Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Twenty years of romance makes a woman look like a ruin; but twenty years of marriage makes her something like a public building.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously contrasts the toll of romantic love and marriage on a woman's appearance and societal role.
Oscar Wilde's quote reflects on the transformative nature of relationships over time, suggesting that intense romantic involvement can leave a lasting impact on a person, often leading to physical and emotional wear. In contrast, marriage may impose a more institutionalized role, where a woman is perceived less as an individual and more as a representative of domesticity, akin to a 'public building' that serves a function but may lack the allure of romance.
Themes
RomanceMarriageRelationshipsWomenSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the evolution of love over time, this quote could illustrate the changes in perception.
More from Oscar Wilde
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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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