--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone is born a king, and most people…" description: "\"Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg" --- # Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile. ![“Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg) > “Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile.” [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. People start life with potential but often end feeling disconnected from their true worth. **In simple terms:** Born with potential, many die feeling lost. Key Takeaway Recognize and nurture your inner value. Themes self-worth potential disconnection Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - personal growth - mental health - relationship building Key Concepts existentialism human nature Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself have you neglected? - How can you reclaim your sense of worth? A Different Perspective Potential can be suppressed by societal pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-king-247546/) [Die Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-exile-257462/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [King People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-people-257461/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Middle aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-aged/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Self discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discovery/) [Self help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-help/) ## Related quotes > [“Everyone is born a king; some people die in exile”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/everyone-is-born-a-king-some-people-die-in-exile/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I have loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore I die in exile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-vii/i-have-loved-justice-and-hated-iniquity-therefore-i-die-in-exile/) [Pope Gregory VII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-vii/) > [Youth! There is nothing like youth. The middle-aged are mortgaged to Life. The old are in Life's lumber-room. But youth is the Lord of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/youth-there-is-nothing-like-youth-the-middle-aged-are-mortgaged-to-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“When I was a fighting-man, the kettle-drums they beat; The people scattered gold-dust before my horse's feet; But now I am a great king,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard-2/when-i-was-a-fighting-man-the-kettle-drums-they-beat-the-people/) [Robert E Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard-2/) > [I never thought of myself as a king. People really want you to be their deity. They forget the fact that you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gutfreund/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-a-king-people-really-want-you-to-be/) [John Gutfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gutfreund/) > [A king is no king without his people, but a people without their king would be lost as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromu-arakawa/a-king-is-no-king-without-his-people-but-a-people-without-their-king-2/) [Hiromu Arakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromu-arakawa/) > [A king is no king without his people, but a people without their king would be lost as well. Lan Fan (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromu-arakawa/a-king-is-no-king-without-his-people-but-a-people-without-their-king/) [Hiromu Arakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromu-arakawa/) > [This magistrate is not the king. The people are the king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gouverneur-morris/this-magistrate-is-not-the-king-the-people-are-the-king/) [Gouverneur Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gouverneur-morris/) > [No fish can swim until the King is born, until the King is born in Tupelo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/no-fish-can-swim-until-the-king-is-born-until-the-king-is-born-in/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/hark-the-herald-angels-sing-glory-to-the-new-born-king/) [Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/) > [A born king is a very rare being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/a-born-king-is-a-very-rare-being/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [He was born a King. The wise men came from the East and asked, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-a-criswell/he-was-born-a-king-the-wise-men-came-from-the-east-and-asked-where-is/) [W. A. Criswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-a-criswell/) > [If a man is born, he should be born either a king or a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-a-man-is-born-he-should-be-born-either-a-king-or-a-fool/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Picture me like a new born king cuz I go hard as a king can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egbowon-femi-jeffery/picture-me-like-a-new-born-king-cuz-i-go-hard-as-a-king-can-be/) [Egbowon Femi Jeffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egbowon-femi-jeffery/) > [“Born to be a king, I ask one thing in return: a front seat to watch Earth burn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loki/born-to-be-a-king-i-ask-one-thing-in-return-a-front-seat-to-watch/) [Loki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loki/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. 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. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“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/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) [Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/) > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people-die-in-exile/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Birth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people-die-in-exile/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/oscar-wilde-16_birth_everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people_2429060.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile.” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everyone is born a king, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people-die-in-exile/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/everyone-is-born-a-king-and-most-people-die-in-exile/#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 } } ] } ```