We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. — Oscar Wilde · Smartyfair

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

Oscar Wilde1854–1900 · writer · 1800s Ireland & EnglandOscar Wilde was an Irish writer famous for his witty plays, clever sayings, and his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.9 quotes

Source foundWisdom1800s

In plain words

Life can be rough for everyone. Some people still look up.

Look up a word

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Lady Windermere's Fan, Act III, 1892 — spoken by Lord Darlington
Occasion: 1892
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026
gutenberg.orgChecked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), Act III — Lord Darlington's line, primary text on Project Gutenberg

Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.

More from Oscar Wilde

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Oscar Wilde 'Know thyself' was written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world, 'Be thyself' shall be written.

Oscar Wilde I have many beautiful flowers, but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.

Oscar Wilde The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.

Oscar Wilde I must learn how to be happy.

Oscar Wilde The artist is the creator of beautiful things.

More on wisdom

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Sun Tzu The wound is the place where the light enters you.

Rumi You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Marcus Aurelius Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Marcus Aurelius An unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.