--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On Monday last I sat without a murmur in…" description: "\"“On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre on a summer afternoon from three to nearly half-past 6, spellbound by Ibsen; but the price I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png" --- # On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre… ![“On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre on a summer afternoon from three to nearly half-past 6, spellbound by Ibsen; but the price I paid for it was to find myself stricken with mortal impatience and boredom the next time I attempted to sit out the pre-Ibsenite drama for…” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png) > ““On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre on a summer afternoon from three to nearly half-past 6, spellbound by Ibsen; but the price I paid for it was to find myself stricken with mortal impatience and boredom the next time I attempted to sit out the pre-Ibsenite drama for five-minutes.”” [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. Even in an enjoyable setting, impatience can arise from personal discomfort. **In simple terms:** Boredom can appear in any setting. Key Takeaway Recognize and address personal discomfort. Themes patience boredom self‑awareness Mood thoughtful ironic Type dramatic philosophical When to use this quote - theater attendance - long meetings - travel delays - study sessions Key Concepts psychology human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your impatience? - How can you transform boredom into focus? A Different Perspective External factors may not be the true source of impatience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ibsen/) [Ibsen Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ibsen-price-5510538/) [Ibsenite Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ibsenite-drama-5510536/) [Mortal Impatience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortal-impatience-5510539/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaw/) [Spellbound Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spellbound-ibsen-5510537/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I am sorry to have to introduce the subject of Christmas into these articles. It is an indecent subject; a cruel, gluttonous subject; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-am-sorry-to-have-to-introduce-the-subject-of-christmas-into-these/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“No es ningún mérito sufrir”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/no-es-ning-n-m-rito-sufrir/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“If an imaginative boy has a sufficiently rich mother who has intelligence, personal grace, dignity of character without harshness, and a cultivated sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-an-imaginative-boy-has-a-sufficiently-rich-mother-who-has/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Ten times a day I am compelled to reflect on my past life ... and I can never justify to myself the spending of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/ten-times-a-day-i-am-compelled-to-reflect-on-my-past-life-and-i-can/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [ “And if I am further pressed to declare straightforwardly whether I mean to disparage these authorities \[who criticize Ibsen\], I reply, pointedly, that I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/and-if-i-am-further-pressed-to-declare-straightforwardly-whether-i/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“The weak may not be admired and hero-worshipped; but they are by no means disliked or shunned; and they never seem to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-weak-may-not-be-admired-and-hero-worshipped-but-they-are-by-no/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Vital art comes always from a cross between art and life: art being of one sex only, and quite sterile by itself. Such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/vital-art-comes-always-from-a-cross-between-art-and-life-art-being-of/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Loyalty in a critic is corruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/loyalty-in-a-critic-is-corruption/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, wrote, "One of these days, the younger generation will come knocking at my door." The future is knocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-great-norwegian-playwright-henrik-ibsen-wrote-one-of-these-days/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Zar nije neobično dražesna? To je bilo mišljenje i čitavog društva. Ali užasno je tvrdoglavo - to slatko malo stvorenje.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/zar-nije-neobi-no-dra-esna-to-je-bilo-mi-ljenje-i-itavog-dru-tva-ali/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“Henrik Ibsen hung a picture of August Strindberg over his desk. “He is my mortal enemy and shall hang there and watch while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/henrik-ibsen-hung-a-picture-of-august-strindberg-over-his-desk-he-is/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [If Ibsen's 'Enemy of the People' were alive today, he would recognize the ethic that has informed capitalist and communist countries alike - economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-york/if-ibsen-s-enemy-of-the-people-were-alive-today-he-would-recognize/) [Susannah York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-york/) > [I don't think my looks are modern. I always imagined I'd end up doing Chekhov, Ibsen and Shakespeare all my life and never play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kingston/i-don-t-think-my-looks-are-modern-i-always-imagined-i-d-end-up-doing/) [Alex Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kingston/) > [“...only the one who knows and practices the iconoclastic fury of destruction can possess the joy born of freedom, of that unique freedom fertilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-novatore/only-the-one-who-knows-and-practices-the-iconoclastic-fury-of/) [Renzo Novatore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-novatore/) ## 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 Ibsen quotes > [“...only the one who knows and practices the iconoclastic fury of destruction can possess the joy born of freedom, of that unique freedom fertilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-novatore/only-the-one-who-knows-and-practices-the-iconoclastic-fury-of/) [Renzo Novatore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-novatore/) > [I don't think my looks are modern. I always imagined I'd end up doing Chekhov, Ibsen and Shakespeare all my life and never play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kingston/i-don-t-think-my-looks-are-modern-i-always-imagined-i-d-end-up-doing/) [Alex Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kingston/) > [If Ibsen's 'Enemy of the People' were alive today, he would recognize the ethic that has informed capitalist and communist countries alike - economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-york/if-ibsen-s-enemy-of-the-people-were-alive-today-he-would-recognize/) [Susannah York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-york/) > [“Henrik Ibsen hung a picture of August Strindberg over his desk. “He is my mortal enemy and shall hang there and watch while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/henrik-ibsen-hung-a-picture-of-august-strindberg-over-his-desk-he-is/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“Zar nije neobično dražesna? To je bilo mišljenje i čitavog društva. Ali užasno je tvrdoglavo - to slatko malo stvorenje.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/zar-nije-neobi-no-dra-esna-to-je-bilo-mi-ljenje-i-itavog-dru-tva-ali/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, wrote, "One of these days, the younger generation will come knocking at my door." The future is knocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-great-norwegian-playwright-henrik-ibsen-wrote-one-of-these-days/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I'm a big guy: I look like a linebacker, you know? But no one cares, really, that I'm educated. I have a copy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tyree-henry/i-m-a-big-guy-i-look-like-a-linebacker-you-know-but-no-one-cares/) [Brian Tyree Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tyree-henry/) > [“She looked like something that might have occurred to Ibsen in one of his less frivolous moments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/she-looked-like-something-that-might-have-occurred-to-ibsen-in-one-of/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what Ibsen termed "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christianity-messianic-socialism-these/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [“He shook his fist at her. He was the mildest of creatures and ventured upon no action of his life without consulting her. “No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-shook-his-fist-at-her-he-was-the-mildest-of-creatures-and-ventured/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [Ibsen is like this room where we are sitting, with all the tables and chairs. Do I care whether you have twenty or twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanora-duse/ibsen-is-like-this-room-where-we-are-sitting-with-all-the-tables-and/) [Eleanora Duse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanora-duse/) > [ I did \[Henrik\] Ibsen and \[Anton\] Chekhov for years. Obviously I didn't get the kind of recognition I have now. Somebody once told me,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/i-did-henrik-ibsen-and-anton-chekhov-for-years-obviously-i-didn-t-get/) [Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/) > [“And many a time, towards the end of life, does the genius repent of his choice. "It would be better not to startle the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/and-many-a-time-towards-the-end-of-life-does-the-genius-repent-of-his/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [Gemma Arterton in 'The Master Builder' at the Almeida - she was absolutely brilliant. Ibsen is difficult and quite hard to follow, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/gemma-arterton-in-the-master-builder-at-the-almeida-she-was/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) [Browse all 43 Ibsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ibsen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre on a summer afternoon from three to nearly half-past 6, spellbound by Ibsen; but the price I paid for it was to find myself stricken with mortal impatience and boredom the next time I attempted to sit out the pre-Ibsenite drama for five-minutes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Bernard Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in-a-stuffy-theatre-on-a-summer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ibsen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in-a-stuffy-theatre-on-a-summer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/george-bernard-shaw-68_ibsen_on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in_2314646.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On Monday last I sat without a murmur in a stuffy theatre on a summer afternoon from three to nearly…” — 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": "“On Monday last I sat without...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in-a-stuffy-theatre-on-a-summer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/on-monday-last-i-sat-without-a-murmur-in-a-stuffy-theatre-on-a-summer/#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 } } ] } ```