--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is a great disappointment." description: "\"Life is a great disappointment.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg" --- # Life is a great disappointment. ![“Life is a great disappointment.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg) > “Life is a great disappointment.” [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. Life often fails to meet expectations, leading to disappointment. **In simple terms:** Life can be disappointing. Key Takeaway Accept disappointment and seek meaning beyond it. Themes disappointment realism existential Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career setbacks - relationship loss - unmet goals - health issues Key Concepts philosophy literature Questions to Reflect On - What expectations have you let go? - How do you find purpose after disappointment? A Different Perspective Disappointment can inspire growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-disappointment-4001373/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-great-292098/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) ## Related quotes > [I wish I had had a great disappointment, a real one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/i-wish-i-had-had-a-great-disappointment-a-real-one/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) > [America is a great disappointment to me. As I said in one of my books, other societies create civilisations; we build shopping malls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/america-is-a-great-disappointment-to-me-as-i-said-in-one-of-my-books/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/we-can-have-in-life-but-one-great-experience-at-best-and-the-secret-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Less disappointing than life, great works of art do not begin by giving us all their best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/less-disappointing-than-life-great-works-of-art-do-not-begin-by/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and the determination to attain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-important-thing-in-life-is-to-have-a-great-aim-and-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/life-is-a-great-and-wondrous-mystery-and-the-only-thing-we-know-that/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-one-fool-thing-after-another-whereas-love-is-two-fool-things/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Life is always great, when shared in a spirit of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/life-is-always-great-when-shared-in-a-spirit-of-love/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Life is a great adventure, darling, and problems are nothing more than opportunities to show what you can do. Show them, darling. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/life-is-a-great-adventure-darling-and-problems-are-nothing-more-than/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [“I played the best role in my life. I had a great director.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/i-played-the-best-role-in-my-life-i-had-a-great-director/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [It's not always the case that things will fall into your lap or that life will be great, but it's all about perspective and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/it-s-not-always-the-case-that-things-will-fall-into-your-lap-or-that/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [“Be happy for other people. You have the same opportunity to make your life great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/be-happy-for-other-people-you-have-the-same-opportunity-to-make-your/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver/over-the-last-few-days-i-have-been-able-to-see-my-life-as-from-a/) [Oliver $](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver/) > [Life is great. God is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-great-god-is-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Disappointment quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [“My earthly body has been a terrible disappointment to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/my-earthly-body-has-been-a-terrible-disappointment-to-me/) [Frédéric Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The fear of not being good enough, the fear of disappointing other people and the fear of failure can really hurt one's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/the-fear-of-not-being-good-enough-the-fear-of-disappointing-other/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [In trying not to disappoint others; we disappoint ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-vermaak/in-trying-not-to-disappoint-others-we-disappoint-ourselves/) [Geraldine Vermaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-vermaak/) > [Though there may be people in your life that support you and encourage you we have to realize that people are only human, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/though-there-may-be-people-in-your-life-that-support-you-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [It is sometimes said that because of our past we, as a people, expect too much and set our sights too high. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-sometimes-said-that-because-of-our-past-we-as-a-people-expect/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Stop blaming others, whatever happens to you is nobody's fault if you get hurt because of disappointment is not the end of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/stop-blaming-others-whatever-happens-to-you-is-nobody-s-fault-if-you/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [When disappointments knock you down, get back up and go again because out of our greatest rejection comes our greatest direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-disappointments-knock-you-down-get-back-up-and-go-again-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,467 Disappointment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is a great disappointment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-a-great-disappointment/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disappointment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-a-great-disappointment/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/oscar-wilde-16_disappointment_life-is-a-great-disappointment-3050897_3050897.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is a great disappointment.” — 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": "Life is a great disappointment.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-a-great-disappointment/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-a-great-disappointment/#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 } } ] } ```