My Favourite Quotes
“Art, even the art of fullest scope and widest vision, can never really show us the external world. All that it shows us is our own soul, the one world of which we have any real cognizance ... It is Art, and Art only, that reveals us to ourselves.”
“Education is an admirable thing. But it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”
“We live in the age of the overworked, and the under-educated; the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid.”
Who Should Read It?
Fans of wit, literature, philosophy, short reflections and Oscar Wilde’s sharp observations.
Book Notes & Summary
This book is not a novel with a plot, it is compact collection of Oscar Wilde's funniest and most thought-provoking remarks about life, art, society and human behavior, offering wit, satire and philosophical insight in just a few pages
The title Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast is a joke suggests that truly interesting people are not at their best during mundane, everyday situations, an example of Wilde's fondness for turning common assumptions upside down.
His writings reminded me of P L Deshpande(Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra, India)
The book showcases Wilde's trademark style: clever, ironic, humorous and often paradoxical. Through a series of short sayings and excerpts, he challenges conventional wisdom and social norms. Major themes include:
The value of individuality : Wilde celebrates originality and self-expression while mocking conformity.
Love and marriage : He offers humorous and often cynical observations about relationships and married life.
Art and beauty : He argues that art should be appreciated for its beauty rather than judged by moral standards.
Society and hypocrisy : Many passages satirize social conventions, pretension, and Victorian attitudes.
Human nature : Wilde explores how people deceive themselves, chase pleasure, and hold contradictory beliefs.