“ The intellect is not a serious thing, and never has been. ”
Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance (1893). copy citation
| Author | Oscar Wilde |
|---|---|
| Source | A Woman of No Importance |
| Topic | intellect |
| Date | 1893 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/854/854-h/854-h.htm |
Context
“Quite serious, Mr. Kelvil. [To Mrs. Allonby.] Vulgar habit that is people have nowadays of asking one, after one has given them an idea, whether one is serious or not. Nothing is serious except passion. The intellect is not a serious thing, and never has been. It is an instrument on which one plays, that is all. The only serious form of intellect I know is the British intellect. And on the British intellect the illiterates play the drum.
Lady Hunstanton. What are you saying, Lord Illingworth, about the drum?”
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