Oscar Wilde

Wilde's celebrated witticisms on the dangers of sincerity, duplicitous biographers, the stupidity of the English – and his own genius.

Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast

'It would be unfair to expect other people to be as remarkable as oneself' Wilde's celebrated witticisms on the dangers of sincerity, duplicitous biographers, the stupidity of the English - and his own genius. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

Se eu perguntasse se isso foi publicado por um escritor consagrado no século XIX ou por um menino de 14 no Twitter, quem você acharia que escreveu?

Pedro Rodarte

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I’m saying.

lilou,

There is only one real tragedy in a woman’s life. The fact that the past is always her lover, and her future invariably her husband.

Men always want to be a woman’s first love. That is their clumsy vanity … Women have a more subtle instinct about things. What [they] like is to be a man’s last romance.

Are there not books that can make us live more in one single hour than life can make us live in a score of shameful years?

I entered prison with a heart of stone, thinking only of my pleasure, but now my heart has been broken; pity has entered my heart; I now understand that pity is the greatest and the most beautiful thing that there is in the world. And that’s why I can’t be angry with those who condemned me, nor with anyone, because then I would not have known all that.

The aim of love is to love: no more, and no less.

The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated.

Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it.

Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world, and people die of it just as they die of any other disease. 

Language is the noblest instrument we have, either for the revealing or the concealing of thought; talk itself is a sort of spiritualized action; and conversation is one of the loveliest of the arts.

marie

“what fire does not destroy, it hardens.” 

“you forget that a thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.” 

“i am so clever that sometimes i don’t understand a word of what i am saying.” 

“america has never quite forgiven europe for having been discovered somewhat earlier in history than itself.” 

“however, one should not be too severe on english novels; they are the only relaxation of the intellectually unemployed.” 

Where will it all end? Half the world does not believe in God, and the other half does not believe in me.

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.

Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. / It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.

A poet can survive everything but a misprint. … a poet without hysterics is rare.

ㅤrizki

To believe is very dull. To doubt is intensely engrossing. To be on the alert is to live, to be lulled into security is to die.

“When a man has once loved a woman, he will do anything for her, except continue to love her.”

as someone who hates marriage, i agree 😁🫵🏻

“The proper basis for marriage is a mutual misunderstanding.”

At times his complaints feel like truth sharpened into blade, at other times like playful exaggeration meant to provoke. You never sure whether he’s confessing or joking, but either way, you’re captivated.

Aksara

a short, obnoxious and enjoyable read, i laughed quite a bit. oscar wilde has my whole heart. but minus half a star for the comments about women.

Emilia Noel

some controversial opinions but humorous nonetheless 

carla t ho

Esperei um livro curto e engraçadinho pra limpar meu paladar e recebi uma coletânea de tweets da pessoa mais irritante que você conhece que deu um jeito de conhecer o tumblr de 2014 e a Lana Del Rey em 1860

oscar wilde, you would have loved twitter. 

Isabella 

a quick witty and thought-provoking read. kinda ridiculous at times, but i loved and enjoyed it. oscar wilde the original tumblr and twitter user!

Kendall McClain

A very short and pretentious read. I ate up every word until he started talking about women. I do not care that misogyny was normal in his time I’m reading it in my time and I hate it!!! Stick to talking about men Mr. Wilde you excel at that- but besides the sexism I love her lol

Archiell

Oscar wilde would have liked the old Twitter 😭

“One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.”

this is the first time i’ve read a philosophical book and i did not expect it enjoy it that much !?

it felt like i was reading the thoughts of oscar wilde, + despite being philosophical, it was still an easy read. 

this book didn’t have one solid topic, it revolved around one’s self and tackles marriage, friendships, morals, love, the rich and the poor, etc.

he made really good points, and the book just kept me hooked because i felt like i was reading as fast as i was thinking; i felt like i was in someone’s brain. 😭

solid 4 stars ! ! ! oscar ate with this one 🙏🏻

“One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.”

woah.

this is the first time i’ve read a philosophical book and i did not expect it enjoy it that much !?

it felt like i was reading the thoughts of oscar wilde, + despite being philosophical, it was still an easy read. 

this book didn’t have one solid topic, it revolved around one’s self and tackles marriage, friendships, morals, love, the rich and the poor, etc.

he made really good points, and the book just kept me hooked because i felt like i was reading as fast as i was thinking; i felt like i was in someone’s brain. 😭

solid 4 stars ! ! ! oscar ate with this one 🙏🏻

I'm well aware that Wilde mentioned that “a critic should be taught to criticize a work of art without making any reference to the personality of the author”. However, this book is a compilation of many quotations from his writings, which means it has nothing but his personality.

The impression he gave me was that he was a man full of contradictions and had a distorted vision of many topics such as work, life, and marriage. However, I can't quite say this for sure since, being those aphorisms quoted from other pieces, they're also out of context. Many phrases I've read in The Picture of Dorian Gray I've found not reasonable but, when detached from the text it was first written, I came to find some sense in it—and vice versa.

It's undeniable that Wilde had his way with words and a gift to see depth where's superficial

. Besides, many of his sayings keep on contemporary, which makes it still worth reading and recommending (and I certainly do so, in case you're wondering). For this, I salute his works. I can't say this book has the font for all knowledge in the world but, according to the man himself,

 “nothing that is worth knowing can be taught”.

addie

Now Art shows you'd never try to be popular. The public should try to make itself artistic.

I'm well aware that Wilde mentioned that “a critic should be taught to criticize a work of art without making any reference to the personality of the author”. However, this book is a compilation of many quotations from his writings, which means it has nothing but his personality.

The impression he gave me was that he was a man full of contradictions and had a distorted vision of many topics such as work, life, and marriage. However, I can't quite say this for sure since, being those aphorisms quoted from other pieces, they're also out of context. Many phrases I've read in The Picture of Dorian Gray I've found not reasonable but, when detached from the text it was first written, I came to find some sense in it—and vice versa.

It's undeniable that Wilde had his way with words and a gift to see depth where's superficial. Besides, many of his sayings keep on contemporary, which makes it still worth reading and recommending (and I certainly do so, in case you're wondering). For this, I salute his works. I can't say this book has the font for all knowledge in the world but, according to the man himself, “nothing that is worth knowing can be taught”.

It was really intresting, haven’t read about how he wrote this but it felt like he just sat down every random thought on any day and just put them together. I liked it, some things he says are really cool.

Ester Waclavova

Wilde

Much easier to read than Nietzsche's aphorisms

Elisa Benaggoune

I eat everything Oscar Wilde writes and I love hearing his words of consciousness and philosophies in a little tiny book that speaks a lot on life, pleasure and general philosophy.

alex

i wish i could bang my head against a wall so hard that i forgot all about this book and thus i’d be able to read and experience it for the first time again. oscar wilde definitely had a lot to say. most things i agree with, some others i don’t, but reading this made me ponder, and being alone with one’s thoughts is, besides a scary feat, one of the most awakening acts of the soul. i’ve annotated most part of this book cementing my views on the world and differing or wholeheartedly agreeing with wilde, and that time spent with myself has been the most enjoyable i’ve had in a long while. for that, i’m thankful. because of that, i’ll probably be returning to this book in the future and doing it all over again. there are so just many truths hiding beneath the surface of wilde’s words. in the end, “are there not books that can make us live more in one single hour than life can make us live in a score of shameful years?”

lena

Pien van Nunen

P. Rose

Oscar Wilde is one of the most amusing writers i have ever read

Vittoria Vespoli 

Oscar Wilde is a whole slay 

And this is basically if he had Twitter. Loads of fun. 

Romanticizing. Underlining everything.

mayra

i am aware that this is a collection of random ass quotes but it‘s still better than a lot of the books ive read. wilde has me in a chokehold i can’t explain it😁👍🏻
but the quotes are awesome. nothing i wouldnt expect from wilde. funny and charming as always. plus a bit of classicism👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

This definitely isn't a one time read for me. I found this to be hilarious and incredibly entertaining as well as eye opening and thought provoking. It feels like getting a glimpse at Oscar Wilde's mind and thoughts, filled with ideas and issues that still seem just as significant, if not more so, well over a hundred years later.

Lyndsey McIntyre 

It was the perfect book to read, with a cup of tea and when you were in need of a laugh. It is clear the Oscar Wilde has a good sense of humor.

Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast

Reviews

Highlights