Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty is subjective and can be found in unexpected places, while superficial prettiness lacks depth.
Oscar Wilde's quote suggests that true beauty can be discovered in what is typically regarded as ugly, challenging societal norms. Conversely, he argues that things that are merely pretty can lack substance and deeper meaning, indicating that true value lies beyond superficial appearances.
Themes
BeautyUglinessSubjectivityPerceptionArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about art, this quote can be used to illustrate that traditional standards of beauty are not the only criteria for appreciation.
More from Oscar Wilde
All quotes βLondon 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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