Oscar Wilde is known as one of the greats in literature for being a fount of wisdom and witticisms, and certain notable quotations from this renowned author and playwright have stuck with me. 

As a student of literature, and a notorious bookworm, I have had multiple encounters with Wilde, both reading for education and for pleasure. His plays An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest are known for their entertainment value as classic comedies; however, I have found that the most profound of Wilde’s views on life, love and society are to be discovered in his novels, including A Picture of Dorian Gray, and some are, in fact, written nowhere at all. The preface of his novel concerning the infamously decadent Dorian Gray offers insights that may have otherwise escaped the mind of the Everyman. These short quotations are focussed on the theme of art, as a consideration of the tale to come, but that does not mean they cannot influence those not concerned with art. An example:

Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. 

Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. 

However, Wilde did not confine his wisdom to his writings. At a time during which Covid-19 was not yet apparent, I found myself in a bookshop, as bookworms often do; I discovered a delightfully small hardback book named The Quotable Oscar Wilde: A Collection of Wit and Wisdom. I would like to share with you some of the wit and wisdom I enjoy most. 

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

In this world there are only two tragedies; one is not getting what one wants, the other is getting it. 

Education is a wonderful thing, provided you remember that nothing worth knowing can ever be taught. 

Lastly, my personal favourite:

To regain my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or become respectable. 

Wilde was arguably one of the greatest literary minds of his time; here, it is show that his wit and wisdom truly never ages.