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Art never harms itself by keeping aloof from the social problems of the day: rather, by so doing, it more completely realises for us that which we desire.
Oscar Wilde
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Art should engage with social issues to reflect our desires more fully.

In this quote, Oscar Wilde suggests that art does not distance itself from societal challenges; rather, it enhances our understanding of who we are and what we desire when it engages with these issues. By connecting with the social problems of its time, art can more effectively resonate with people's emotions and aspirations, fostering a deeper appreciation for the human experience.

Themes

ArtSocietyDesireEngagementSocial Issues

In practice

Example use cases

In a gallery opening that emphasizes socially conscious art.

More from Oscar Wilde

Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
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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.
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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.
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Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.
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A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
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His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
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