“I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.”

—  Oscar Wilde

Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world." by Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde photo
Oscar Wilde812
Irish writer and poet 1854–1900

Related quotes

Cornelia Funke photo

“Books are like flypaper, memories cling to the printed pages better than anything else.”

Cornelia Funke Inkheart trilogy

Source: Inkheart

Muhammad photo

“O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i. e. white tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not better than a red person, except in piety.”

Muhammad (570–632) Arabian religious leader and the founder of Islam

Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #22978
Sunni Hadith

F. Scott Fitzgerald photo

“One well-known critic has been pleased to like this extravaganza better than anything I have written. Personally I prefer "The Offshore Pirate." But, to tamper slightly with Lincoln: If you like this sort of thing, this, possibly, is the sort of thing you'll like.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) American novelist and screenwriter

On "The Diamond As Big As The Ritz"
Quoted, Tales of the Jazz Age (1922)

P. W. Botha photo

“Half a century ago in this court I was sworn in as the Member of Parliament for George. And here I am today … I am not better than General De Wet. I am not better than President Steyn. Like them I stand firm in my principles. I can do no different. So help me God.”

P. W. Botha (1916–2006) South African prime minister

As cited in Country of My Skull, Antjie Krog, Random House, p. 270

Francis Escudero photo

“Let's begin with one principle: it is better to talk, than to shoot.”

Francis Escudero (1969) Filipino politician

2009, Speech: The Socio-Economic Peace Program of Senator Francis Escudero

Leo Tolstoy photo

“If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.”

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian writer

Source: Path of Life (1909), p. 89

Jeanette Winterson photo

“I like being on my own better than I like anything else, but I can't give up love. Maybe it's the tension between longing and aloneness that I need. My own funicular railway, holding in balance the two things most likely to destroy me.”

Jeanette Winterson (1959) English writer

Source: The Powerbook

Eugene V. Debs photo

“Revolutionary tactics must harmonize with revolutionary principles. We could better hope to succeed with reactionary principles and revolutionary tactics than with revolutionary principles and reactionary tactics.”

Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) American labor and political leader

Sound Socialist Tactics (1912)

“I'm better at criticism than social engineering, so I always have a hard time answering good practical questions like "what can the average person do?"”

Wendy Kaminer (1949) American lawyer

Of course, there are obvious answers, like the average person can get involved in local politics, the average person can get involved in violence prevention programs in his or her own neighborhood, the average person can engage with local radio and TV talk shows on crime. I'm afraid, though, that's not a very good answer. I'm best at knowing what I can do personally, which is write and think about issues like these, point out problems, and hope that people like you can do a better job than I can of figuring out where to go next. I've always seen the formulation of public policy — and solutions to social problems — as a collaborative effort. I've always felt that my part of the job was to analyze and criticize in the hope that other people might use my work to forge solutions.
"6/24/95 Wendy Kaminer on Crime" (24 June 1995)

Related topics