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About this quote

What does it mean?
He compares morality to art, saying both involve setting limits.
In plain terms
He says morality, like art, is about drawing a line.
What can you take from it?
Ethics require defining boundaries.

Where it applies

  • legal debates
  • art criticism

Putting it to work

  • be aware of where you draw the line

Questions to consider

  • How do we decide where to draw moral lines?
  • Can art be truly objective?

Another view

The analogy may oversimplify moral complexity.

More from Oscar Wilde

  1. In every first novel the hero is the author as Christ or Faust.

    Permalink to quote #237
  2. One of the requisites of sanity is to disagree with the majority of the British public.

    Permalink to quote #239
  3. Illusion is the first of all pleasures.

    Permalink to quote #236

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