Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques societal expectations of women and their perceived charm in weakness.
In this quote, Oscar Wilde challenges traditional gender roles by suggesting that a woman's intelligence and cleverness are at odds with the traits society often values in women, such as vulnerability and charm. Wilde's observation speaks to the complex nature of gender dynamics, where strength and intellect can be misunderstood or devalued, highlighting a deeper critique of how society views femininity.
Themes
IntelligenceGender RolesCharmWeaknessSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about gender equality, one could reference this quote to highlight outdated perceptions of women's intelligence.
More from Oscar Wilde
All quotes βLondon is too full of fogs and serious people. Whether the fogs produce the serious people, or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don't know.
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When one has never heard a man's name in the course of one's life, it speaks volumes for him; he must be quite respectable.
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Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.
Oscar WildeRead
A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
Oscar WildeRead
His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
Oscar WildeRead
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