# Quote — George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara

> The greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty.

- Author: [George Bernard Shaw](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw.md)
- Book: [Major Barbara](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw/major-barbara.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw#Major_Barbara_(1905)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [evil](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/evil.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw/major-barbara/the-greatest-of-evils

## More from this book

> You have learnt something. That always feels at first as if you had lost something.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw/major-barbara/you-have-learnt.md)

Topics: [science](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/science.md)

> You cannot have power for good without having power for evil too. Even mother's milk nourishes murderers as well as heroes.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw/major-barbara/you-cannot-have.md)

Topics: [power](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/power.md), [morality](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/morality.md)

> It is quite useless to declare that all men are born free if you deny that they are born good. Guarantee a man's goodness and his liberty will take care of itself. To guarantee his freedom on condition that you approve of his moral character is formally to abolish all freedom whatsoever, as every man's liberty is at the mercy of a moral indictment which any fool can trump up against everyone who violates custom, whether as a prophet or as a rascal.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-bernard-shaw/major-barbara/it-is-quite.md)

Topics: [morality](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/morality.md), [freedom](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/freedom.md)