Memorable Quotations from Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish writer who exalted beauty for itself alone. His genius was best conveyed in his splendidly witty plays, especially The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). In his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), a young man is corrupted by sensual excess and moral apathy. Wilde's poems The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898) and De Profundis (1905) were motivated by the prison term (1895–97) he served because of his homosexuality. He additionally wrote short stories, fairy tales, and essays.