--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indifference is the revenge the world…" description: "\"Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg" --- # Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities. ![“Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg) > “Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities.” [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. Society punishes mediocrity by ignoring it, turning indifference into its revenge. **In simple terms:** Indifference is the world’s revenge on mediocrities. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge mediocrity. Themes society mediocrity indifference Mood critical reflective Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - education - community leadership - personal growth Key Concepts social dynamics conformity punishment Questions to Reflect On - How does indifference affect mediocrity? - What can we do to value excellence? A Different Perspective Indifference can also protect the vulnerable from harsh criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Mediocrities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrities/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The best revenge in the world is success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suge-knight/the-best-revenge-in-the-world-is-success/) [Suge Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suge-knight/) > [“Those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone's work prove greater than their own - they have no inkling of the loneliness that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/those-touchy-mediocrities-who-sit-trembling-lest-someone-s-work-prove/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Creative people are often found either disagreeable or intimidating by mediocrities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/creative-people-are-often-found-either-disagreeable-or-intimidating/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Great innovators and original thinkers and artists attract the wrath of mediocrities as lightning rods draw the flashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/great-innovators-and-original-thinkers-and-artists-attract-the-wrath/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [It's always the same: mediocrities are over-valued and great men are rejected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/it-s-always-the-same-mediocrities-are-over-valued-and-great-men-are/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [Gregariousness is always the refuge of mediocrities, whether they swear by Soloviev or Kant or Marx. Only individuals seek the truth, and they shun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/gregariousness-is-always-the-refuge-of-mediocrities-whether-they/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Only mediocrities progress. An artist revolves in a cycle of masterpieces, the first of which is no less perfect than the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/only-mediocrities-progress-an-artist-revolves-in-a-cycle-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Ridicule is the tribute paid to the genius by the mediocrities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/ridicule-is-the-tribute-paid-to-the-genius-by-the-mediocrities/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Cyrus had once claimed that revenge was what made the world go round. Back then Evie had argued with him that it was love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alderson/cyrus-had-once-claimed-that-revenge-was-what-made-the-world-go-round/) [Sarah Alderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alderson/) > [She wants revenge...Take the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/she-wants-revenge-take-the-world/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [I feel that success is the best revenge in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/i-feel-that-success-is-the-best-revenge-in-this-world/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [I admit that I myself am far from having a complete command of every topic I touch on, but my knowledge of my subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/i-admit-that-i-myself-am-far-from-having-a-complete-command-of-every/) [Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/) > [Our colleges ought to have lit up in us a lasting relish for a better kind of man, a loss of appetite for mediocrities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-colleges-ought-to-have-lit-up-in-us-a-lasting-relish-for-a-better/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The appearance of a single great genius is more than equivalent to the birth of a hundred mediocrities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/the-appearance-of-a-single-great-genius-is-more-than-equivalent-to/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [I have worked on very good movies that have been buried, and I've worked on some resounding mediocrities that have been paraded through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-have-worked-on-very-good-movies-that-have-been-buried-and-i-ve/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) ## 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 Indifference quotes > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [Love and hate, despite their polar opposites, are both feelings that are induced by passion. I can handle that. It's the indifference I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/love-and-hate-despite-their-polar-opposites-are-both-feelings-that/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“I wasn't sure which I appreciated less—the insincere concern or the genuine indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-graham/i-wasn-t-sure-which-i-appreciated-less-the-insincere-concern-or-the/) Arthur Graham > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Desire is half of life, indifference is half of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/desire-is-half-of-life-indifference-is-half-of-death/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/what-s-wrong-with-death-sir-what-are-we-so-mortally-afraid-of-why-can/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Adorn thyself with simplicity and with indifference towards the things which lie between virtue and vice. Love mankind. Follow God. The poet says that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/adorn-thyself-with-simplicity-and-with-indifference-towards-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [One's own troubles can be borne with fortitude; only a monster of indifference can bear the sufferings of others with fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/one-s-own-troubles-can-be-borne-with-fortitude-only-a-monster-of/) [Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/) > [Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/many-men-without-morals-have-attacked-religion-because-it-was/) [Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/) > [Indifference to one's own faith is no proof of tolerance. Loyalty to one's own is part of a larger loyalty to faith generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-hillel-silver/indifference-to-one-s-own-faith-is-no-proof-of-tolerance-loyalty-to/) Abba Hillel Silver > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) [Browse all 1,128 Indifference quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-takes-on-mediocrities/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Indifference" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-takes-on-mediocrities/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/oscar-wilde-16_indifference_indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-ta_269163.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Indifference is the revenge the world takes on mediocrities.” — 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": "Indifference is the revenge the world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-takes-on-mediocrities/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/indifference-is-the-revenge-the-world-takes-on-mediocrities/#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 } } ] } ```