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Common people Quote by Oscar Wilde

“Dorian, Dorian," she cried, "before I knew you, acting was the one reality of my life. It was only in the theatre that I lived. I thought that it was all true. I was Rosalind one night and Portia the other. The joy of Beatrice was my joy, and the sorrows of Cordelia were mine also. I believed in…” quote by Oscar Wilde
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““Dorian, Dorian," she cried, "before I knew you, acting was the one reality of my life. It was only in the theatre that I lived. I thought that it was all true. I was Rosalind one night and Portia the other. The joy of Beatrice was my joy, and the sorrows of Cordelia were mine also. I believed in everything. The common people who acted with me seemed to me to be godlike. The painted scenes were my world. I knew nothing but shadows, and I thought them real. You came—oh, my beautiful love!—and you freed my soul from prison. You taught me what reality really is. To-night, for the first time in my life, I saw through the hollowness, the sham, the silliness of the empty pageant in which I had always played. To-night, for the first time, I became conscious that the Romeo was hideous, and old, and painted, that the moonlight in the orchard was false, that the scenery was vulgar, and that the words I had to speak were unreal, were not my words, were not what I wanted to say. You had brought me something higher, something of which all art is but a reflection. You had made me understand what love really is. My love! My love!””

Oscar Wilde

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, 1890

The narrator describes a shift from theatrical illusion to genuine love, realizing art's limits and the deeper truth of love beyond performance.

In simple terms: Real love reveals truth beyond illusion.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic connections over performative roles.

Themes

love art self‑realization

Mood

romantic philosophical

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

  • relationships
  • personal growth
  • creative expression
  • self‑awareness

Key Concepts

illusion authenticity transformation

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does “real reality” mean to you?
  • How does love change your perception of art?
A Different Perspective

Art cannot replace the depth of lived love.

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