I know what conscience is, to begin with. It is not what you told me it was. It is the divinest thing in us. Don’t sneer at it, Harry, any more – at least not before me. I want to be good. I can’t bear the idea of my soul being hideous.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 8. When Lord Henry tells Dorian not to think about what has happened, that it was not his fault, Dorian agrees, saying that he plans to be good from now on. But they are talking at cross-purposes: Henry is talking about Sibyl Vane’s suicide, but Dorian, not yet aware of her death, is referring to his cruel treatment of Sibyl.