Oscar Wilde Quotes about Giving

Ah! realize your youth while you have it. Don’t squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar.

Ah! realize your youth while you have it. Don’t squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar. These are the sickly aims, the false ideals, of our age. 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.

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Ignorant, Listening

Oscar Wilde (2005). “Picture of Dorian Gray”, p.28, Prestwick House Inc

I am but too conscious of the fact that we are born in an age when only the dull are treated seriously, and I live in terror of not being misunderstood. Don't degrade me into the position of giving you useful information. Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

Oscar Wilde

Knowing, Giving, Misunderstood

Oscar Wilde (2007). “The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde”, p.971, Wordsworth Editions

People are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. It is what I call the depth of generosity.

Oscar Wilde

People, Generosity, Giving

Oscar Wilde, Russell Jackson, Joseph Bristow, Ian Small (2000). “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: The picture of Dorian Gray : the 1890 and 1891 texts”, p.217, Oxford University Press on Demand

Every effect that one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular one must be a mediocrity.

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Enemy, Mediocrity

Oscar Wilde, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Novel, Short Stories, Poetry, Essays and Plays”, p.812, GENERAL PRESS

It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution.

Oscar Wilde

Keeping Secrets, Giving, Guilt

The Picture of Dorian Gray ch. 8 (1891)

The aim of the liar is simply to charm, to delight, to give pleasure. He is the very basis of civilized society.

Oscar Wilde

Liars, Giving, Delight

Oscar Wilde (1969). “The Artist as Critic: Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde”, p.305, University of Chicago Press

The only way to even approach doing something perfectly is through experience, and experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

Oscar Wilde

Mistake, Names, Giving

Ethics, like natural selection, make existence possible. Aesthetics, like sensual selection, make life lovely and wonderful, fill it with new forms, and give it progress, and variety and change.

Oscar Wilde

Love Life, Giving, Lovely

It is only about things that do not interest one that one can give a really unbiased opinion, which is no doubt the reason why an unbiased opinion is always absolutely valueless.

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Doubt, Unbiased

Oscar Wilde (2000). “Oscar Wilde - The Major Works”, p.284, OUP Oxford

Give children beauty, not the record of bloody slaughters and barbarous brawls, as they call history, or of the latitude and longitude of places nobody cares to visit, as they call geography.

Oscar Wilde

Children, Giving, Records

Oscar Wilde (2012). “The Wit and Humor of Oscar Wilde”, p.159, Courier Corporation

I write because it gives me the greatest possible artistic pleasure to write. If my work pleases the few I am gratified. As for the mob, I have no desire to be a popular novelist. It is far too easy.

Oscar Wilde

Writing, Giving, Desire

Oscar Wilde (2012). “The Wit and Humor of Oscar Wilde”, p.82, Courier Corporation

If one doesn't talk about a thing, it has never happened. It is simply expression that gives reality to things.

Oscar Wilde

Reality, Expression, Giving

Oscar Wilde (2015). “The Picture of Dorian Gray (Diversion Classics)”, p.118, Diversion Books

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

Oscar Wilde

Names, Giving, Lovely

Oscar Wilde, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Novel, Short Stories, Poetry, Essays and Plays”, p.812, GENERAL PRESS

Life cheats us with shadows. We ask it for pleasure. It gives it to us with bitterness and disappointment in its train.

Oscar Wilde

Disappointment, Giving, Shadow

Oscar Wilde (2007). “Epigrams of Oscar Wilde”, p.67, Wordsworth Editions

Do you really keep a diary? I'd give anything to look at it. May I? Oh, no. You see, it is simply a very young girl's record of her own thoughts and impressions, and consequently meant for publication. When it appears in volume form I hope you will order a copy.

Oscar Wilde

Girl, Order, Giving

Oscar Wilde (2008). “The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays: Lady Windermere's Fan; Salome; A Woman of No Importance; An Ideal Husband; The Importance of Being Earnest”, p.282, OUP Oxford

A subject that is beautiful in itself gives no suggestion to the artist. It lacks imperfection.

Oscar Wilde

Beautiful, Art, Giving

Oscar Wilde, Isobel Murray (2008). “Oscar Wilde - The Major Works”, p.570, Oxford University Press

While we look to the dramatist to give romance to realism, we ask of the actor to give realism to romance.

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Romance, Acting

Oscar Wilde (2014). “A Critic in Pall Mall: Being Extracts from Reviews and Miscellanies”, p.16, Simon and Schuster

Temperament is the primary requisite for the critic - a temperament exquisitely susceptible to beauty, and to the various impressions that beauty gives us.

Oscar Wilde

Art, Giving, Criticism

Oscar Wilde (2015). “The critic as artist (low cost). Limited edition”, p.69, Oscar Wilde

Lean on principles, one day they'll end up giving way.

Oscar Wilde

Giving, One Day, Principles

To give an accurate description of what has never occurred is not merely the proper occupation of the historian, but the inalienable privilege of any man of parts and culture.

Oscar Wilde

Men, Giving, Culture

Oscar Wilde (1969). “The Artist as Critic: Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde”, p.349, University of Chicago Press

There is much to be said in favor of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community. By carefully chronicling the current events of contemporary life, it shows us of what very little importance such events really are. By invariably discussing the unnecessary, it makes us understand what things are requisite for culture, and what are not.

Oscar Wilde

Ignorance, Modern Journalism, Giving

Oscar Wilde (1969). “The Artist as Critic: Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde”, p.393, University of Chicago Press

"There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral — immoral from the scientific point of view." "Why?" "Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul."

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Soul, Influence

"The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings".

Don't squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar

Oscar Wilde

Giving, Ignorant, Listening

Oscar Wilde (2005). “Picture of Dorian Gray”, p.28, Prestwick House Inc

If only the picture could grow old, and I stay young. For that...for that, I would give my SOUL for that.

Oscar Wilde

Vanity, Giving, Soul

Who is that man over there? I don't know him. What is he doing? Is he a conspirator? Have you searched him? Give him till tomorrow to confess, then hang him! -- hang him!

Oscar Wilde

Men, Giving, Tomorrow

Oscar Wilde, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Novel, Short Stories, Poetry, Essays and Plays”, p.1518, GENERAL PRESS