--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Define us as a sex. LORD ILLINGWORTH…" description: "\"“Define us as a sex. LORD ILLINGWORTH Sphinxes without secrets.”\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/oscar-wilde-16_sexuality_define-us-as-a-sex-lord-illingworth-sphi_84104.jpg" --- # Define us as a sex. LORD ILLINGWORTH Sphinxes without… ![“Define us as a sex. LORD ILLINGWORTH Sphinxes without secrets.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/oscar-wilde-16_sexuality_define-us-as-a-sex-lord-illingworth-sphi_84104.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/oscar-wilde-16_sexuality_define-us-as-a-sex-lord-illingworth-sphi_84104.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/oscar-wilde-16_sexuality_define-us-as-a-sex-lord-illingworth-sphi_84104.jpg) > ““Define us as a sex. LORD ILLINGWORTH Sphinxes without secrets.”” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A paradoxical self‑definition that juxtaposes a gendered label with a grand, mythic identity, suggesting that identity can be both ordinary and mysterious. **In simple terms:** Identity as gender and mythic archetype Key Takeaway Identity blends the mundane and the enigmatic Themes Identity Gender Mythology Paradox Self‑perception Mood Reflective Mysterious Type Philosophical Literary When to use this quote - Literary analysis - Philosophical debate on identity - Creative writing exercises - Cultural studies on gender roles Key Concepts Gender identity Mythic symbolism Self‑definition Practical Applications - Exploring character development in fiction - Designing branding that merges everyday and legendary elements Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling oneself by gender limit or expand personal identity? - What does the reference to 'Sphinxes without secrets' imply about self‑knowledge? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) ## Related quotes > [Sphinxes without secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/sphinxes-without-secrets/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Describe us as a sex," was her challenge. "Sphinxes without secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/describe-us-as-a-sex-was-her-challenge-sphinxes-without-secrets/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Lord Illingworth told me this morning that there was an orchid there as beautiful as the seven deadly sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-illingworth-told-me-this-morning-that-there-was-an-orchid-there/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [MRS ALLONBY Is she such a mystery? LORD ILLINGWORTH She is more than a mystery - she is a mood. 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It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. 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It's not true of theatre, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/this-film-business-perhaps-more-so-in-america-than-in-europe-has/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Love makes temporary saints and poets of us all. We feel the source of life welling up inside us and long to express the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maxwell-taylor/love-makes-temporary-saints-and-poets-of-us-all-we-feel-the-source-of/) [John Maxwell Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maxwell-taylor/) > [Sexual activity, and the thoughts and fantasies of sex, use up a great portion of our vital force. 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