Thanks to his classics—such as his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his play, The Importance of Being Earnest—Oscar Wilde’s name is pretty well-known. Born in Dublin in 1854, Wilde grew up to be a poet and dramatist with “an Irish wit,” per Britannica. In his comedic works and poetry, he became “the master of the epigram”—a short and witty poem, saying or verse that’s also often satirical—and was “a spokesman” for the Aesthetic movement of 19th-century England (this movement “advocated art for art’s sake”).
As Biography.com reported, while his only book was “panned” by critics at the time, his plays were all well-received. Our quote of the dayappears in one of those popular works, and focuses on the importance of loving yourself.
According to the Poetry Foundation, Wilde’s mother was a poet and Irish revolutionary, and his father was a successful eye and ear surgeon. Wilde was a good student, studying at Trinity College, Dublin, where he received the Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek. He then went to earn his B.A. at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, winning the Newdigate Prize in 1878 for his poem “Ravenna.”
Early in his career, Wilde went on a lecture tour in America, then did one in England and Ireland because the first was so successful. Through his touring, he forever established himself as a leader of the aesthetic movement, which, again, is the idea that art should be made just for the sake of beauty itself, not to “promote any political or social viewpoint, per Biography.com.
Wilde and his wife, Constance Lloyd, had two sons together and were “very much in love,” Biography.com reported. But only a couple of years into their marriage, Wilde started having affairs with men. When he was sued by the father of one of his lovers for libel (he accused Wilde of homosexual affairs in a calling card), it came out in the trial that these claims were not in fact untrue. This led to the dismissal of the libel and instead resulted in Wilde’s arrest for “gross indecency.” He spent two years in prison from 1895 to 1897, and died at the age of 46 in 1900 of meningitis due to many health complications he didn’t recover from after prison.
Wilde’s life was full of beautiful art and written works, as well as sad lows, that altogether created the lasting legacy we know today. And with today’s quote, Wilde shared his thoughts (through a character in one of his plays) about self-love and how important that is.
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Quote of the Day by Oscar Wilde
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“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
This quote is from Wilde’s play “An Ideal Husband.” It was first produced in 1895, but first published in 1893 (133 years ago). The story “revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honor,” and takes place in the span of 24 hours in London, per the book’s description. It explores the idea that, while we should all have to face the music and pay for things we’ve done, “no one should be entirely judged by their past.”
In the scene where this line comes from in the Third Act of the play, Lord Goring—a witty, young, philosophical aristocrat with good fashion sense—is rambling to his servant, Phipps, about different things. And Phipps is responding with, “Yes, my lord,” not really partaking in the conversation as that’s not his place.
Lord Goring says this quote to Phipps (the actual line includes Goring addressing him at the end) after saying that “other people are quite dreadful. The only possible society is oneself.”
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Deeper Meaning of Oscar Wilde’s Quote—The Importance of Self-Love
Many people say that Lord Goring is kind of a “thinly veiled double for Wilde himself,” per SparkNotes, so the fact that he says this feels like it comes from Wilde’s own heart even more.
Although this quote comes after a cynical line about not being able to participate in society because everyone stinks, the line itself is a nice sentiment. When you have self-love, the world opens up for you, and you can face any hardship or obstacle with confidence because you’re sure of yourself. In a world that wants to tear us down, it’s important to have a “lifelong romance” with yourself.
While it’s not healthy to feel like you can never rely on other people because you just can’t trust them, it is still important to love yourself and have high self-trust. It honestly makes it easier to bring more people into your life and find trust in others when you do have a lot of self-confidence and respect yourself highly.
Even though it’s a wonderful thing to share your life with another person romantically, don’t forget about yourself and your own self-love. Because, as Wilde wrote 133 years ago, it’s a love story you’re going to live in for the rest of your life.
Related: Quote of the Day: Pope Francis on Having an Open Heart, Staying Confident and Never Giving Up
More Quotes from Oscar Wilde
- “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
- “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
- “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
- “I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”
- “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
- “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
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