Popular Quotes by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and author known for his wit, flamboyant style, and sharp social commentary. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Wilde emerged as one of the most prominent literary figures of the late 19th century. He became a celebrated member of London’s literary scene, gaining renown for his plays such as “The Importance of Being Earnest,” characterized by clever dialogue and satirical critiques of Victorian society.

1. A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction.
2. The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
3. Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.
4. What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.
5. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
6. Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
7. If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.
8. A pessimist is somebody who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.
9. A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.
10. The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.
11. Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.
12. One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
13. The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.
14. Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.
15. Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer.
16. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.
17. Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
18. You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.