“Tell me, when you are alone with him [ Max Beerbohm ] Sphinx, does he take off his face and reveal his mask?”

—  Oscar Wilde

In a letter to Ada Leverson [Sphinx] recorded in her book Letters To The Sphinx From Oscar Wilde and Reminiscences of the Author (1930)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Tell me, when you are alone with him [ Max Beerbohm ] Sphinx, does he take off his face and reveal his mask?" by Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde photo
Oscar Wilde 812
Irish writer and poet 1854–1900

Related quotes

Oscar Wilde photo

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish writer and poet

The Critic as Artist (1891), Part II

George Orwell photo

“He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.”

Source: Shooting an Elephant

Raymond Chandler photo

“You can always tell a detective on TV. He never takes his hat off.”

Source: Playback (1958), chapter 14

“Let's take our masks off and wash our faces up!”

Luiz Carlos Alborghetti (1945–2009) Italian-Brazilian radio commenter, showman and political figure

Original: (pt) Vamos tirar a máscara e lavar a cara!

Source: [9 December 2009, Morre Luiz Carlos Alborghetti, dono do bordão 'bandido bom é bandido morto', https://extra.globo.com/tv-e-lazer/morre-luiz-carlos-alborghetti-dono-do-bordao-bandido-bom-bandido-morto-209786.html, Portuguese, Extra, Editora Globo S/A, 31 March 2019]

quote against hypocrisy and tendency

G. K. Chesterton photo
Jack McDevitt photo
Stephen King photo
Jiddu Krishnamurti photo
Lionel Shriver photo
Epictetus photo

“A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off.”

Epictetus (50–138) philosopher from Ancient Greece

Golden Sayings of Epictetus
Context: A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off. You also must show the unlearned man the truth, and you will see that he will follow. But so long as you do not show it him, you should not mock, but rather feel your own incapacity. (63).

Related topics