A man whose desire is to be something separate from himself, to be a member of Parliament, or a successful grocer, or a prominent solicitor, or a judge, or something equally tedious, invariably succeeds in being what he wants to be. That is his punishment. Those who want a mask have to wear it.

What are American dry-goods? asked the duchess, raising her large hands in wonder and accentuating the verb. American novels, answered Lord Henry.

What men call the shadow of the body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.

Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.

Only the shallow know themselves.

When you really want love you will find it waiting for you.

Many people become bankrupt through having invested too heavily in the prose of life. To have ruined one's self over poetry is an honor.