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I must say to myself that I ruined myself, and that nobody great or small can be ruined except by his own hand. I am quite ready to say so. ... Terrible as was what the world did to me, what I did to myself was far more terrible still.
Oscar Wilde
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Interpretation

What this quote means

We are often our own worst enemies and the architects of our downfall.

In this quote, Oscar Wilde reflects on the idea that personal accountability is paramount in our lives. He acknowledges that while external forces may cause harm, the true devastation often comes from our own actions and decisions. This introspection emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and understanding how one's choices can lead to significant consequences.

Themes

AccountabilitySelf-DestructionConsequencesIntrospectionSelf-Awareness

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational speech on personal growth, this quote can inspire people to take responsibility for their actions.

More from Oscar Wilde

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