--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must not stay as we are, doing always…" description: "\"We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png" --- # We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done… ![“We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png) > “We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud.” [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. Stagnation comes from repeating past actions; progress requires change. **In simple terms:** Avoid repeating old habits. Key Takeaway Embrace new approaches. Themes change progress stagnation Mood motivational challenging Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - business strategy - personal development - social reform Key Concepts innovation risk adaptability Questions to Reflect On - What old habit holds you back? - How can you experiment with a new method this week? A Different Perspective Clinging to tradition can trap you in mediocrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I swear, Oliver, when did you become such a stick-in-the-mud?” “I’ve always been a stick-in-the-mud.” Her brother cast her a thin smile. “I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/i-swear-oliver-when-did-you-become-such-a-stick-in-the-mud-i-ve/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [I am a kind of burr; I shall stick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-a-kind-of-burr-i-shall-stick/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I stay doing me,as a matter of fact I'm about to do some more of me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anomosity/i-stay-doing-me-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-m-about-to-do-some-more-of-me/) [Anomosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anomosity/) > [I shall stick to my resolution of writing always what I think no matter whom it offends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ward-howe/i-shall-stick-to-my-resolution-of-writing-always-what-i-think-no/) [Julia Ward Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ward-howe/) > [That industry expects you to prove yourself over and over again. Do I stay doing this, or do I raise my daughter and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-bonet/that-industry-expects-you-to-prove-yourself-over-and-over-again-do-i/) [Lisa Bonet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-bonet/) > [We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time, or we shall stick in the mud. Yet neither must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always-what-was-done-last-time-or-we/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/an-election-is-a-moral-horror-as-bad-as-a-battle-except-for-the-blood/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [When it's my time I shall have and I won't complain...Something about being in love with your best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-s-my-time-i-shall-have-and-i-won-t-complain-something-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I can, I will make an album each year, but time shall tell if this works out. I have other things to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varg-vikernes/if-i-can-i-will-make-an-album-each-year-but-time-shall-tell-if-this/) [Varg Vikernes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varg-vikernes/) > [The time shall come, when, free as seas or wind, Unbounded Thames shall flow for all mankind, Whole nations enter with each swelling tide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/the-time-shall-come-when-free-as-seas-or-wind-unbounded-thames-shall/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [“There may come a time at last that I Shall take the hidden paths that run East of the moon west of the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-may-come-a-time-at-last-that-i-shall-take-the-hidden-paths-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Time goes by so quick and before we know it, we shall be gone too .. but you know what .. we will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-bones/time-goes-by-so-quick-and-before-we-know-it-we-shall-be-gone-too-but/) [Joey Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-bones/) > [“Open your eyes now. I will. One moment. Has all vanished since? If I open and am for ever in the black adiaphane. Basta!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/open-your-eyes-now-i-will-one-moment-has-all-vanished-since-if-i-open/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [And write whatever Time shall bring to pass With pens of adamant on plates of brass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-write-whatever-time-shall-bring-to-pass-with-pens-of-adamant-on/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-morgan/when-the-trumpet-of-the-lord-shall-sound-and-time-shall-be-no-more/) [Robert J. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-morgan/) ## 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 Done quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Bernard Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always-what-was-done-last-time-or-we-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Done" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always-what-was-done-last-time-or-we-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/george-bernard-shaw-68_done_we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always_1798002.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud.” — 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": "We must not stay as we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always-what-was-done-last-time-or-we-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-must-not-stay-as-we-are-doing-always-what-was-done-last-time-or-we-2/#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 } } ] } ```