Bad Quotes
It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.
"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious."— Oscar Wilde
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Meaning of this quote
A fashionable speaker substitutes personal charm for moral classification. Wilde uses the reversal to expose a character’s provocative social priorities.
Key takeaway:
Distinguish charm from ethical conduct.
Origin of the quote
Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), Act I, Lord Darlington.
Who actually said this?
VerifiedThe words appear as fictional dialogue. They should not be presented as a complete statement of Wilde’s personal ethics.
