Today I've posted more than one quote. Primarily because the Irish playwright and poet, Oscar Wilde said so many things worth quoting, it's hard to pick just one. I've had a small book of Oscar Wilde epigrams since junior high. It's one of the first books I can remember buying. I've been an admirer of Wilde for years.
A man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing.
It is an awfully dangerous thing to come across a woman who thoroughly understands one. They always end by marrying one.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
A heart doesn't go with modern dress. It makes one look old.
One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
It is always nice to be expected and not to arrive.
Women are pictures, men are problems: if you want to know what a woman really means, look at her, don't listen to her.
One can survive everything except Death, and live down everything except a good reputation.
A bad man is the sort of man who admires innocence.
The only horrible thing in the world is ennui. That is the one sin for which there is no forgiveness.
I can resist everything except temptation.
Read about Oscar Wilde here.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." My fave :)
ReplyDeleteYes. I also like his definition of a pessimist: a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde was great! And brilliant! While I may not agree with all of this, I surely respect his writing and principles, and sympathize for him being sent to jail.
ReplyDeleteI would substitute for "ennui," "war," "bigotry," "discrimination," and "poverty," but that's me.
I smile when I think of his intelligence and wicked wit, and his forward-thinking.
Such a brilliant man and such a terrible injustice. I've been a fan since my teens. Don't know exactly why, maybe I thought I was being ultra sophisticated. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe comment about heart and fashions could apply now. Yes, he was forward-thinking.
What a lovely blog. I'm not sure how I wandered in here but am glad I did. Wonderful quotes from Ocsar Wilde. I have his biography by Richard Ellmann to read at some stage. I also enjoyed the first of Gyles Brandreth's fictional mysteries about him - must get to the rest. It's also about time I saw the Stephen Fry film...
ReplyDeleteWilde is always good for a chuckle...I read The Importance of Being Earnest just a month or so ago for the first time and loved it...howled with laughter through much of it. He has such a way of saying what other people are thinking but would never say out loud! :)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved Wide and imagine my surprise when I saw him lounging on a rock in a park in Dublin, Ireland!
ReplyDeleteGo here to see:
http://millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/2008/08/meeting-oscar-wilde.html
And make sure to click on the photos to enlarge them!
Cath: Well, I'm glad you found me however you found me, Cath. :) And thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Fry film a while back but I think Wilde was better looking than Fry. I must look for those mysteries.
Peppermint PhD: If you have Netflix, you can watch The Importance of Being Earnest instantly online. I like the older version with Michael Redgrave myself.
ReplyDeleteWilde made you laugh, but he could also make you think. :)
Pat: I'll be sure and check it out. I'm glad he's remembered. I am definitely going to look for his statue. You must have traveled all over the world, you lucky thing, you. :)
ReplyDeleteMy brother and his wife had a great trip with friends in Ireland. But he's not a picture taker.
What a pill. Ha!