All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

CECILY: [...] When I see a spade I call it a spade.

GWENDOLEN [satirically]: I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is obvious that our social spheres have been widely different.

The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen in public.

Sit down and spin. Women should not be idle in their homes. For idle fingers make a thoughtless heart.

Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?

ALGERNON: How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?

JACK: Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere?

Oh! It's absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn't. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read.

I'm sure the programme will be delightful, after a few expurgations. French songs I cannot possible allow. People always seem to think that they are improper, and either look shocked, which is vulgar, or laugh, which is worse. But German sounds a thoroughly respectable language, and, indeed I believe is so.

JACK: I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left.

ALGERNON: We have.

JACK: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about?

ALGERNON: The fools? Oh! about the clever people, of course.

JACK: What fools!

Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.