To define is to limit.
Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter XVII (1890)
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When and why it was written
- When
- From The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1890 and revised in 1891.
- Why
- Lord Henry deflects a question about what he is.
What it means
Wilde gives a witty evasion real weight. Labels close doors; a person is more than any definition.
It is worth remembering when you are tempted to sum yourself up in one word.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890
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