The Complete Fairy Tales Quotes

“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Stories

“Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Dear little Swallow,’ said the Prince, ‘you tell me of marvelous things, but more marvelous than anything is the suffering of men and of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Love is not fashionable anymore; the poets have killed it.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales

“Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all one’s prejudices.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Because sometimes you have to do something bad to do something good.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales

“I hate people who talk about themselves, as you do, when one wants to talk about oneself, as I do. ”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale, “and Life is very dear to all.  It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl.  Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn, and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and the heather that blows on the hill.  Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“What a silly thing love is!' said the student as he walked away. 'It is not half as useful as logic, for it does not prove anything, and it is always telling one of things that are not going to happen, and making one believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical, and, as in this age to be practical is everything, I shall go back to philosophy and study metaphysics.'
So he returned to his room and pulled out a great dusty book, and began to read.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“I like to do all the talking myself.  It saves time, and prevents arguments.” “But”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“The fact is, that I told him a story with a moral.” “Ah! that is always a very dangerous thing to do,”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince, and Other Tales

“love is not fashionable any more, the poets have killed it. ”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“but love is not fashionable anymore, the poets have killed it. They wrote so much about it that nobody believed them, and I am not surprised. True love suffers, and is silent. I remember myself once-but no matter now. Romance is a thing of the past.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“I often have long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."

"Then you should certainly lecture on Philosophy," said the Dragon-fly”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales

“He must have a truly romantic nature, for he weeps when there is nothing at all to weep about.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“I like hearing myself talk.  It is one of my greatest pleasures.  I often have long conversations all by myself,”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“I like hearing myself talk.  It is one of my greatest pleasures.  I often have long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Common sense, indeed!” said the Rocket indignantly; “you forget that I am very uncommon, and very remarkable. Why, anybody can have common sense, provided that they have no imagination. But I have imagination, for I never think of things as they really are; I always think of them as being quite different. As for keeping myself dry, there is evidently no one here who can at all appreciate an emotional nature. Fortunately for myself, I don’t care. The only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, and this is a feeling that I have always cultivated.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince, and Other Tales

“What is a sensitive person?” said the Cracker to the Roman Candle. “A person who, because he has corns himself, always treads on other people’s toes,” answered the Roman Candle in a low whisper; and the Cracker nearly exploded with laughter.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“¿Debe la alegría vestirse con lo que fabrico el Dolor?”
― Oscar Wilde, El príncipe feliz y otros cuentos

“For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts,' she cried, and she ran out into the garden.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales

“Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me to let him have some flour on credit, and that I could not do. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they should not be confused. Why, the words are spelled differently, and mean quite different things. Everyone can see that.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales

“She sang of the Love that is perfected by death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Love is wiser than Philosophy, though he is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty... His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children’s heads. ”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Yet ruled he not long, so great had been his suffering, and so bitter the fire of his testing, for after the space of three years he died. And he who came after him ruled evilly.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

“My good creature,” cried the Rocket in a very haughty tone of voice, “I see that you belong to the lower orders.  A person of my position is never useful.  We have certain accomplishments, and that is more than sufficient.  I have no sympathy myself with industry of any kind, least of all with such industries as you seem to recommend.  Indeed, I have always been of opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“Then you are quite behind the age,” said the Water-rat.  “Every good story-teller nowadays starts with the end, and then goes on to the beginning, and concludes with the middle. ”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

“High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince.  He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Tales