As one reads history… one is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted; and a community is infinitely more brutalized by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime.

About Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s. He was a key figure in...

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A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.

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I am not young enough to know everything.

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The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves. The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

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The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.

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More quotations tagged with “community”

God creates men, but they choose each other.

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But the life that no longer trust another human being and no longer forms ties to the political community is not a human life any longer.

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

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First it is necessary to stand on your own two feet. But the minute a man finds himself in that position, the next thing he should do is reach out his arms.

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Isn't everyone a part of everyone else?

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History

11 Jul 2015 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

As one reads history . . . one is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted; and a community is infinitely more brutalized by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime.