Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
You must have a cigarette. A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that pleasure can be fleeting and that the longing for more adds to its value.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde expresses the idea that certain pleasures, such as smoking a cigarette, are both delightful and ultimately unsatisfying. This paradox creates a longing that enhances the experience of pleasure, indicating that the desire for more is an intrinsic part of enjoyment in life.
Themes
PleasureCigaretteLongingSatisfactionDesire
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion on the nature of pleasure in a philosophy class.
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.
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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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