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Waspish aphorisms from Oscar Wilde, born this day in 1854

Oscar Wilde was born this day in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. A popular playwright and novelist, Wilde is remembered best for his witty aphorisms. Here are some of our favourites:

9780199535972From The Importance of Being Earnest:

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”

From Lady Windermere’s Fan:

“I can resist everything except temptation.”

“We are all in the gutters, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.”

The Picture of Dorian GrayFrom The Picture of Dorian Gray:

“There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all

“Experience is merely the name men give to their mistakes.”

9780199535064Comments attributed to Oscar Wilde from conversations and letters with contemporaries:

“Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.”

“I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.”

“True friends stab you in the front.”

“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.”

“I have nothing to declare except my genius.”

 Do you have a favourite Wildean saying? Why not share it here by adding a comment to this post?

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