Mrs. Warren's Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam , who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving daughter. It is a problem play, offering social commentary to illustrate Shaw's belief that the act of prostitution was not caused by moral failure but by economic necessity. Elements of the play were borrowed from Shaw's 1882 novel Cashel Byron's Profession, about a man who becomes a boxer due to limited employment opportunities.
“There are no secrets better kept than the secrets everybody guesses.”
Crofts, Act III
Variant: There are no secrets except the secrets that keep themselves.
Source: 1890s, Mrs. Warren's Profession (1893)
Vivie, Act II
Source: 1890s, Mrs. Warren's Profession (1893)
