Curiosity Quote by Oscar Wilde
“The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Decay of Lying, Oscar Wilde, 1891
People crave all knowledge except what truly matters, showing selective curiosity.
In simple terms: We avoid what matters most.
Key Takeaway
Seek what truly matters.
Themes
curiosity
knowledge
value
society
Mood
wry
insightful
Type
satirical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- personal development
- education
Key Concepts
information overload
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- Why ignore essential truths?
- How can we value meaningful knowledge?
A Different Perspective
Avoiding truth limits growth.
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
![“[T]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. [...] The point is, perhaps, that I am not looking for a verbal answer, just as when I ask for a kiss, I do not want a piece of paper with "A kiss" written on it. It is rather that metaphysical wonder looks…” quote by Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/705/alan-w-watts-9497_curiosity_t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no_3984.jpg)
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
