Reading Oscar Wilde

The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium.

The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul.

I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects.

The world is wide, and has many marvellous people in it.

Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.

We praise the banker that we may overdraw our account, and find good qualities in the highwayman in the hope that he may spare our pockets.

To become the spectator of one’s own life, as Harry says, is to escape the suffering of life.

It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things.

Besides, each time that one loves is the only time one has ever loved.

We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible.

You gave her good advice and broke her heart.

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

It is silly of you, for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

The harmony of soul and body—how much that is!

It is a sad thing to think of, but there is no doubt that genius lasts longer than beauty.

The aim of life is self-development.

To realize one’s nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for.

The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.