Oscar Wilde Quotes: Yesterday or Today?
Oscar Wilde quotes embody their creator's belief that art is life; that beauty is an intricate part of humanity, and without it, one has not lived.
Quotes from Oscar Wilde are pulled from a
plethora of works, including 9 plays written and produced by him (including Lady
Windemere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, Salome, The Importance of Being
Earnest, and An Ideal Husband), his poetry, and his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
An Exiled Celebrity
While in college, Oscar found himself drawn to the aesthetic and decadent movements. He advocated hedonism and individualism. For his rebellion and violation of Victorian moral standards, he was condemned by the press. Satires attacking his clothing and mannerisms abounded.
Victorian Era London saw prohibition against sexuality from many directions. Despite his popularity in the artistic world, Wilde's homosexual relationships led to his jailing. The verdict was gross indecency. The result was exile under a post-prison pseudonym: Sebastian Melmoth.
Oscar Wilde Facts
Born: October 16, 1854
Died: November 30, 1900 (cerebral meningitis)
Nationality: Irish
Education: Home until age nine, Portora Royal High School, Trinity College on scholarship (Dublin), Magdalen College on scholarship (Oxford)
Occupation: Poet, author, playwright, editor
Interests/Hobbies: Quoting himself;
social and political movements, including those of individualism,
libertarianism, prison reform, aestheticism, and decadence
The Modern-Day Departed
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde's only novel, was considered highly controversial just after its release. Now, the literary community has dubbed it a modern classic. Quotations from the novel abound.
Welcome to the 21st century, Oscar.
Read an Oscar Wilde quotation. Take an Oscar Wilde famous quote and digest it. We think you'll have difficulty denying its modern day relevance.
Your Top Ten Oscar Wilde Quotes:
"A true friend stabs you in the front." - Oscar Wilde
Also see: Friendship Quotes, Funny Friendship Quotes
"A man who does not think for himself does not think at all." - Oscar Wilde
Also see: Motivational Quotes
"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all." - Oscar Wilde
"To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable." - Oscar Wilde
Also see: 50th Birthday Quotes, 60th Birthday Quotes, Funny Birthday Quotes
"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." - Oscar Wilde
"I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything." - Oscar Wilde
Also see: Love Quotes
"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." - Oscar Wilde
"A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies." - Oscar Wilde
"By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, journalism keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community." - Oscar Wilde