Thursday 9 March 2017

Oscar Wilde on Donald Trump

My favourite author is Oscar Wilde. Sadly the good Lord did not paint me with such a talent for words. But when I need inspiration in despair, Wilde is the first place I turn (you should try it). I was recently struck by how many of his quotes sum up Donald Trump. Am I the only person to notice this?

On the views of adversaries?
'In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane'

On America?
'America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilisation in between'

On patriotism
'Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious'

On his twitter persona?
'Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth'

On his war with the press?
'In America the President reigns for four years, and journalism governs forever and ever.'

On his role in the world?
'The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast'

On his intellect
'The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius '

On his ambitions
'Ambition is the last refuge of failure'

On his honesty
'What we have to do, what at any rate is our duty to do, is to revive the old fashioned art of lying'

On our fascination with him
'There are only two types of people who are truly fascinating, people who know absolutely everything and people who know absolutely nothing '

On his social conscience
'If there was less sympathy in the world, there would be less trouble in the world'

And on bling
'Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing success like excess'

It's almost scary, isn't it?

1 comment:

PaulW said...


So spot on, it's spoooooky.