--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the worm was to the corpse, his sins…" description: "\"What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. they would de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg" --- # What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the… ![“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. they would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive. (Dorian Gray regarding his portrait)” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg) > “What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. they would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive. (Dorian Gray regarding his portrait)” [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. Sin corrupts the representation of art, defiling its beauty, yet the artwork endures beyond the corruption. **In simple terms:** Sin tarnishes art but cannot destroy its lasting existence. Key Takeaway Guard integrity of creation while acknowledging its resilience. Themes art corruption beauty eternity redemption Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - art criticism - personal reflection - creative practice - ethical storytelling Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy moral symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How does corruption affect the value of art? - Can a tarnished work still convey truth? A Different Perspective Art can be defiled yet persist, raising questions of authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Dorian Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dorian-gray/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) ## Related quotes > [“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins-would-be-to-the-painted-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [He had uttered a mad wish that he himself might remain untarnished, and the face on the canvas bear the burden of his passions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/he-had-uttered-a-mad-wish-that-he-himself-might-remain-untarnished/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [It's the ultimate conceptual artwork. I took a piece of metal and just painted an image of a stop sign on it - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-smith/it-s-the-ultimate-conceptual-artwork-i-took-a-piece-of-metal-and-just/) [Josh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-smith/) > [“experimental method was the only method by which one could arrive at any scientific analysis of the passions; and certainly Dorian Gray was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/experimental-method-was-the-only-method-by-which-one-could-arrive-at/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“He was conscious—and the thought brought a gleam of pleasure into his brown agate eyes—that it was through certain words of his, musical words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/he-was-conscious-and-the-thought-brought-a-gleam-of-pleasure-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Dorian Gray frowned and turned his head away. He could not help liking the tall, graceful young man who was standing by him. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/dorian-gray-frowned-and-turned-his-head-away-he-could-not-help-liking/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I turned halfway round, and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-turned-halfway-round-and-saw-dorian-gray-for-the-first-time-when/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit quietly and gape at the play. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-ugly-and-the-stupid-have-the-best-of-it-in-this-world-they-can/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I wish I could love," cried Dorian Gray with a deep note of pathos in his voice. "But I seem to have lost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-wish-i-could-love-cried-dorian-gray-with-a-deep-note-of-pathos-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Poets are not so scrupulous as you are. They know how useful passion is for publication. Nowadays a broken heart will run to many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/poets-are-not-so-scrupulous-as-you-are-they-know-how-useful-passion/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Dorian Gray had been poisoned by a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/dorian-gray-had-been-poisoned-by-a-book/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Nicioadata nu aprob sau dezaprob un lucru, e o atitudine absurda fata de viata. Nu suntem trimisi in lume ca sa ne exibitionam prejudecatile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/nicioadata-nu-aprob-sau-dezaprob-un-lucru-e-o-atitudine-absurda-fata/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“him. There was a horrible fascination in them all. He saw them at night, and they troubled his imagination in the day. The Renaissance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/him-there-was-a-horrible-fascination-in-them-all-he-saw-them-at-night/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Dorian Gray listened, open-eyed and wondering. The spray of lilac fell from his hand upon the gravel. A furry bee came and buzzed round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/dorian-gray-listened-open-eyed-and-wondering-the-spray-of-lilac-fell/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“A strange sense of loss came over him. He felt that Dorian Gray would never again be to him all that he had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-strange-sense-of-loss-came-over-him-he-felt-that-dorian-gray-would/) [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 Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [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/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. they would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive. (Dorian Gray regarding his portrait)", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins-would-be-to-the-painted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins-would-be-to-the-painted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/oscar-wilde-16_alive_what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins_303777.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its…” — 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": "What the worm was to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins-would-be-to-the-painted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-the-worm-was-to-the-corpse-his-sins-would-be-to-the-painted/#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 } } ] } ```