“I'm an incurable romantic. The essence of romance is an unshakable conviction that next time will be different.”

“You, sir, are a romantic, and I'm afraid the condition is incurable.-Eponymous Clent”

“It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. (Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest)”

“It is an incurable act of desperation that men seek for certainty! It is like seeking for an unshakable place inside a shaking ship!”

“The tragedy of preparedness has scarcely been handled, save by the Greeks. Life is indeed dangerous, but not in the way morality would have us believe. It is indeed unmanageable, but the essence of it is not a battle. It is unmanageable because it is a romance, and its essence is romantic beauty.”

“I really don't see what is so romantic about proposing. One may be accepted - one usually is, I believe - and then the excitement is ended. The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”