Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
In one dancing saloon I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice: 'Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art should be appreciated rather than criticized harshly; the artist is doing their best effort.
Oscar Wilde's quote highlights the importance of understanding the effort and intention behind artistic endeavors. Instead of level-headed criticism, it advocates for a supportive and appreciative approach to art, emphasizing that artists, like the pianist, are working hard and deserve encouragement rather than disparagement.
Themes
ArtCriticismAppreciationPianoEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at an art exhibition, someone could use this quote to emphasize the need for supportive feedback.
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
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