Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
And what sort of lives do these people, who pose as being moral, lead themselves? My dear fellow, you forget that we are in the native land of the hypocrite.
Interpretation
The quote questions the morality of individuals who appear virtuous while hiding their true nature.
Oscar Wilde critiques the nature of hypocrisy by highlighting the disparity between how people present themselves and their actual behavior. He suggests that many who claim to uphold moral values often lead lives that contrast starkly with the ideals they profess, calling attention to the prevalence of hypocrisy in society.
In practice
In a discussion about political integrity, you could use this quote to criticize politicians who claim moral clarity while engaging in unethical behavior.
Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
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Come Judgment Day, we may find that Mumbo Jumbo the God of the Congo was the Big Boss all along.
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.
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