Best 100 Oscar Wilde Quotes on Life, Love and Human Nature
Oscar Wilde, born in 1854, was a brilliant poet and playwright. He became famous in the late 19th century. In this collection of Oscar Wilde Quotes, you will find powerful quotes about life, love, and human nature. He wrote some of the most famous plays and novels in history. His life was full of success and tragedy, which gave him a unique view of human nature.
In this article, I also explain the ideas behind these quotes. His witty style often carries deeper meaning about the hypocrisy of high society and philosophical truths.
Along with these Oscar Wilde Quotes, you will also learn about his early life, his work, and why he became so famous. I have added a short bio to give helpful context, making his words feel even more impactful. I hope you enjoy the article.
Famous Oscar Wilde Quotes
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”
“I can resist everything except temptation.”
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
“Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing.”
“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”
“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”
What Does This Quote Mean?
Repeating the exact same routine can sometimes mean a person is running out of new ideas. Oscar Wilde is not saying that consistency is bad.
He is pointing out that following a “blind routine” without any progress or growth can be a way to avoid change, because a person may be unwilling or unable to think creatively.
“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
What Does This Quote Mean?
People who rely on their imagination often see things differently from others. They follow a path that is less clear and more mysterious. Because they are always looking ahead, they notice big changes or new eras before most people do.
Sometimes, this feels like a burden because they have to wait for others to understand what they already see.
“Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.”
“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.”
“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
“I have nothing to declare except my genius.”
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
What Does This Quote Mean?
Art is one of the best ways to show who you are. It lets you share your own thoughts and feelings without having to follow what others think or expect. Because of this, art becomes a tool for personal freedom, showing the world a vision that belongs to you alone.
If you enjoy meaningful words like these, take a look at our Ellen Ochoa Quotes for more inspiration. The first Hispanic woman in space.
Oscar Wilde Quotes on Life
“To be premature is to be perfect.”
What Does This Quote Mean?
Being ahead of your time is a great achievement because it shows you see things others haven’t noticed yet. Reaching a truth or goal before the world is ready is not a mistake; it is a mark of excellence.
Even if society has not caught up, being early means you have already learned what others are still trying to figure out.
“The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life. And the body is born young and grows old. That is the tragedy of life.”
“Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”
“Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.”
“One’s real life is so often the life that one does not lead.”
What Does This Quote Mean?
We often find our true selves in the dreams we never chase or in our hidden desires, not in our everyday routines.
Our own fear, self-doubts, and social pressure lead us to live a life we never wanted. This creates a gap between the self we show to the world and the person we wish to be.
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”
“Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”
“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for.”
“Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.”
“Pleasure is the only thing to live for. Nothing ages like happiness.”
What Does This Quotes Means?
It’s important to find joy in life. Moments of pleasure pass quickly and lose their effect over time. Something that once made you happy might not feel the same later on.
That’s why people look for new experiences to feel that same joy again. Relying only on pleasure won’t satisfy you for long.
“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”
“Life is simply a mauvais quart d’heure made up of exquisite moments.”
What Does This Quotes Means?
Even though life can be full of discomfort or struggle, it is also filled with many small, beautiful moments. These special moments are what give life its meaning.
“The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived.”
“Life is a nightmare that prevents one from sleeping.”
What Does This Quotes Means?
Everyday problems and challenges can be so overwhelming that they keep the mind in a constant state of worry. Instead of finding peace, most of us feel lost in the chaos of life, unable to relax. Sometimes, being alive can feel like a vivid bad dream that we cannot escape.
“A life without a purpose is a very languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves: This day it may be my lot to die.”
“Modern life is complex, and as for French novels, they are not edible.”
What Does This Quotes Means?
Modern life is full of complications and problems. Most people try to find answers in art and literature, like French novels, but these things may be beautiful and meaningful. They do not provide practical solutions to real-life problems.
You can also explore our Clara Barton Quotes, known as the angel of the battlefield, for more inspiring words.
Oscar Wilde Quotes on Human Nature
“What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
“It is what we fear that happens to us.”
What Does This Quotes Means?
Our anxieties often shape our reality because we focus so much energy on them. When we spend our time thinking about negative thoughts and specific fears, we may unintentionally make choices or act in ways that lead us toward that outcome.
“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”
“The only way to find out what a person is really like is to give them a mask.”
“Each of us has heaven and hell in him.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Every person carries both kindness and darkness within themselves. We are not just one thing; we have the power to create peace or cause pain based on the choices we make.
“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Having to work can feel like an annoying interruption for those who would rather spend their time relaxing and enjoying life. The real burden in life is not pleasure, but the responsibilities that take us away from our pleasures.
“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Our negative thoughts, choices, and actions can create more problems in our lives than others. Instead of blaming the world or others, Oscar Wilde is pointing out that we sometimes make life harder for ourselves through our poor mindset and decisions.
“The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate of it.”
“Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world’s original sin. If the caveman had known how to laugh, History would have been different.”
“Industry is the root of all ugliness.”
What Does This Quote Means?
When life focuses only on work, efficiency, and production, it can take away beauty, creativity, and individuality. “Ugliness” here doesn’t just mean physical appearance; it also refers to a loss of art, meaning, and the ability to express yourself.
Oscar Wilde is not saying that work is bad. Instead, he points out that too much focus on work and productivity can make life feel empty.
“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
“The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius.”
“One’s past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged.”
“Young men want to be faithful, and are not; old men want to be faithless, and cannot.”
“When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy”
What Does This Quote Means?
When we feel happy, we naturally act kindly and positively. Happiness often brings out our better side. However, being “good” does not always lead to happiness.
Sometimes, doing the right thing means making sacrifices, facing challenges, or letting go of what we want.
Oscar Wilde Quotes on Love
“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”
“When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving oneself, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.”
“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”
“Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
“Men always want to be a woman’s first love – women like to be a man’s last romance.”
“A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.”
“One should always be in love. That is the reason why one should never marry.”
“There is no such thing as a perfect man. But there is such a thing as a perfect love.”
“Love is a misunderstanding between two fools.”
“To be in love is to surpass oneself.”
Witty Oscar Wilde Quotes
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
“Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.”
“It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Oscar Wilde isn’t actually saying that useless information is missing. He’s making a joke about how people today care too much about being practical and useful.
Because of this, we might overlook things that seem “useless” but can bring us joy, spark curiosity, or inspire creativity. Wilde’s point is that not everything has to be useful.
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Playing it safe or being moderate may not lead to great success. Instead, going all in and being bold, intense, or even excessive can bring stronger results or a bigger impact.
However, Oscar Wilde is not advising people to live in extremes. He points out that moderation is not always the best choice.
“I am not young enough to know everything.”
“Punctuality is the thief of time.”
“I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.”
“The only thing to do with a person who has no sense of humor is to ignore them.”
“A man who is much talked about is always very attractive. One feels there must be something in him after all.”
“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.”
“There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.”
“I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.”
“Everything in the world is about s*x except s*x. S*x is about power.”
What Does This Quote Means?
Oscar Wilde is not just talking about physical relationships. He is pointing out that most human activities, such as seeking money, power, and fame, are often driven by a deeper desire. What seems like physical desire is often really about power, influence, and control over others.
“Duty is what one expects from others, it is not what one commits oneself.”
Quotes from Oscar Wilde Books
“In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” — Lady Windermere’s Fan
“High hopes were once formed of democracy; but democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” — The Soul of Man under Socialism
What Does This Quote Means?
People thought democracy would solve everything, but it turned into a system where the majority simply forces its will on everyone else.
Even though the power comes from “the people,” it can still feel like a form of bullying where the crowd uses its power to crush individual freedom or different opinions.
“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.” — The Importance of Being Earnest
“Where there is sorrow there is holy ground.” — De Profundis
“A man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.” — A Woman of No Importance
“It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” — The Picture of Dorian Gray
“Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — The Soul of Man under Socialism
“Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not? I think he is only a little colder.” — A House of Pomegranates
“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.” — Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
“Suffering is one very long moment. We cannot divide it by seasons.”
— De Profundis
“Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven’t got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die.” — The Importance of Being Earnest
What Does This Quote Means?
This is a funny way of saying that family can be a boring group of people who are stuck in their old-fashioned ways. Relatives often don’t know how to enjoy life properly, yet they still hang around and interfere.
Basically, it treats family as a burden of people you’re stuck with who just don’t know when to leave you alone.
“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” — The Critic as Artist
“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.” — An Ideal Husband
What Does This Quote Means?
When we find someone annoying or unpleasant, we often hide our personal feelings behind a wall of “morality.” Instead of admitting we just don’t like them, we label their actions as “wrong” or “bad” to make our dislike seem more justified.
Many of our moral rules are just clever excuses we use to look down on people who get on our nerves.
“Experience is a question of instinct about life.” — Lady Windermere’s Fan
“The happy have whole days, and those that use them for a state of grace.” — The Ballad of Reading Gaol
If you enjoy reading about the beauty of the world, take a look at our collection of Mary Oliver Quotes. She is one of the nation’s most popular and widely read poets.
Lines From Oscar Wilde Poems
“And the wild regrets, and the bloody sweats, / None knew so well as I: / For he who lives more lives than one / More deaths than one must die.” — The Ballad of Reading Gaol
“We are resolved into the supreme air, / We are made one with what we touch and see, / With our own orbit all the planets share / Of our own life the moaning of the sea.” — Panthea
“And the secret of the world is that it is / Too small for any heart to harbour in.”— Humanitad
“But strange that I was not told / That the brain can hold / In a tiny ivory cell / God’s heaven and hell.” — The Ballad of Reading Gaol
“The heavy musk that dwells about the folds / Of your gold curtains keeps the sun away; / The soul is weary of the things it holds.” — The Garden of Eros
“For let the soul be what it may, / A portion of the central fire / Or but a dream of holiday / To satisfy a brief desire.” — Panthea
“Peace, peace! We cannot be as once we were, / The child-like faith of former days is fled.” — Humanitad
“But the heart’s sins are all the deadlier, / Because they are the sins of our own will.” — The Garden of Eros
“And that’s why we, the children of a later age, / Are born with such a heavy heritage.” — Panthea
“For what is Life? to finally die / In some cold cellar, or some lonely bed, / With none to watch the flickering spirit fly.” — Ravenna
“And the sea-wind is not so salt as the tears / That fall from the eyes of a man who fears.” — The Ballad of Reading Gaol
“Is it enough that we should always be / The slaves of our own spirits?” — Humanitad
“Like a star that falls in the night, / Like a bird that is lost in the blue, / My soul has taken its flight / To find a home with you.” — Flower of Love
“And the soul is a thing that is far away, / And the heart is a thing that is cold.” — The Sphinx
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Who is Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was a brilliant poet and playwright who was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854. He grew up in a wealthy and educated family. His father was a respected doctor, and his mother was a well-known artist and writer.
As a child, he was often surrounded by famous authors and creative people. Growing up in this environment helped him value art and culture from an early age.
Oscar Wilde was an outstanding student. He studied at Trinity College and later earned a scholarship to the University of Oxford. While studying ancient Greek and Roman literature, he excelled in Greek and Latin and won several academic awards.
While at Oxford, Oscar Wilde became a leading figure in the aesthetic movement. The movement focused on the idea of “art for art’s sake,” valuing beauty above everything else.
He was known for his flashy style and his ability to use humor in conversation. He enjoyed hosting guests and throwing big parties for his friends.
Even though his early writing was not very successful, his bold personality made him well known.
He traveled across England and America, giving lectures and often wearing flashy outfits to build his reputation as a popular cultural figure.
Why Oscar Wilde is Famous
Oscar Wilde gained international fame for his sharp wit and his role as a leader of the Aesthetic movement. His reputation grew worldwide through his successful lectures, and his well-known tour of America made him even more popular.
He once famously told customs officers that “I had nothing to declare except my genius.” This bold confidence made him one of the most popular social figures of the late 19th century.
Oscar Wilde reached the peak of his literary success in the 1890s. His novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, shocked many readers with its dark themes of corruption and the desire to stay young forever. At first, it faced criticism, but later it gained high praise.
However, Oscar Wilde found his greatest success in the theater. He wrote brilliant plays such as An Ideal Husband and Lady Windermere’s Fan, using humor to expose the hypocrisy of Victorian high society.
Oscar Wilde’s most famous play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is still performed worldwide today. This popular play has been adapted into a movie three times, the most recent version released in 2002.
Audiences love these works for their fast-paced dialogue and absurd situations. Even now, Wilde quotes and plays continue to inspire modern literature.
Oscar Wilde’s Death and Final Days
The final years of Oscar Wilde’s life were filled with sadness and grief. While oscar wilde in jail, he suffered from severe malnutrition and an ear infection that was never properly treated.
When he was in jail, he faced the heartbreaking news that his mother had passed away. Because he was a prisoner, he was not allowed to visit her or attend her funeral.
After he was released, Oscar Wilde lived in poverty and isolation in France. His wife, Constance, changed her name and moved to Switzerland with their two sons. He was not allowed to see them, so he never saw his children again.
When he was in jail, he wrote his last poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which expressed the pain he felt after his trial.
Oscar Wilde’s health slowly got worse as time went on. Even as he was dying, Oscar Wilde kept his famous sense of humor. His last words were a joke about the ugly wallpaper in his hotel room: “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”
Oscar Wilde died on November 30, 1900, at just 46 years old. He was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, far from the London society that had once admired him.
Oscar Wilde’s Books, Plays & Poems
Novels: 1 Oscar Wilde wrote just one full-length novel, yet it is still one of the most famous novels of the 19th century.
Plays: 9 including Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, Salomé, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Click here to check the full collection of his most famous plays.
Poetry: Over 100 poems, including “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” “Ravenna,” and his 1881 collection simply titled Poems. Click here to check out complete collection of Oscar Wilde poems.
Short Stories & Fairy Tales: Oscar Wilde wrote several short stories for children, including famous ones like The Happy Prince and Other Tales and A House of Pomegranates. Click here to check Out Complete Collection of Fairy Tales and Short Stories by Oscar Wilde
Essays & Letters: Oscar Wilde expressed his thoughts on art and beauty in his essays and letters, including his famous essay The Soul of Man Under Socialism and his letter De Profundis.
Conclusion
Oscar Wilde remains one of the most admired figures in literature. He had a deep understanding of both art and human nature. His words remind us to be ourselves and not be afraid of our own unique thoughts. Whether he wrote about art or life, his unique view still inspires readers all over the world.
His life, from early success in London to his sad final days in France, was as dramatic as his plays. I hope these Oscar Wilde quotes have given you a better understanding of his brilliant mind and wisdom.
Frequently Asked Questions
• Which books did Oscar Wilde write?
Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as plays like The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. He also published essays and poems.
• Which Oscar Wilde books should you read first?
Start with The Picture of Dorian Gray. Then read The Importance of Being Earnest.
• How long was Oscar Wilde in jail?
He was in prison for about two years, from 1895 to 1897.
• Did Oscar Wilde die in jail?
No, he passed away after he was released from prison.
• Where is Oscar Wilde buried?
He is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
• How tall was Oscar Wilde?
He was about 6 feet 3 inches tall, or 190 centimeters.
