15 Oscar Wilde Quotes About Reading, Writing, and Books
In honor of his 160th birthday, here are 15 terrific quotes by Oscar Wilde. Whether you need inspiration about reading, writing, or the power of books, you might find it here.
Poet, playwright, and novelist Oscar Wilde was born October 16, 1854 in Dublin. While his most famous works, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, live on, Wilde is most frequently remembered for his wit. Here are 15 of his best quotes for writers, readers, and artists in honor of his 160th birthday.
- All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling.
- I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
- If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.
- There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written.
- The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.
- An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.
- The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.
- I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.
- A poet can survive everything but a misprint.
- Actions are the first tragedy in life, words are the second. Words are perhaps the worst. Words are merciless.
- In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.
- I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.
- With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?
- The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates.
- A writer is someone who has taught his mind to misbehave.
If yours isn't listed, share your favorite Wilde quote in the comments!
Adrienne CrezoAuthor
Adrienne Crezo is the former managing editor of Writer's Digest magazine. Follow her on Twitter @a_crezo.
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