The same lesson [of the pessimistic pleasure-seeker] was taught by the very powerful and very desolate philosophy of Oscar Wilde. It is the carpe diem religion; but the carpe diem religion is not the religion of happy people, but of very unhappy people. Great joy does not gather the rosebuds while it may; its eyes are fixed on the immortal rose which Dante saw.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Wilde's philosophy is presented as a grim version of 'carpe diem,' pursued by unhappy people who chase an immortal ideal.
- In plain terms
- His 'seize the day' is a sorrowful chase for an unreachable perfect.
- What can you take from it?
- Living for an ideal can cause sadness if the ideal is unattainable.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can a pursuit of perfection be healthy?
- How do we find joy without an impossible goal?
Another view
It conflates joy‑seeking with melancholy without nuance.
More from Oscar Wilde
If, with the literate, I am Impelled to try an epigram, I never seek to take the credit; We all assume that Oscar said it.
Permalink to quote #248 The dinner table was Wilde's event and made him the greatest talker of his time:
Permalink to quote #250 That sovereign of insufferables, Oscar Wilde has ensued with his opulence of twaddle and his penury of sense. He has mounted his hind legs and blown crass vapi…
Permalink to quote #247
Related quotes
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twi…
Joseph BrackettJoseph Brackett quote #1 Die glucklichsten Zeiten der Menschheit sind die leeren Blatter im Buch der Geschichte.
Leopold von RankeLeopold von Ranke quote #1 I cannot but think that he who finds a certain proportion of pain and evil inseparably woven up in the life of the very worms, will bear his own share with mor…
Thomas Henry HuxleyThomas Henry Huxley quote #1