January 12, 2018
10 Oscar Wilde Quotes to Live By
Life is best lived free from the obligation to be what the world thinks you should be.
I’ve always admired poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. He writes with a confidence that’s contagious. His witty, irreverent style reminds me that life is best lived free from the obligation to be what the world thinks you should be.
Did you know that Wilde once served as the editor of a women’s magazine? It was called The Woman’s World, and Wilde significantly improved its success by implementing changes so that the publication would “deal not merely with what women wear, but with what they think and what they feel.”
I think that Bella Grace readers, had we been around in 1886, would have appreciated that.
Beneath Wilde’s humor is a deep connection to both truth and beauty. Perhaps that’s what bored Wilde about a magazine focused solely on fashion. There’s so much truth and beauty to be found in the thoughts and feelings beneath the clothes.
10 Oscar Wilde Quotes To Live By:
1. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
2. “To look at a thing is very different from seeing a thing. One does not see anything until one sees its beauty. Then, and then only, does it come into existence.”
3. “Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”
4. “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
5. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
6. “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
7. “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
8. “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
9. “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”
10. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Did we miss one of your favorite Oscar Wilde quotes? Please share it with our readers in the comments below.
Jaclyn
April 19, 2023 at 4:25 pm
I’m inspired to finish reading A Picture of Dorian Gray! I started reading it a few months ago and never finished.. classic. Even after just a few chapters, the connection between his sense of humor and truth/beauty is ‘wildly’ apparent. Thanks for reminding me of what I love about Oscar Wilde!
Another great O.W. quote, “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.”
Bella Grace Magazine
April 19, 2023 at 4:25 pm
Hi Jaclyn,
I see that pun you snuck in there! And yes, that is definitely a great quote. I enjoyed Dorian Gray. If you need to lighten the mood after you finish it, I recommend The Importance of Being Earnest. Thanks for your comment!
-Melissa
Day 33- August 7th, 2018 – Get Healthy With The Mayor
April 19, 2023 at 4:25 pm
[…] people understand that, but it makes me appreciate Oscar Wilde’s rephrasing of the advice as “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” Here is one take on exactly what that means, another, and just one […]
Krishnan Menon
April 19, 2023 at 4:26 pm
you have missed this quote of Oscar –
“Looking good and dressing well is important, not having a purpose in life”.
Debbie Ealer
April 19, 2023 at 4:26 pm
Love Oscar Wilde. These quotes are so inspiring. The last one is my fav. Be Yourself, Everyone Else is taken!
He was one smart cookie!!