We live in an atmosphere of shame. We are ashamed of everything that is real about us
 George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903). copy citation

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Author George Bernard Shaw
Source Man and Superman
Topic shame living
Date 1903
Language English
Reference
Note
Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm

Context

“He's not serious. [He goes out] . RAMSDEN [very deliberately] Mr Tanner: you are the most impudent person I have ever met. TANNER. [seriously] I know it, Ramsden. Yet even I cannot wholly conquer shame. We live in an atmosphere of shame. We are ashamed of everything that is real about us; ashamed of ourselves, of our relatives, of our incomes, of our accents, of our opinions, of our experience, just as we are ashamed of our naked skins. Good Lord, my dear Ramsden, we are ashamed to walk, ashamed to ride in an omnibus, ashamed to hire a hansom instead of keeping a carriage, ashamed of keeping one horse instead of two and a groom-gardener instead of a coachman and footman.” source