“Lady Hunstanton: But do you believe all that is written in the newspapers?
Lord Illingworth: I do. Nowadays it is only the unreadable that occurs.”

“Moderation is a fatal thing, Lady Hunstanton. Nothing succeeds like excess.”

“MRS ALLONBY Is she such a mystery?
LORD ILLINGWORTH She is more than a mystery - she is a mood.
MRS ALLONBY Moods don't last.
LORD ILLINGWORTH It is their chief charm.”

“Lord Illingworth: Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation.”

“Gerald: I suppose society is wonderfully delightful?
Lord Illingworth: To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it simply a tragedy.”

“If I do not believe as you believe, it proves that you do not believe as I believe, and that is all that it proves.”

“One of the first things I had been taught as a child was never to believe a single word that was written in newspapers.”

“Lord Illingworth: The Book of Life begins with a man and a woman in a garden.
Mrs. Allonby: It ends with Revelations.”

“I do believe a young lady can't be too careful who she marries.”

“Lord Peter Wimsey: It’s my belief most of us would only be too pleased to chuck these community hysterics if the beastly newspapers didn’t run it for all it’s worth. However, it won’t do to say so. (on Remembrance Day observances)”