April A to Z: The Wit & Wisdom of Oscar Wilde

By Niall McArdle

On Happiness

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

On Experience

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

On Wisdom

The foolish ask questions that the wise cannot answer.

On Point of View

We are all in the gutter but some of us, but some of us are looking at the stars.

On Imitation

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

On Love

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

On Good and Bad

It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.

On Dullness

Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.

On America

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.

On Truth

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

On Patriotism

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.

On Mothers

All women become like their mothers; that`s their tragedy. No man ever does; that`s his.

On Genius

Ridicule is the tribute paid to the genius by the mediocrities.

On Self-Esteem

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

On Prayer

When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers.

On Stupidity

There is no sin except stupidity.

On Drink

Work is the curse of the drinking classes.

On Mystery

The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.