Reading the very best writers—let us say Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Tolstoy—is not going to make us better citizens. Art is perfectly useless, according to the sublime Oscar Wilde, who was right about...
Common sense comes not just from knowledge, but also from wisdom.
Every failure is an experience builder and a stepping stone towards success.
It is perfectly monstrous,' he said, at last, 'the way people go about nowadays saying things against one behind one's back that are absolutely and entirely true.
As for believing things, I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible.
Likewise, Oscar Wilde asked an English journalist to look over 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' before publication: Will you also look after my 'wills' and 'shalls' in proof. I am Celtic in my use of thes...
America has never quite forgiven Europe for having been discovered somewhat earlier in history than itself.
Knowledge makes you powerful and proud wisdom makes you simple and humble.
Some drink to forget, I drink to remember. I drink in order to understand what I mean and to discover what I know. Under its benign influence all the stories and dramas which properly belong to the sp...
Within this restless, hurried, modern worldWe took our hearts' full pleasure - You and I,And now the white sails of our ship are furled,And spent the lading of our argosy.Wherefore my cheeks before th...
I can write no stately proemAs a prelude to my lay;From a poet to a poemI would dare to say.For if of these fallen petalsOne to you seem fair,Love will waft it till it settlesOn your hair.And when win...
. . . try as we may we cannot get behind things to the reality. And the terrible reason may be that there is no reality in things apart from their appearances.
Weak? Oh, I am sick of hearing that phrase. Sick of using it about others. Weak? Do you really think, that it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations that...