Oscar Wilde
(1854–1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist known for his wit, satire, and flamboyant style. His works, including "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest," explore themes of beauty, morality, and social hypocrisy. Wilde’s writing is celebrated for its clever dialogue and sharp observations. Despite personal challenges, his work achieved lasting recognition. Oscar Wilde’s legacy continues to influence literature, theatre, and cultural thought.
28 quotes in this collection. Read them below, share your favourites, or follow the related links to explore similar voices.
All quotes by Oscar Wilde
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“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Meaning: Many people go through life without truly living. -
“The best way to make children good is to make them happy.”
Meaning: A mother’s role includes creating a positive and nurturing environment. Happiness helps shape strong values and character. -
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Meaning: Perspective defines hope even in difficult situations. -
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Meaning: Authenticity is the key to individuality. -
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
Meaning: A witty perspective on desire and restraint. -
“Men always want to be a woman's first love; women like to be a man's last romance.”
Meaning: Men and women often have different romantic perspectives. -
“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Meaning: Materialism overlooks true worth. -
“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”
Meaning: Failures contribute to learning. -
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
Meaning: Reality is complex and nuanced. -
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
Meaning: Forgiveness can be powerful and disarming. -
“I can resist everything except temptation.”
Meaning: A humorous take on human weakness. -
“I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly.”
Meaning: Mr. Dumby delivers this joke in Lady Windermere's Fan, but it points to a serious habit: getting curious about yourself. Rather than only analyzing others, spend ten minutes journaling about what you actually value and fear. Knowing yourself well is the groundwork for treating yourself well. -
“Over the portal of the new world, 'Be thyself' shall be written.”
Meaning: In his essay on socialism and individuality, Wilde imagined a society where people are free to develop their own character rather than copy others. In daily life, it is a nudge to drop a role you perform to please people and make one choice this week that is truly yours. -
“What a man really has, is what is in him.”
Meaning: From the same 1891 essay, Wilde says that real wealth is inner: your character, your mind, your capacity to feel. It is a useful reset on days when you feel behind. Invest in something internal, such as a skill or a quiet hour, that nobody can take away. -
“The true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is.”
Meaning: Wilde wrote this while arguing that possessions distract us from developing ourselves. It supports a gentler view of self-worth: you are not your salary or belongings. When you feel inadequate after comparing what others own, list three qualities you are proud of instead. -
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
Meaning: Lord Goring says this in Wilde's comedy An Ideal Husband, and Wilde had printed a near-identical line in 1894. Beneath the wit is a real idea: self-regard is a relationship you keep tending. Try one small act of kindness toward yourself each day, as you would for a partner. -
“Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely if ever do they forgive them.”
Meaning: Spoken by Mrs. Arbuthnot in Wilde's play, this line describes how a child's adoration gradually gives way to critical judgment of parents. Ahead of a family gathering, try remembering your own mother's choices in the light of the circumstances she faced, and offer her the forgiveness you would want yourself. -
“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.”
Meaning: Algernon's quip in Wilde's comedy is a teasing take on how deeply a mother's habits and manner shape a daughter, delivered with the play's usual irony. Use it as a prompt to notice the traits you inherited from your mother, then thank her for one of them in a call or card. -
“There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor.”
Meaning: In his 1891 essay on socialism, Wilde argues that poverty forces constant calculation about money, so scarcity occupies the mind more than wealth does. It reminds us that financial stress consumes attention. If money worries dominate your thinking, building even a small emergency fund can free mental space. -
“To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune ... to lose both seems like carelessness.”
Meaning: Lady Bracknell's deadpan remark in Act I of Wilde's farce mocks social snobbery by treating the loss of parents as a mere lapse. Behind the joke is a reminder not to take parents for granted. Pick up the phone this week and ask your mother how she is really doing.