Oscar Wilde Quotes

Oscar Wilde was a Victorian novelist, playwright, poet, and author who was famous for his sharp wit and high celebrity profile. He often pushed the boundaries of what was considered socially acceptable by writing about sexuality, society and culture. Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and served two years in prison. After his release in 1897 he was unable to return to previous form, opting instead to become reclusive. He died in 1900 of cerebral meningitis.

• 1887: The Canterville Ghost
• 1892: Lady Windermere's Fan
• 1893: A Woman of No Importance
• 1895: The Importance of Being Earnest
• 1895: An Ideal Husband
• 1898: The Ballad of Reading Gaol

• Wikiquote: Oscar Wilde
  • "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life."

• • "A poet can survive everything but a misprint."

• • "He is really not so ugly after all, provided, of course, that one shuts one's eyes, and does not look at him."

• • "There is no sin except stupidity."

• • "All art is quite useless."

• • "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

• BrainyQuote: Oscar Wilde
  • "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

• • "A man who does not think for himself does not think at all."

• • "A true friend stabs you in the front."

• • A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction."

• The Quotations Page: Oscar Wilde
  • "A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."

• • "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."

• • "Biography lends to death a new terror."

• Thinkexist.com: Oscar Wilde Quotes
  • "The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic."

• • "A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her."

• • "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."

• WorldofQuotes.com: Oscar Wilde
  • "The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself."

• • "Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable."

• • "No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist."

• QuoteDB: Oscar Wilde Quotes
  • "Woman are meant to be loved, not to be understood."

• • "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

• • "To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love."

• The Quote Cache: Oscar Wilde
  • "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing."

• • "Misfortunes one can endure. But to suffer for one's own faults -- ah! -- there is the sting of life."

• • "Fashion is merely a form of ugliness so unbearable that we are compelled to alter it ever six months."

• • "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."