The first two sections of this little book are full of mysoginistic sayings of Wilde's, and I was less than impressed, and rather turned off, in fact. And it toook me soome time before I could get past that to enjoy some of his truly good sayings.

There were some tha made me smile, even a few that made me chuckle, but Wilde was no Mark Twain, I'll tell you that.

Taken in small doses Oscar Wilde is witty and funny. If read from end to end the witticisms in this book become cynical snark.

good collection of some of his oscar's best quips, but reading it left me wanting for more.

"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."

And other such witticisms which quite hold up today.

Oscar Wilde is as timeless as ever, and his books eminently quotable. Therefore, I simply must recommend cutting out the middle man as it were--and instead of reading the entirety of the the playwright's great works, simply get this book of quotes to enjoy.

Direct and to the point, as finely crafted observations on life and humanity as ever had been put from pen to paper. So why read any further?

Oscar no doubt would approve!

Oscar Wilde is always my inspiration. He must have been witty, funny and wise back then. And I will re-read this again, and again :))

Wilde was a pretentious wanker and too effeminate for my liking. This book isn't too bad, though.

More than the messages that some of the quotations convey, is the genius behind their structure that appeals me.

Yes, it is lazy to read a book of quotations when I should have read some of his work in high school. However, his complete works is on my list and my laziness does not detract from his brilliance. As with many Victorian-era authors, he nails the complexity of human relationships with pithy exactness.

This was a quick read. I started and finished it while waiting in the bank the other day. There were some funny and insightful quotes and here are some of my favorites.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

“When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as anyone who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins.”

“I don’t desire to change anything in England except the weather.”

“I only care to see doctors when I am in perfect health; then they comfort one, but when one is ill they are most depressing.”

“You believe good of everyone, Jane. It is a great fault.”

“It is only about things that do not interest one that one can give a really unbiased opinion, which is, no doubt, the reason why an unbiased opinion is always absolutely valueless. The man who sees both sides of a question is a man who sees absolutely nothing at all.”

“Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world, and people die of it just as they die of any other disease. Fortunately, in England at any rate, thought is not catching.”

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Great collection of Oscar quotes.

4.5 STARS

Oscar Wilde was an incredibly witty individual and this is a great collection of his sayings and witticisms. I don't know if it really gives us a great view of his character. Quite often he contradicts himself in these sayings and it's clear that he was striving for an effect. Many of the sayings probably can't be completely understood outside of the context in which he spoke them. One theme that runs through the collection is Wilde's stated service to "style" in everything he did.