Do you know that I am afraid that good people do a great deal of harm in this world? Certainly the greatest harm they do is that they make badness of such extraordinary importance. Oscar Wilde More Quotes by Oscar Wilde More Quotes From Oscar Wilde The tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self denial. Oscar Wilde denial tragedy self I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones. Oscar Wilde sarcastic new-relationship funny But we never get back our youth… The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to. Oscar Wilde yield passion memories Only the shallow know themselves. Oscar Wilde sarcastic life funny Every man of ambition has to fight his century with its own weapons. What this century worships is wealth. The God of this century is wealth. To succeed one must have wealth. At all costs one must have wealth. Oscar Wilde ambition success happiness An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all. Oscar Wilde writing witty funny [T]he recognition of private property has really harmed Individualism, and obscured it, by confusing a man with what he possesses. It has led Individualism entirely astray. It has made gain, not growth its aim. So that man thought that the important thing is to have, and did not know that the important thing is to be. Oscar Wilde confusing growth men I am one of those who are made for exceptions, not for laws. Oscar Wilde exception law made A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies. Oscar Wilde sarcastic inspirational funny Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both. Oscar Wilde attitude inspirational two I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Oscar Wilde husband men funny You can't possibly ask me to go without having some dinner. It's absurd. I never go without my dinner. No one ever does, except vegetarians and people like that. Oscar Wilde dinner doe people Life is too short to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde life-is-too-short taken life-is It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly. Oscar Wilde beautiful beauty funny Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, and creeds follow one another like the withered leaves of Autumn; but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons and a possession for all eternity. Oscar Wilde christian beautiful beauty A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. Oscar Wilde feeling-sad sorrow men I write because it gives me the greatest possible artistic pleasure to write. If my work pleases the few I am gratified. As for the mob, I have no desire to be a popular novelist. It is far too easy. Oscar Wilde desire writing giving Nothing is so aggravating than calmness. Oscar Wilde calmness aggravating calm That very concentration of vision and intensity of purpose which is the characteristic of the artistic temperament is in itself a mode of limitation. To those who are preoccupied with the beauty of form nothing else seems of much importance. Oscar Wilde artistic vision purpose All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Oscar Wilde beneath-the-surface peril art
