---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless one is wealthy there is no use in…"
description: "\"“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the priviledge of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg"
---

#  Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming…

![“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the priviledge of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poor shall be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg)

> ““Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the priviledge of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poor shall be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.””

[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.

Argues that charm is a luxury for the wealthy, suggesting practicality over fascination for the poor.

**In simple terms:** Charm is a rich‑person’s luxury.

Key Takeaway

Focus on practical stability.

Themes

class charm economics

Mood

wry critical

Type

social philosophical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- financial budgeting
- social interactions

Key Concepts

social stratification personal values

Questions to Reflect On

- Is charm essential for success?
- How can the poor cultivate influence?

A Different Perspective

Practicality may limit personal expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/)

## Related quotes

> [Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in-being-a-charming-fellow-2/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“But Venice, like Oxford, had kept the background for romance, and, to the true romantic, background was everything, or almost everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/but-venice-like-oxford-had-kept-the-background-for-romance-and-to-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/)

> [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/)

> [“You will get your father's wealth one day but not his legacy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-will-get-your-father-s-wealth-one-day-but-not-his-legacy/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/in-respect-of-riches-no-citizen-shall-ever-be-wealthy-enough-to-buy/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [My father was in real estate, banking, and land management. As family life, it was very conventional, happy, and comfortable. We weren't wealthy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/my-father-was-in-real-estate-banking-and-land-management-as-family/)

[Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/)

> [Capitalism is against the things that we say we believe in - democracy, freedom of choice, fairness. It's not about any of those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/capitalism-is-against-the-things-that-we-say-we-believe-in-democracy/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [I feel strongly that the Supreme Court needs to stand on the side of the American people, not on the side of the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-feel-strongly-that-the-supreme-court-needs-to-stand-on-the-side-of/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

## 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 Money quotes

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

Cathy

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/)

Joseph French Johnson

[Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the priviledge of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poor shall be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oscar Wilde"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in-being-a-charming-fellow/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Money"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in-being-a-charming-fellow/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/oscar-wilde-16_money_unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in_625897.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the priviledge of the rich, not…” — 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": "“Unless one is wealthy there is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in-being-a-charming-fellow/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/unless-one-is-wealthy-there-is-no-use-in-being-a-charming-fellow/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
