“There are only two ways, as you know, of becoming civilized. One is by being cultured, the other is by being corrupt.”

“Civilization is not by means an easy thing to attain to. There are only two ways by which man can reach it. One is by being cultured, the other by being corrupt.”

“My dear boy," said Lord Henry, smiling, "anybody can be good in the country. There are no temptations there. That is the reason why people who live out of town are so absolutely uncivilized. Civilization is not, by any means, an easy thing to attain to. There are only two ways by which men can reach it. One is by being cultured, the other by being corrupt. Country people have no opportunity of being either, so they stagnate.”

“The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated.”

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

“There are two ways to dislike poetry: One is to dislike it; the other is to read Pope.”

“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”