Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight For the greatest tragedy of them all Is never to feel the burning light.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of experiencing life fully and embracing one's passions, even if it leads to failure.
Oscar Wilde's quote reflects on the notion that the fear of failure can prevent individuals from pursuing their dreams and passions. It uses the metaphor of Icarus, whose ambition led him to fly close to the sun, ultimately resulting in his fall. Instead of regretting the fall, Wilde suggests that not attempting to soar and not experiencing the 'burning light' of passion is a far greater tragedy.
Themes
RegretFailurePassionDreamsExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in motivational speeches to inspire young adults to pursue their careers fearlessly.
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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Ieyasu TokugawaRead