Oscar Wilde is not only a talented writer whose works of art have been admired or criticized. He was an outstanding person, famous for his wit, and many of his statements became winged expressions. A special place in the work is "Portrait of Dorian Gray." Of course, for some, the work may seem too cynical, but the writer tried to talk about the side of the man that many do not think about. Below are quotes from the book "Portrait of Dorian Gray."
About love
The protagonist - the young man Dorian Gray - was too conceited and ambitious. But so much of it was made by Lord Henry Wotton. He became interested in a handsome young man and began to seduce him with various temptations, while conducting cynical and even slightly misanthropic conversations. Of course, the hero of the work could not get around the topic of love in his conversations:
âYou love everyone, and to love everyone means not to love anyone. You are all equally indifferent. â
This is one of the most famous quotes from "Portrait of Dorian Gray." Of course, one can argue with this statement, but you rarely meet a person who would treat all people equally. All the same, a person will not be able to do much for all people to help or support them. Such love is superficial and just allows people to keep in touch.
"Do not say" the most beautiful novel in life. " Say better: "first."
This quotation belongs to Lord Henry Wotton, and it can be explained by the fact that each person has a desire to be one and only. This is especially true of love. Therefore, if a person wants to win the loverâs location and his trust, you need to show him that such a serious relationship was with him. Lord Henry Wotton was a good psychologist, so he was able to influence Dorian Gray.
About friendship
The main character did not have friends, because he placed himself above others. The only one Dorian Gray was listening to was Lord Henry Wotton. It was the lord who talked with the youth on important topics, including regarding friendship.
âIt's not bad if friendship begins with laughter, and best of all, if it ends with them.â
A quote from a book about Dorian Gray says that you should not consider friendships to be permanent in a personâs life. It is necessary to try so that communication ends on a happy note, so that only pleasant memories remain about friendship and a good picture of a person is preserved.
About youth
This is perhaps one of the main topics of the book. Of course, all people want to stay young for as long as possible for various reasons. Someone is worried about their appearance, someone believes that a person has more opportunities in his youth, while others believe that youth is the happiest time.
Dorian Gray wanted to keep her because of his appearance: he was very beautiful, and Lord Henry brought up pride and vanity in him, tried to impress on the young man that the only thing that matters in life is youth.
"Youth is the only wealth that should be protected ... It makes the kings of those who possess it."
Dorian Gray followed the advice, but this led to the destruction of his personality. Caring only about appearance, a person does not think about his inner beauty, as a result, close people will not remain with him, and life will be empty and monotonous. Kings will be those people who care about their inner beauty.
"And he smiled because youth was merry for no reason - this is its main charm."
This quote from "Dorian Gray" is different from the others: it does not contain a single drop of cynicism, it simply talks about why youth is so charming. Young people are carefree, rarely think about the future, being confident that it will certainly be happy. In youth, they find more reasons for joy, so it is not surprising that boys and girls often smile.
"To restore youth, you just have to repeat all its folly."
This quote from Dorian Gray shows that the main characterâs point of view is incorrect. It is not a matter of appearance, but of the inner sensation of man. If he remains energetic, tries to find the positive aspects in everything, then he feels himself young. Sometimes itâs worth doing unusual things in order to feel the carefree and lightness inherent in young years again.
About people
Lord Henry tried to show the protagonist that people for the most part are hypocritical, weak and envious. Their morality is based on a hidden desire to be as vicious as the lord, but stupid beliefs interfere with this. But not all of his arguments are cynical.
âWhen we are happy, we seem to ourselves to be good people, but not all good people are happy.â
This quote from "Dorian Gray" can be explained as follows: when people are happy, they think that they deserve this happiness because they are good. At the same time, such individuals become a little selfish and do not think about others. Therefore, the fact that a person feels happy is not at all an indicator that he is good. Just such a person knows how to appreciate what she has.
"Whenever a person admits stupidity, he does it out of the most noble motives."
Lord Henry believed that it was because of the nobility of people that stupidity was obtained. This can be explained as follows: when a person tries too hard, he can forget about what another person really needs. And because of their excessive diligence, people do stupid things, but they do it for good reason.
About public opinion
Lord Henry taught young Gray not to pay attention to public opinion, because it means nothing. He said that it is more important to live a life of pleasure than to follow any moral principles.
âIf itâs unpleasant when people talk about you, itâs even worse when they donât talk about you at all.â
This quote from Dorian Gray can be explained as follows: people do not discuss only uninteresting and inconspicuous personalities who do nothing. But if a person strives for something or is talented in something, he will arouse interest among others. If a person is confident that she is doing the right thing, then she does not need to pay attention to public opinion.
About life
The meaning of the book is a quote from Dorian Gray:
"Everyone lives as he wants, and pays for it himself."
The protagonist of the work spent his life only on entertainment, while not trying to fill it with meaning. Burning life, without worrying about the feelings of other people, a person will pay for it with loneliness and disappointment. But no one can impose their ideas about life on anyone.
Everyone chooses his own priorities and lives, as he thinks right. It should only be understood that everything has a price. Therefore, if you want only entertainment, you should be prepared for the fact that a lot of time will be wasted. Therefore, a person should think it over well.
Quotes from Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray are somewhat cynical, ironic. One may disagree with them, but one cannot but note that they contain a fraction of worldly wisdom and philosophical reasoning.