There is nothing in the whole world so unbecoming to a woman as a Nonconformist conscience. – Oscar Wilde Lady Windermere’s Fan, Cecil Graham, Act 3.
Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them. – Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon, Act 2.
What is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means Anybody can say charming things and try to please and flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. – Oscar Wilde The Devoted Friend
Only people who look dull ever get into the House of Commons, and only people who are dull ever succeed there. – Oscar Wilde An Ideal Husband, Lord Goring, Act 4.
A publisher is simply a useful middle-man. – Oscar Wilde Art and Morality: A Defence of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.’
Gwendolen – Cecily – it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind. – Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack, Act 2.
To die for one’s theological beliefs is the worst use a man can make of his life. – Oscar Wilde The Portrait of Mr. W. H.
In America, the young are always ready to give to those who are older than themselves the full benefits of their inexperience. – Oscar Wilde The American Invasion
We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments. – Oscar Wilde De Profundis
One is sure to be disappointed if one tries to get romance out of modern life. – Oscar Wilde Vera, or The Nihilists
Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness. – Oscar Wilde Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young
She is like most artists; she is all style without any sincerity. – Oscar Wilde The Nightingale and the Rose
As for marriage, it is one of their most popular institutions. The American man marries early, and the American woman marries often; and they get on extremely well together. – Oscar Wilde The American Man
The English public, as a mass, takes no interest in a work of art until it is told that the work in question is immoral. – Oscar Wilde Art and Morality: A Defence of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.’ Letter to St. James’s Gazette answering criticisms of his novel.
Popularity is the crown of laurel which the world puts on bad art. Whatever is popular is wrong. – Oscar Wilde
The two weak points in our age are its want or principle and its want of profile. – Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell, Act 3.
My wife was very plain, never had my ruffs properly starched, and knew nothing of cookery. – Oscar Wilde The Canterville Ghost
Lying for the sake of the improvement of the young, which is the basis of home education, still lingers amongst us. – Oscar Wilde The Decay of Lying
You should study the Peerage…It is the best thing in fiction the English have ever done. – Oscar Wilde A Woman of No Importance, Lord Illingworth, Act 3.
I never saw a man who looked With such a wistful eye Upon that little tent of blue Which prisoners call the sky. – Oscar Wilde The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The fact is that men should never try to dictate to women. They never know how to do it, and when they do do it, they always say something particularly foolish. – Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest, Cecily, Act 3.
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. – Oscar Wilde Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mr. Dumby, Act 3.
I delight in men over seventy. They always offer one the devotion of a lifetime. I think seventy an ideal age for a man. – Oscar Wilde A Woman of No Importance, Mrs. Allonby, Act 3.
No woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating. – Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell, Act 3.
All that one should know about modern life is where the Duchesses are; anything else is quite demoralising. – Oscar Wilde An Ideal Husband, Lord Goring, Act 4.