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Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.Vice and virtue are the artist’s materials for an art. From the point of view of form, th...more

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No good deed goes unpunished.

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The world is a stage and the play is badly cast.

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I like men who have a future and women who have a past.

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She wore far too much rouge last night and not quite enough clothes. That is always a sign of despair in a woman.

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The pure and simple truth is, the truth is never pure and simple.

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No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are can be proved. No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpa...more

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I want to be good. I can't bear the idea of my soul being hideous.

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I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.

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[Letter to William Ward, 11 July 1878]Dear Boy, Why don’t you write to me? I don’t know what has become of you.As for me I am ruined. The law suit is ...more

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One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that would tell one anything.

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I have nothing to declare except my genius.

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She...can talk brillantly upon any subject provided she knows nothing about it.

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The English novels are the only relaxation of the intellectually unemployed. But one should not be too severe on them. They show a want of knowledge t...more

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Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful th...more