--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there is only one thing in the world…" description: "\"“there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. A portrait like this would set you far above a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/oscar-wilde-16_photography_there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-wor_2872125.jpg" --- # there is only one thing in the world worse than being… ![“there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. A portrait like this would set you far above all the young men in England,” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/oscar-wilde-16_photography_there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-wor_2872125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/oscar-wilde-16_photography_there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-wor_2872125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/oscar-wilde-16_photography_there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-wor_2872125.jpg) > ““there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. A portrait like this would set you far above all the young men in England,”” [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. Being ignored is worse than being criticized; fame, even negative, keeps you relevant. **In simple terms:** Ignorance feels worse than criticism. Key Takeaway Seek visibility, even if controversial. Themes reputation visibility social perception Mood ironic wry Type aphorical social commentary When to use this quote - politics - entertainment - personal branding Key Concepts celebrity culture public image Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer anonymity or fame? - How does criticism affect you? A Different Perspective Not all attention is positive; it can damage reputation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [“What odd chaps you painters are! You do anything in the world to gain a reputation. As soon as you have one, you seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-odd-chaps-you-painters-are-you-do-anything-in-the-world-to-gain/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. A portrait like this would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/than-being-talked-about-and-that-is-not-being-talked-about-a-portrait/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There is something tragic about the enormous number of young men there are in England at the present moment who start life with perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-something-tragic-about-the-enormous-number-of-young-men/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To sit for one's portrait is like being present at one's own creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/to-sit-for-one-s-portrait-is-like-being-present-at-one-s-own-creation/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-only-one-thing-in-life-worse-than-being-talked-about-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-thing-worse-than-being-talked-about-is-not-being-talked-about/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“You do anything in the world to gain a reputation. As soon as you have one, you seem to want to throw it away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-do-anything-in-the-world-to-gain-a-reputation-as-soon-as-you-have/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-worse-than-being-talked-about/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“There Is Only One Thing In The World Worse Than Being Talked About, And That Is Not Being Talked About." – Oscar Wilde”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-only-one-thing-in-the-world-worse-than-being-talked-about-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England That do no work to-day! KING. What's he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/westmoreland-o-that-we-now-had-here-but-one-ten-thousand-of-those-men/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Men in England are ruled, at this minute by the clock, by brutes who refuse them bread, by liars who refuse them news, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-in-england-are-ruled-at-this-minute-by-the-clock-by-brutes-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men of England! who inheritRights that cost your sires their blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-campbell/men-of-england-who-inheritrights-that-cost-your-sires-their-blood/) [Thomas Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-campbell/) > [The men of England,- the men, I mean, of light and leading in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-men-of-england-the-men-i-mean-of-light-and-leading-in-england/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Men of England, wherefore plough For the lords who lay you low?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/men-of-england-wherefore-plough-for-the-lords-who-lay-you-low/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame: that was all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-portrait-was-to-bear-the-burden-of-his-shame-that-was-all/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## 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 Photography quotes > [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. That is up to you, but in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-list/if-you-want-to-edit-your-photos-and-make-yourself-look-different-go/) [Peyton List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-list/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [As far as Vern and I go, we have had situations where people have tried to take photographs of me and cut Vernon out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/as-far-as-vern-and-i-go-we-have-had-situations-where-people-have/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/) [Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/) > [One of the reasons that I do a lot of different kinds of pictures is because I learn a lot when I'm doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-do-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-pictures-is/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [“She realized that the photograph had caused his reaction. It came to her almost as a revelation. Think of it: a photographer presses a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/she-realized-that-the-photograph-had-caused-his-reaction-it-came-to/) [Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [“Now there was photographic evidence of me with a girl. Lindsey pack the camera in her duffel while I contemplated the film inside it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-danforth/now-there-was-photographic-evidence-of-me-with-a-girl-lindsey-pack/) [Emily M. Danforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-danforth/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [“But any picture could deal with the problem of light. The problem with this picture is greater than that of reflective surfaces - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-otto/but-any-picture-could-deal-with-the-problem-of-light-the-problem-with/) [Whitney Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-otto/) > [All the pictures on the walls, they all white as lilies and smiling like alligators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/all-the-pictures-on-the-walls-they-all-white-as-lilies-and-smiling/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) [Browse all 11,116 Photography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. 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