Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
She wore far too much rouge last night and not quite enough clothes. That is always a sign of despair in a woman.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights a woman's attempt to cope with despair through superficial means such as makeup and clothing.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde observes a woman who has applied excessive makeup but is underdressed, suggesting that her external appearance is a reflection of inner turmoil or despair. It implies that when people feel low or despondent, they may resort to exaggerated or desperate attempts to present themselves in a different light, often as a mask to conceal their true feelings.
Themes
DespairMakeupAppearanceWomanEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about self-image and mental health, this quote can illustrate how appearance can mask deeper issues.
More from Oscar Wilde
All quotes βLondon 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
Similar quotes
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The best feeling in the world is knowing that you actually mean something to someone.
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The greatest science in the world; in heaven and on earth; is love.
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I am convinced that unconditional love is the most powerful known stimulant of the immune system. If I told patients to raise their blood levels of immune globulins or killer T cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them to love themselves and others fully, the same changes happen automatically. The truth is: love heals.
Bernie SiegelRead
Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being.
St. Catherine Of SienaRead
Nothing prepared me for your smile
David BowieRead