QuoteProject
Fathers should be neither seen nor heard. That is the only proper basis for family life.
Oscar Wilde
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that fathers should be more passive in family life, implying that their presence should be subtle.

Oscar Wilde's quote playfully asserts that for a harmonious family life, fathers should take a backseat, neither dominating the household with their presence nor imposing their authority. The statement reflects a wry observation on familial dynamics, hinting that a less visible father figure can promote a more peaceful and balanced environment within the family.

Themes

FatherFamilyPresenceDynamicsHarmony

In practice

Example use cases

During a family therapy session, the counselor quoted Oscar Wilde to emphasize the importance of balance in parental roles.

More from Oscar Wilde

Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
London 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.
Oscar WildeRead
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.
Oscar WildeRead
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

Similar quotes

The second you are handed a newborn it is yours. It doesn’t matter what body it came out of. I’ve never felt more strongly about anything in my life.
Edie FalcoRead
It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.
Anne TylerRead
Motherhood is neither a duty nor a privilege, but simply the way that humanity can satisfy the desire for physical immortality and triumph over the fear of death.
Rebecca WestRead
Family life is the backbone of mankind, and that life is dependent upon mutual giving, sharing, and receiving from each other. It entails the proper use of each other's successes and failures for mutual up-building.
Mother AngelicaRead
How beautiful it is to learn that Grace isn't fragile, and that in the family of God we can fail and not be a failure.
Gloria GaitherRead
My parents were both born and raised in the Depression. They instilled great values about integrity and the importance of hard work, and I've taken that with me to every job.
Mary BarraRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Oscar Wilde | QuoteProject