Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
Oscar WildeRead
There is no such thing as a good influence. Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtures are not real to him. His sins, if there are such thing as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Influence can overshadow an individual's true self, making them a copy of others rather than authentic.
This quote by Oscar Wilde explores the nature of influence and its impact on individuality. Wilde suggests that when a person is influenced, they lose their authentic thoughts and emotions, becoming a mere reflection of others. This loss leads to a disconnection from their own virtues and sins, implying that true integrity comes from being original and self-aware rather than an echo of someone else's identity.
Themes
InfluenceIdentityAuthenticityIndividualitySoul
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal growth, one might quote Wilde to emphasize the importance of staying true to oneself.
More from Oscar Wilde
All quotes →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.
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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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