criticizes readers, not fictional figures. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal biases. Themes self‑criticism artistic intent audience engagement Mood thoughtful provocative Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - theatre criticism - personal reflection - literary analysis Key Concepts dramatic irony psychology social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do you react when art points at yourself? - What can you learn from self‑examination? A Different Perspective Some may feel attacked rather than enlightened. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) [Attacks Directed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks-directed-5120046/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Readers Attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-attacks-5120045/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Warn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warn/) [Warn Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warn-readers-5120044/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) ## Related quotes > [But I warn my colleagues that we will fail in our efforts to protect the homeland if we do not take additional steps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-warn-my-colleagues-that-we-will-fail-in-our-efforts-to-protect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You really oughta warn a guy when you're going all glamorous on him, so he'd be prepared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamond-du-jardin/you-really-oughta-warn-a-guy-when-you-re-going-all-glamorous-on-him/) [Rosamond du Jardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamond-du-jardin/) > [“Rumblings of thunder warn us lightning may occur. Crashing thunder tells us lightning has occurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aegelis/rumblings-of-thunder-warn-us-lightning-may-occur-crashing-thunder/) [Aegelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aegelis/) > [The medieval doctors of divinity who did not pretend to settle how many angels could dance on the point of a needle cut a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-medieval-doctors-of-divinity-who-did-not-pretend-to-settle-how/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What I did warn about when I testified in front of Congress in 2002, I said if you want to worry about a state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/what-i-did-warn-about-when-i-testified-in-front-of-congress-in-2002-i/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-deliberately-plan-on-being-less-than-you-are-capable-of-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Holy Ghost will warn us of danger, and it will inspire us to help others in need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-holy-ghost-will-warn-us-of-danger-and-it-will-inspire-us-to-help/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [I have to warn you. I promised my mother, a long time ago. She said I had to give folks a chance to walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-have-to-warn-you-i-promised-my-mother-a-long-time-ago-she-said-i/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [All a poet can do today is warn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/all-a-poet-can-do-today-is-warn/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [I warn you now. Anything happens to my mate or my son, we will hunt you down and rip you into so many pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-warn-you-now-anything-happens-to-my-mate-or-my-son-we-will-hunt-you/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“remind that boy your body is not his home he is a guest warn him to never outstep his welcome again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/remind-that-boy-your-body-is-not-his-home-he-is-a-guest-warn-him-to/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“You shouldn't have to warn people about your family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/you-shouldn-t-have-to-warn-people-about-your-family/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [“At every turn you propose to take, you will find someone to warn you away, to tell you not to take that road, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/at-every-turn-you-propose-to-take-you-will-find-someone-to-warn-you/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [I ought to warn you that my verse is of no interest to people who can think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-ought-to-warn-you-that-my-verse-is-of-no-interest-to-people-who-can/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [Once I will warn you, and then I will fire you! I have a zero-tolerance-plus-one policy for gossip. I will teach you once, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/once-i-will-warn-you-and-then-i-will-fire-you-i-have-a-zero-tolerance/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) ## 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. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Attacks quotes > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [At sleepovers I would have panic attacks trying to break it to girls that they didn't want to kiss me without outing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/at-sleepovers-i-would-have-panic-attacks-trying-to-break-it-to-girls/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [I knew I was having a panic attack. I hadn't had one in a while, though, and I'd forgotton how it makes me feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-knew-i-was-having-a-panic-attack-i-hadn-t-had-one-in-a-while-though/) [Hemantsmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemantsmarty/) > [We now know that gun-free zones, though well intentioned, do not prevent attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/we-now-know-that-gun-free-zones-though-well-intentioned-do-not/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) > [Weichel hits very hard and is very good with the timing of his attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-freire/weichel-hits-very-hard-and-is-very-good-with-the-timing-of-his-attacks/) [Patricio Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-freire/) > [The wrongful arrest of tens of thousands of British Muslims after the September 11 attacks can be explained by the very poor intelligence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/the-wrongful-arrest-of-tens-of-thousands-of-british-muslims-after-the/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [Mediocrity always attacks excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/mediocrity-always-attacks-excellence/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/less-than-a-year-after-the-sept-11-attacks-al-qaida-attacks-were/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) [Browse all 291 Attacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Bernard Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-are-directed-against/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attacks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-are-directed-against/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/george-bernard-shaw-68_attacks_i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-a_636624.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I must ... warn my readers that my attacks are directed against themselves, not against my stage figures.” — George Bernard Shaw", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Bernard Shaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I must ... warn my readers...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-are-directed-against/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-must-warn-my-readers-that-my-attacks-are-directed-against/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```