“The world has become sad because a puppet was once melancholy. The nihilist, that strange martyr who has no faith, who goes to the stake without enthusiasm, and dies for what he does not believe in, is a purely literary product. He was invented by Turgenev, and completed by Dostoevsky. Robespierre came out of the pages of Rousseau as surely as the People's Palace rose out debris of a novel. Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it, but moulds it to its purpose.”

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Originally said in English.

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About Oscar Wilde

Irish playwright and wit of the late 19th century, Wilde was celebrated for his razor-sharp wit and satirical genius. His works, including *The Importance of Being Earnest*, blend humor with social critique, while his aphorisms remain enduringly quotable.

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"The world has become sad because a puppet was once melancholy. The ni…" — Oscar Wilde | Daily Quotes