Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Now, nothing should be able to harm a man except himself. Nothing should be able to rob a man at all. What a man really has, is what is in him. What is outside of him should be a matter of no importance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True strength and value come from within, not from external circumstances.
Oscar Wilde's quote emphasizes the importance of inner strength and self-sufficiency. It suggests that external factors, such as possessions or situations, do not hold true power over an individual's well-being; instead, one's true essence and resilience reside within. By focusing on internal qualities, a person can shield themselves from harm and maintain their integrity regardless of external challenges.
Themes
Inner StrengthSelf-WorthPersonal GrowthResilienceSelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to remind others of their inner potential.
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.
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
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
Satchel PaigeRead
Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.
Gay HendricksRead
I know no disease of the soul but ignorance, a pernicious evil, the darkener of man's life, the disturber of his reason, and common confounder of truth.
Ben JonsonRead
She likes the people with the endurance to tolerate the drudge, the ones who know that pain is a requirement, not a curse.
Colum MccannRead
Healing for me is being able to sit next to the butcher and say 'Yes, I’m sitting next to the butcher now,' instead of saying 'there is no butcher'.
Tori AmosRead
Be a mere assistant to your unconscious. Do only half the work. The rest will do itself.
Jean CocteauRead