Short Quotes
There is no sin except stupidity.
"There is no sin except stupidity."— Oscar Wilde
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Meaning of this quote
Gilbert provocatively attacks unthinking moral certainty and intellectual dullness. The statement belongs to Wilde's exaggerated defence of aesthetic judgment, rather than a literal claim that harmful actions never matter.
Key takeaway:
Keep moral conviction open to thought and imagination.
Origin of the quote
The Critic as Artist, Part II, in Intentions (1891), spoken by Gilbert.
Who actually said this?
VerifiedThe sentence is present in Wilde's dialogue. The surrounding exchange makes its provocative aesthetic position clear; avoid presenting it as a universal ethical rule.
