“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
Oscar Wilde · The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895
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Philosophy Quotes
180 quotes on philosophy and the big questions — from the classics to the everyday.
“The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates.”
Oscar Wilde · Intentions, 1891
“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
Oscar Wilde · Intentions, 1891
“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”
Oscar Wilde · The Soul of Man Under Socialism, 1891
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Oscar Wilde · Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892
“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 life's tragedy.”
Oscar Wilde · A Woman of No Importance, 1893
“He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“The only difference between a caprice and a lifelong passion is that the caprice lasts a little longer.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“To define is to limit.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“I can resist everything except temptation.”
Oscar Wilde · Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”
Oscar Wilde · The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
“The unlived life is always better because it never has to survive contact with living.”
Original
“The break is part of the object's story. Making it invisible doesn't heal it. It just makes you carry it alone.”
Original
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Lao Tzu · Tao Te Ching
“The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.”
Thich Nhat Hanh · The Miracle of Mindfulness, 1975
