Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
America has never quite forgiven Europe for having been discovered somewhat earlier in history than itself.
Interpretation
The quote humorously reflects America's resentment towards Europe for its earlier historical prominence.
Oscar Wilde's quote cleverly critiques the underlying tension between America and Europe by suggesting that America feels overshadowed by Europe's historical significance. It highlights a humorous take on national pride and the absurdities of historical grudges, engaging with themes of identity and rivalry between continents.
In practice
A speaker at a cultural event discussing the historical relationship between America and Europe might use this quote to highlight lingering sentiments.
Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
London is too full of fogs and serious people. Whether the fogs produce the serious people, or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don't know.
When one has never heard a man's name in the course of one's life, it speaks volumes for him; he must be quite respectable.
Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.
A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
Jokes of the proper kind, properly told, can do more to enlighten questions of politics, philosophy, and literature than any number of dull arguments.
Second to agriculture, humbug is the biggest industry of our age.
As a comedian, I found this thing, this profession, that suits my mind and life force. To drop it to do something else? I just don't get that.
No, Groucho is not my real name. I am breaking it in for a friend.
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
No humorist is under any obligation to provide answers and probably if you were to delve into the literary history of humour it's probably all about not providing answers because the humorist essentially says: this is the way things are.
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