Ah, on what little things does happiness depend! I have read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched.

The only real people are the people who never existed.

I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left. ALGERNON: We have. JACK: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about? ALGERNON: The fools? Oh! about the clever people of course. JACK: What fools.

The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear, and the world’s sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer.

The moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist.

It is not wise to find symbols in everything that one sees. It makes life too full of terrors.

The terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the terror of God, which is the secret of religion-these are the two things that govern us.