Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Don't use big words. They mean so little.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Using simple language can convey deeper meaning than complex vocabulary.
This quote by Oscar Wilde suggests that the use of complicated or grandiose language often dilutes the message rather than enhancing it. By advocating for simplicity in communication, Wilde emphasizes that clarity and sincerity are more valuable than ostentatious word choices that may confuse or alienate one's audience.
Themes
SimplicityCommunicationLanguageClarityUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
A public speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of clear messaging in their speech.
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.
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A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
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His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
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