Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde.Getty images
What's your favorite Oscar Wilde quote? Famed Irish writer Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854 - November 30, 1900) had a way with words that few Irishmen have matched. Today, on the 120th anniversary of his death, we celebrate his legacy with his top eleven best sayings.
Talking about everything from the best ways to deal with your enemies and the burden of temptation to the true value of friendship, there are enough wise words to keep you going through whatever troubles you may be having. Let us know which Oscar Wilde quote you think is best in the comments section.
1. “Always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much.”
2. “I can resist everything but temptation.”
3. “What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
4. “True friends stab you in the front.”
5. “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about.”
6. “One of us has to go.” (On his death bed looking at some dreadful wallpaper.)
7. “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.”
8. “The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.”
9. “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
10. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
11. To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
*From The Little Green Book of Irish Wisdom Edited by Dermot McEvoy, Skyhorse Publishing.
* Originally published in 2016, updated in 2023.