Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
The English country-gentleman galloping after a fox — the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wilde critiques the absurdity of British fox hunting, highlighting the folly of pursuing something unattainable.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde cleverly uses humor to critique the activity of fox hunting, a pastime associated with the English aristocracy. By describing the 'unspeakable' chasing the 'uneatable,' he emphasizes the absurdity and futility of the chase, suggesting that people often pursue activities that are inherently pointless or nonsensical.
Themes
AbsurdityHuntingHumorPursuitFutility
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing the absurdities of modern life, one might use this quote to illustrate how society often chases unrealistic goals.
More from Oscar Wilde
All quotes →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.
Oscar WildeRead
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.
Oscar WildeRead
Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.
Oscar WildeRead
A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
Oscar WildeRead
His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
Oscar WildeRead
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Shel SilversteinRead
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John CleeseRead
To me Psycho was a big comedy. Had to be.
Alfred HitchcockRead
The whole world is tense. Everybody gets the international news. Theres been no American comedy at all that even remotely addresses the subject in any way. My goal isnt to solve the worlds problems. My character wasnt even able to do his assignment. But the premise of wanting to find out about somebody -- other than the stuff that the CIA will tell you -- theres no hope unless we do that.
Albert BrooksRead
I have no idea what my best material is. Different people like different things. I'll say this: The political stuff gets the press, but the relationship jokes sell all the seats.
Chris RockRead
I don't mind anything that's written about me, as long as it's not true.
Dorothy ParkerRead