When a woman marries again, it is because she detested her first husband. When a man marries again, it is because he adored his first wife. Women try their luck; men risk theirs.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Wilde contrasts remarriage motivations, suggesting women repeat marriage out of dislike for the first husband, while men do so out of love for the first wife, framing women's attempts as chance and men's as risk.
- In plain terms
- He says women remarry because they hated their first husband, men because they loved their first wife.
- What can you take from it?
- People may repeat relationships for different emotional reasons.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do gender stereotypes affect how we view remarriage?
- What other reasons might lead to a second marriage?
Another view
This view oversimplifies complex personal and social factors in remarriage.
More from Oscar Wilde
I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.
Permalink to quote #94 Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them, they will forgive us everything, even our intellects.
Permalink to quote #96 Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner.
Permalink to quote #93
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