Ethics Quote by Oscar Wilde
““he had been filled with terror lest other eyes should look upon it. It had brought melancholy across his passions. Its mere memory had marred many moments of joy. It had been like conscience to him. Yes, it had been conscience. He would destroy it.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde, 1890
A haunting awareness of a dark secret consumes him, turning joy into melancholy and urging its destruction.
In simple terms: A secret torments him, prompting a desire to eliminate it.
Key Takeaway
Confront and destroy harmful secrets.
Themes
guilt
conscience
inner conflict
destruction
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- creative work
- ethical dilemma
Key Concepts
psychology
morality
self‑control
Questions to Reflect On
- What secret is you avoiding?
- How might confronting it change you?
A Different Perspective
The secret may also be a source of insight, not just pain.
![“[Pierre] was seized by terror lest he had aready in some way bound himself to do something that was evidently wrong, and that he ought not to do. But at the very same time he was expressing this conviction to himself, in another part of his mind her image rose in all its womanly beauty.” quote by Tolstoy, Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eb8/tolstoy-leo-60066_beauty_pierre-was-seized-by-terror-lest-he-had_149877.jpg)
