Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
The great events of life often leave one unmoved; they pass out of consciousness, and, when thinks of them, become unreal. Even the scarlet flowers of passion seem to grow in the same meadow as the poppies of oblivion. We reject the burden of their memory, and have anodynes against them. But the little things, the things of no moment, remain with us. In some tiny ivory cell the brain stores the most delicate, and the most fleeting impressions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life's significant events can often fade from our memory, while small, seemingly insignificant moments linger and shape us.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde reflects on the nature of memory and experience, suggesting that major life events often lose their impact over time and become distant, almost unreal. In contrast, the minor occurrences, which might appear trivial or inconsequential, often leave a lasting impression on our minds, shaping our identities and emotions in profound ways. This speaks to the complexity of human memory and the selective nature of how we recall our experiences.
Themes
MemoryExperienceSignificanceEmotionImpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about the importance of cherishing small moments in life.
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.
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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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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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