Wildean Witticisms

When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.

—An Ideal Husband

Only good questions deserve good answers.

—De Profundis

Patriotism is the vice of nations.

—Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young

No; a poor man who is ungrateful, unthrifty, discontented, and rebellious is probably a real personality, and has much in him. He is at any rate a healthy protest. As for the virtuous poor, one can pity them, of course, but one cannot possibly admire them. They have made private terms with the enemy and sold their birthright for very bad pottage. They must also be extraordinarily stupid. I can quite understand a man accepting laws that protect private property, and admit of its accumulation, as long as he himself is able under these conditions to realise some form of beautiful and intellectual life. But it is almost incredible to me how a man whose life is marred and made hideous by such laws can possibly acquiesce in their continuance.

—The Soul of Man Under Socialism

What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

—Lady Windermere’s Fan

Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear.

—An Ideal Husband

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

Art finds her own perfection within, and not outside of herself. She is not to be judged by any external standard of resemblance. She is a veil, rather than a mirror.

—Intentions

What a pity that in life we only get our lessons when they are of no use to us.

—Lady Windermere’s Fan

Sometimes the poor are praised for being thrifty. But to recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less.

—The Soul of Man Under Socialism