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There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel no one else has a right to blame us.
Oscar Wilde
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Self-reproach can offer a sense of control over blame.

In this quote, Oscar Wilde suggests that indulging in self-reproach provides a peculiar form of luxury because it allows individuals to absolve themselves from external judgment. By blaming ourselves, we shield ourselves from the blame of others, creating an illusion of control and superiority over our own faults compared to how others might perceive us.

Themes

Self-ReproachBlameControlWisdomJudgment

In practice

Example use cases

A motivational speaker could use this quote to discuss the benefits of personal accountability.

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Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
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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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