Top 100 Oscar Wilde Quotes

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his witty plays such as "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "An Ideal Husband," as well as his novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

Wilde was known for his flamboyant personality and for challenging the social norms of his time. He was a proponent of the aesthetic movement, which emphasized the value of beauty and art for their own sake.

In 1895, Wilde was convicted of homosexual acts, which were illegal in Victorian England, and sentenced to two years of hard labor. The experience took a toll on his health, and he died in Paris in 1900 at the age of 46.

Despite his brief career, Wilde's work continues to be popular and influential, and he is remembered as one of the greatest writers of the late 19th century.

Oscar Wilde Quotes

1. "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

2. "I have nothing to declare except my genius."

3. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

4. "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

5. "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

6. "I can resist anything except temptation."

7. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

8. "Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."

9. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

10. "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

11. "It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating."

12. "One can always be kind to people about whom one cares nothing."

13. "I am not young enough to know everything."

14. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written."

15. "I don't want to go to heaven. None of my friends are there."

16. "I am not a teacher of morals. I am a critic of language."

17. "I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible."

18. "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught."

19. "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train."

20. "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

21. "To be really medieval one should have no body. To be really modern one should have no soul. To be really Greek one should have no clothes."

22. "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

23. "It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious."

24. "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means."

25. "I am not at all cynical, I have merely got experience, which, however, is very much the same thing."

26. "A man who does not think for himself does not think at all."

27. "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."

28. "Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."

29. "The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."

30. "There is no sin except stupidity."

31. "Life is too short to be taken seriously."

32. "I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better."

33. "Pleasure is the only thing worth having a theory about."

34. "I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do – the day after."

35. "The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for."

36. "Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one."

37. "It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it."

38. "The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself."

25 Oscar Wilde Quotes About Love

1. "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

2. "The very essence of romance is uncertainty."

3. "Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood."

4. "Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary."

5. "Love is not a feeling of happiness. Love is a willingness to sacrifice."

6. "There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral—immoral from the scientific point of view."

7. "The heart was made to be broken."

8. "The very first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one has yet discovered."

9. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself."

10. "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."

11. "I can resist everything except temptation."

12. "A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally."

13. "I think that God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability."

14. "When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving oneself, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance."

15. "The very essence of romance is uncertainty."

16. "The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast."

17. "The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

18. "Men always want to be a woman's first love, women like to be a man's last romance."

19. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

20. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

21. "Life is too important to be taken seriously."

22. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."

23. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

24. "I can resist anything except temptation."

25. "One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry."

Oscar Wilde Quotes About Life

1. "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

2. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

3. "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

4. "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it."

5. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

6. "I can resist everything except temptation."

7. "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."

8. "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

9. "Life is too important to be taken seriously."

10. "A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally."

Oscar Wilde Quotes About Books

1. "It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it."

2. "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."

3. "A good friend will always stab you in the front."

4. "I can resist everything except temptation."

5. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

6. "The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame."

7. "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies."

8. "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."

9. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."

10. "The books that the world calls good are books that one reads in a single sitting, but which leave a lasting impression."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Life

1. "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

2. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

3. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

4. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

5. "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

6. "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

7. "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

8. "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."

9. "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

10. "I can resist everything except temptation."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Friendship

1. "True friends stab you in the front."

2. "A good friend will always stab you in the front."

3. "A true friend always understands even when the words are not spoken."

4. "Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."

5. "I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects."

6. "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

7. "I have many friends who would be very offended if I said I didn't want to go out with them, but they're not the friends that I spend my time with."

8. "The only thing that keeps us from being friends is distance."

9. "It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages."

10. "The best way to make friends is to be honest and open, to be yourself, and to be kind."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Society

1. "Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals."

2. "Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer."

3. "In modern life nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude. It makes the whole world kin."

4. "Society, as we have constituted it, will have no place for me, has none to offer; but Nature, whose sweet rains fall on unjust and just alike, will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undisturbed."

5. "The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing."

6. "It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

7. "The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it's dead for you."

8. "The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for."

9. "In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, sincerity, not style, is the essential."

10. "The world is divided into two classes, those who believe the incredible, and those who do the improbable."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Women

1. "Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood."

2. "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction."

3. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

4. "Women are made to be loved, not understood."

5. "I like men who have a future and women who have a past."

6. "Women are never disarmed by compliments. Men always are. That is the difference between the sexes."

7. "To be beautiful is the birthright of every woman."

8. "All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."

It's important to note that while Wilde was known for his wit and charm, some of his views on women were controversial and not always in line with contemporary values of gender equality.

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Marriage

Oscar Wilde was a prolific writer and wit who lived in the late 19th century. He is famous for his sharp wit and biting commentary on Victorian society. While he did not write extensively on marriage, here are a few notable quotes on the topic attributed to him:

1. "Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience."

2. "The very essence of romance is uncertainty."

3. "It takes a great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it."

4. "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

5. "Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance."

It's important to note that these quotes are often taken out of context and should be read with a critical eye. While Wilde had a unique perspective on love and relationships, his views on marriage were likely shaped by the norms and expectations of his time.

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Art

Oscar Wilde was a famous Irish poet, playwright, and novelist who was known for his wit and unique perspective on life. Here are some of his most famous quotes on art:

1. "Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."

2. "The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim."

3. "One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art."

4. "No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist."

5. "Art is not a thing; it is a way."

6. "A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament."

7. "All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril."

8. "The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography."

9. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written."

10. "The true artist is a man who believes absolutely in himself because he is absolutely himself."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Time

1. "I am always late on principle; my principle being that punctuality is the thief of time."

2. "Time is a waste of money."

3. "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

4. "Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to."

5. "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."

6. "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it."

7. "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

8. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

9. "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

10. "The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Education

1. "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."

2. "The aim of education is not to teach the facts, but to train the mind to think."

3. "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

4. "You can never be overdressed or overeducated."

5. "The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate of it."

6. "To educate the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."

7. "I am not young enough to know everything."

8. "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

9. "The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one."

10. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Travel

1. "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

2. "To travel is to live."

3. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

4. "I am not a great traveler, but I have been to some exotic places."

5. "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

6. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

7. "A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally."

8. "There is no sin except stupidity."

9. "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

10. "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

11. "I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do the day after."

12. "The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself."

13. "The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read."

14. "One can always be kind to people about whom one cares nothing."

15. "I can resist everything except temptation."

Oscar Wilde Quotes On Beauty

Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish playwright, novelist, and poet, had many insightful things to say about beauty. Here are some of his most famous quotes on the subject:

1. "Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon."

2. "No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly."

3. "The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude."

4. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

5. "It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

6. "The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim."

7. "To define is to limit."

8. "The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

9. "The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray."

10. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."