Quotes from work
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.
“I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating.”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“My dear fellow, the truth isn't quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl.”
Jack, Act I
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
Algernon, Act I
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“I could deny it if I liked. I could deny anything if I liked.”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.”
Miss Prism, Act II
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
“Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.”
Lady Bracknell, Act III
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
“In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
“I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is so shallow of them.”
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
Cecily, Act II
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young (1894)
Variant: The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest
Context: The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated.
“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”
Miss Prism, Act II
Source: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
