Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Nowadays we are all of us so hard up that the only pleasant things to pay are compliments. They’re the only things we can pay.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Oscar Wilde highlights how in difficult times, compliments are small yet valuable gestures that can still bring joy.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde cleverly comments on the economic hardships faced by many, suggesting that in a world where tangible means are scarce, the act of giving compliments remains a source of pleasure and connection. It emphasizes the importance of kindness and positivity, reminding us that while material wealth may dwindle, the richness of human interaction and praise can uplift our spirits and those around us.
Themes
ComplimentsKindnessWealthJoyHuman Interaction
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the power of positivity.
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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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
Oscar WildeRead
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