Watch Me Entertain Myself!

Sacha Guitry once said, "You can pretend to be serious, but you can't pretend to be witty." Oh yes, I'm the great pretender.
(pilot episode: 20 January 2004)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Wilde, Wilde Wit

An online article reminded me of Oscar Wilde’s wicked wit. So I Googled “Oscar Wilde quotes” and was blown away by what I read. I love him! And I envy the kind of sharp humor and insight he has. He distills the truth it into a biting yet incisive sentence—damn it, he’s the Strunk & White of barbed insights. Below are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” Loves it! Frustrate your enemies by taking that label off them.

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” Perfect for times of recession. But imagination without taste is a fashion wreck, like early Jolina.

“I am not young enough to know everything.” Only the young are sure that they know everything. The older you get, the more you know that you don’t know.

“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.” Even as a child I was afraid of death, thus I learned early on the value of comedy and putting on a show.

“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” Apropo, as the sage singer/songwriter Joe Jackson so aptly put it, “Though it’s oh so nice to get advice, it’s oh so hard to do.”

“A true friend stabs you in the front.” Guilty.

“A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction.” I actually don’t mind the lines on my face. It’s the ones on my neck that are a bitch.

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” Ouch! Touché.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love all his works. He's one classical writer I won't care if I read his books and short stories a gazillion times.

cant_u_read said...

e kasi nga bakla. kaya matalim ang dila! may innate maldita trait.