Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Oh! it is absurd to have a hard-and-fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn't. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read.
Interpretation
Reading should not be restricted by rigid rules, as much of culture derives from what is often deemed unworthy.
Oscar Wilde's quote emphasizes the importance of reading widely and without restrictions, suggesting that many of the cultural insights and knowledge we gain come from texts that may not traditionally be valued or respected. By asserting that 'more than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read', Wilde advocates for a more open-minded approach to literature and learning, encouraging readers to explore beyond prescribed norms.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about literary censorship.
Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
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His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
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There are no elements so diverse that they cannot be joined in the heart of a man.
We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?
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The very lack of evidence is thus treated as evidence; the absence of smoke proves that the fire is very carefully hidden...A belief in invisible cats cannot be logically disproved although it does tell us a good deal about those who hold it.
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