Oscar Wilde was a man of many loves. Despite everything, he felt genuine affection towards his wife, Constance, who died suddenly in 1898. He loved his sons Cyril and Vyvyan. He loved the beautiful young men and women he drew into his circle, including his most famous lovers, Alfred Douglas and Robert Ross.
And then there was his writing: He published his very first collection of poems in 1881. As the years passed, his art expanded to include short stories, essays, plays, and novels, but it’s his wit that most often is remembered. This Irish genius was known for his quick humor and biting sarcasm — qualities that made him both famous and infamous during his lifetime. When he died young, at only 46 years old, he left behind what would become some of literature’s most famous quotes. Even his last words before his death in a hotel in Paris became iconic: “This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes, or I do.” It seems fitting that Oscar Wilde’s last words would be so remarkable since he was such a master at speaking them. In his honor, we created a list of the best Oscar Wilde quotes, so you can also enjoy his most memorable one-liners!
#101
“A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.”
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#102
“I don’t say we all ought to misbehave. But we ought to look as if we could.”
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#103
“A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.”
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#104
“Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.”
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#105
“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.”
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#106
“Hatred is blind, as well as love.”
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#107
“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”
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#108
“Art should never try to be popular. The public should try to make itself artistic.”
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#109
“No better way is there to learn to love nature than to understand art. It dignifies every flower of the field. And, the boy who sees the thing of beauty which a bird on the wing becomes when transferred to wood or canvas will probably not throw the customary stone.”
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#110
“If there was less sympathy in the world, there would be less trouble in the world.”
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#111
“Don't be discouraged if your children reject your advice. Years later they will offer it to their own offspring.”
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#112
“Thinking is wonderful, but the experience is even more wonderful.”
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#113
“The best way to make children good is to make them happy.”
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#114
“What fire does not destroy, it hardens.”
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#115
“We always misunderstood ourselves, and rarely understood others.”
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#116
“A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.”
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#117
“History is only gossip.”
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#118
"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."
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#119
"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."
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#120
"I can never travel without my diary, one should always have something sensational to read on the train."
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