--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his…" description: "\"“As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, “When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png" --- # As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of… ![“As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, “When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy.” Now,” quote by Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png) > ““As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, “When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy.” Now,”” [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wilde noted happiness isn’t always linked to goodness; good deeds don’t guarantee joy. **In simple terms:** Goodness ≠ happiness. Key Takeaway Accept that virtue may not bring joy. Themes ethics happiness philosophy human condition Mood contemplative analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - career choices - relationship building - personal ethics Key Concepts moral psychology hedonic paradox existential thought Questions to Reflect On - Why do we expect happiness from doing good? - How can we find joy while acting ethically? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex emotional states. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Overstatement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overstatement/) ## Related quotes > [“De Profundis by Oscar Wilde (this excerpt inspired my book, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap. Wilde wrote it to his lover while in prison.)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-mahurin/de-profundis-by-oscar-wilde-this-excerpt-inspired-my-book-the/) Paulette Mahurin > [I think Oscar Wilde wrote a poem about a robin who loved a white rose. He loved it so much that he pierced his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/i-think-oscar-wilde-wrote-a-poem-about-a-robin-who-loved-a-white-rose/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [“Oscar Wilde wrote, “In this world there are only two tragedies. One is getting what one wants, and the other is not getting it.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/oscar-wilde-wrote-in-this-world-there-are-only-two-tragedies-one-is/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Dear Producers, Something is radiating deep within me and it must be transmitted or I will implode and the world will suffer a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/dear-producers-something-is-radiating-deep-within-me-and-it-must-be/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board and against myself on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-korchnoi/it-is-a-gross-overstatement-but-in-chess-it-can-be-said-i-play/) [Viktor Korchnoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-korchnoi/) > [The chief error in philosophy is overstatement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-chief-error-in-philosophy-is-overstatement/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/the-physicists-have-known-sin-and-this-is-a-knowledge-which-they/) [J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/) > [A single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole, and a carefree superlative has the power to destroy, for the reader, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-single-overstatement-wherever-or-however-it-occurs-diminishes-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's been this attempt to block Donald Trump, in primary candidates and Democrats, that - to try to make everything he says some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/there-s-been-this-attempt-to-block-donald-trump-in-primary-candidates/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [“Strunk and White wrote in Elements of Style, “Do not overstate…a single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/strunk-and-white-wrote-in-elements-of-style-do-not-overstate-a-single/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ["Simpler is always better" is an overstatement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/simpler-is-always-better-is-an-overstatement/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [“If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/if-you-treat-every-situation-as-a-life-and-death-matter-you-ll-die-a/) [Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/) > [Jay Mohr saved my life. That's not an overstatement either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/jay-mohr-saved-my-life-that-s-not-an-overstatement-either/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [Saying I took my clean water for granted is an overstatement. To tell you the truth, I didn't even think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlan-gorse-cousteau/saying-i-took-my-clean-water-for-granted-is-an-overstatement-to-tell/) [Ashlan Gorse Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlan-gorse-cousteau/) > [Leaving out the gamblers, the burglars, and the plumbers, perhaps we do put our trust in God after a fashion. But, after all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/leaving-out-the-gamblers-the-burglars-and-the-plumbers-perhaps-we-do/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Gretchen Rubin > [“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/second-splendid-truth-one-of-the-best-ways-to-make-yourself-happy-is/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/knowing-what-you-admire-in-others-is-a-wonderful-mirror-into-your/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-of-the-findings-that-really-interests-me-is-that-although-we/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good about themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/we-all-want-to-get-along-well-with-other-people-and-one-way-to-do/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [During my study of happiness, I noticed something that surprised me: I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/during-my-study-of-happiness-i-noticed-something-that-surprised-me-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [There is a preppy wabi-sabi to soft, faded khakis and cotton shirts, but it's not nice to be surrounded by things that are worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-is-a-preppy-wabi-sabi-to-soft-faded-khakis-and-cotton-shirts/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“There are times in the lives of most of us,” observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, “when we would have given all the world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-are-times-in-the-lives-of-most-of-us-observed-william-edward/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“I started thinking more about music. I thought I'd accepted the fact that, as part of "Being Gretchen," I didn't really like music, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-started-thinking-more-about-music-i-thought-i-d-accepted-the-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [If you've had something for more than six months, and it's still not repaired, it's clutter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/if-you-ve-had-something-for-more-than-six-months-and-it-s-still-not/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“The pleasure of doing the same thing, in the same way, every day, shouldn't be overlooked. The things I do every day take on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/the-pleasure-of-doing-the-same-thing-in-the-same-way-every-day/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/although-we-often-assume-that-feelings-inspire-actions-in-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [I love finding - or inventing - ways to categorize people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-love-finding-or-inventing-ways-to-categorize-people/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“After someone's death, how strange to see the value drain away from his or her possessions; useful objects such as clothes, or dish towels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/after-someone-s-death-how-strange-to-see-the-value-drain-away-from/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) [Explore all 346 Gretchen Rubin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More Oscar wilde quotes > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-people-call-insincerity-is-simply-a-method-by-which-we-can/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The truth is rarely pure and never simple. -Oscar Wilde”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vi-keeland/the-truth-is-rarely-pure-and-never-simple-oscar-wilde/) [Vi Keeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vi-keeland/) > [Oscar Wilde: 'Do you mind if I smoke?' Sarah Bernhardt: 'I don't care if you burn.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/oscar-wilde-do-you-mind-if-i-smoke-sarah-bernhardt-i-don-t-care-if/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“Photographs are the reflection of untold stories, unseen beauties, unexpressed emotions, and the unheard songs of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/photographs-are-the-reflection-of-untold-stories-unseen-beauties/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“absinthe removes the bitter taste of failure and grants me strange visions which are charming principally because they cannot be written down. Only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/absinthe-removes-the-bitter-taste-of-failure-and-grants-me-strange/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“Those who pay their bills on time are soon forgotten. It is only by not paying one's bills that one can hope to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/those-who-pay-their-bills-on-time-are-soon-forgotten-it-is-only-by/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [If every witty thing that's said was true, Oscar Wilde, the world would worship You!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-burch/if-every-witty-thing-that-s-said-was-true-oscar-wilde-the-world-would/) [Michael R. Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-burch/) > [“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/a-dreamer-is-one-who-can-only-find-his-way-by-moonlight-and-his/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Darwin and Nietzsche were the common spiritual and intellectual source for the mean-spirited and bellicose ideological assault on progress, liberalism, and democracy that fired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arno-j-mayer/darwin-and-nietzsche-were-the-common-spiritual-and-intellectual/) Arno J. Mayer > [“Te voy a enseñar mi alma, vas a ver lo que creías que sólo Dios puede ver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/te-voy-a-ense-ar-mi-alma-vas-a-ver-lo-que-cre-as-que-s-lo-dios-puede/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Oscar Wilde said that the gods punish us in two ways: first, they don't give us what we want, then, they do. He forgot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-brass/oscar-wilde-said-that-the-gods-punish-us-in-two-ways-first-they-don-t/) [Perry Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-brass/) > [“He was a man of most subtle and refined intellect. A man of culture, charm, and distinction. One of the most intellectual men I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/he-was-a-man-of-most-subtle-and-refined-intellect-a-man-of-culture/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) Browse all 177 Oscar wilde quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, “When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy.” Now,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gretchen Rubin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteristic-brand-of-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Oscar wilde" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteristic-brand-of-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/gretchen-rubin-867_oscar-wilde_as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteri_2675307.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, “When we are happy…” — Gretchen Rubin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gretchen Rubin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteristic-brand-of-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/as-oscar-wilde-wrote-with-his-characteristic-brand-of-thought/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```