20 Oscar Wilde Quotes That Apply to Business

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright who was born in Dublin in 1854 and died in Paris in 1900. He began writing in different forms during the 1880s, and he was one of the most popular playwrights in London by the next decade. He was a man who expressed many opinions, and people consider his words inspirational and motivational. His quotes can apply to many situations, and you can even interpret many to use them in relation to the business environment. Here are 20 Oscar Wilde quotes that apply to business.

20. On Seeing the Positives in Situations

“We are all in the gutters but some of us are looking at the stars”.

This is possibly one of the most famous Oscar Wilde quotes of all time, and it is interpreted to apply to many situations. It is listed on Fearless Motivation, and it means that you should look at the positives in life, even when things are tough. In terms of business, you may face many challenges. Rather than simply looking at the negatives of a situation, you should also look for the positives. Even in the most difficult circumstances, you can see it as an opportunity to learn.

19. On Being Yourself

“Be yourself: Everyone else is already taken”.

The only way to achieve success both personally and professionally is by being yourself. Trying to become someone you are not can take up too much of your time and your energy. It is also hard to keep up a pretense. Always stay true to your own beliefs, principles, and morals. Also, if you are putting on an act, people will find it difficult to have any respect for you or to take you seriously. Instead of trying to be like others, focus on making yourself the best you can possibly be by concentrating on personal development.

18. On Having Dreams

“Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is the one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world”.

Having dreams is the first step towards having a successful business. Without dreams, ambitions, and goals, you have nothing to work towards. However, having dreams alone is not enough. You also need to put steps in place to make your dreams a reality. Therefore, you need to combine dreams with reality.

17. On Taking Risks

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination”.

Interpreted literally, this Oscar Wilde quote suggests that people should spend more than they earn. However, it is also possible to interpret this quote as meaning that people need to take risks, and this particularly applies to business. If you only set yourself goals for the things you know you can achieve, you will never take your business to another level. Instead, you should take a risk and aim high.

16. On Sharing Knowledge

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never any use to oneself”.

A quote listed on Bright Drops, Oscar Wilde stresses the importance of sharing information. This can apply to business in several ways. First, it emphasizes the importance of good communication. Second, it outlines the benefits of passing on advice and knowledge to others in your team to benefit everyone. Giving your team learning opportunities will help you to get the most out of everyone.

15. On Gaining Experience

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes”.

Throughout life, we are constantly gaining experience. While successes are an important aspect of gaining experience, it is also important to acknowledge that mistakes are also a vital part of any experience we gain. Too often, people see their mistakes in a negative light. You should try to rake a more positive attitude to your mistakes as they are character building and a vital aspect of the learning process.

14. On the Importance of a Steady Cash Flow

“It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating”.

Although enjoying your business and having some fun is important, you also need to keep a level head and take care of the practicalities of running a business. The business finances are one of the most vital aspects to keep an eye on, as you will have no business at all if you do not have a steady cash flow that contributes to your business becoming profitable.

13. On Having Ideas

“The value of an idea has nothing whatever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it”.

To keep your business moving forward, you constantly need to think of new ideas. This will help you to get things running smoothly and to find the best ways of making a profit. It does not necessarily need to be you that comes up with all the ideas. Make the most of your team by listening to any ideas they wish to contribute. While you may not like all the ideas, others can often come up with an idea that had not crossed your mind.

12. On Thinking Outside the Box

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If they did, they would cease to be an artist”.

In this quote, Wilde is referring to the way that artists work, but the same principles apply to a business environment. You may need to get creative in some situations to come up with the best strategies to get a project off the ground, and this may mean thinking outside the box and looking at things from a different perspective. Some people find this hard to do. If this applies to you, then invite your team to contribute ideas as they may offer fresh insight into a situation,

11. On Treating Your Team Well

“In modern life, nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude. It makes the whole world kind”.

Listed on Forbes, this quote stresses the need to treat others kindly. In business, you should always treat your team well. Praise their good work, help them to overcome challenges, and acknowledge the contributions that they make. This will help your team to stay motivated and to work well together towards shared goals. It will also make them have greater respect for you as a business leader.

9. On Raising Awareness of Your Business

“There is only one thing in the world being talked about, and that is not being talked about”.

A business can only become a success if people are aware of the services you offer or the products you sell. This is the reason that marketing is such an essential aspect of making your business a success. You need to find marketing strategies that get people talking about your business, and also remembering it in the future. It is impossible to have success if nobody is aware of your business.

8. On Getting Your Team to Cooperate

“Where there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority”.

It is likely that you will face resistance from at least one member of your team at some point. Some people have issues with authority, or they do not like change. In these situations, it is important to identify the issue and experiment with different strategies to get the person showing resistance working as part of a team. This can sometimes take time and perseverance on your part to get them on board.

7. On Learning from Experience

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught”.

Many people learn a lot about a subject from a book. However, books are not always the best source of learning. In business, there are only some things that you can learn from books. The rest are things that you can only learn in a practical situation from experience. Take any opportunities that you can to learn from other people or by getting involved in different situations. Remember, your mistakes are just as valuable in the learning process as your successes.

6. On Accepting Situations

“One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be”.

There are many parts of your business that you can have full control of, but there are also certain situations that may arise that you cannot control whatsoever. In these situations, you may need to accept that there is nothing you can do to change the circumstances and that you just need to ride it out.

5. On Standing Out from the Crowd

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation”.

One reason that people can find it difficult to become a success is that they are too busy trying to be like everyone else. The people who achieve great success are those that do not follow others like sheep but do something different to make sure they stand out from the crowd. It is only by differentiating yourself that people can begin to take notice and realize that you are a successful person worthy of attention.

4. On Becoming a Success

“Success is a science. If you have the conditions, you get the result”.

If you want to become a success enough, then you will eventually become successful if you put the right measures in place. By hurtling into trying to become successful head-on without thinking about what you need to do to achieve your goals, you can set yourself up for failure. Instead, take the time to put everything in place so that you can enjoy a smooth transition from someone with a great idea to someone who is a successful businessperson.

3. On Enjoying What You Do

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it all”.

You should always choose to enter a business that interests you, or you are setting yourself up for a miserable ride. Having passion about what you do is essential as running your business will take up a large proportion of your life. If you are not enjoying what you do, then doing it is pointless. If you start enjoying it and then start to lose the passion, you should think about what you can do to reignite your passion for your business so that you can start enjoying your working life again.

2. On Knowing Your Competition

“A man can’t be too careful in the choice of his enemies”.

Becoming a success is almost impossible if you do not have a full understanding of your competition. Very few businesses are in a market with no competition, and what your competition does can dictate whether you succeed or fail. Learn everything you can about similar businesses to yours. Find out what they do well, where they could improve, and who is their target market. This will help you to plan strategies to stand out from your competition and improve your chances of success.

1. On Achieving Your Ambitions

“Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and to do more”.

Possibly one of the best Oscar Wilde quotes that apply to business is this one that is listed by Brainy Quote. The underlying message from this quote is that the person responsible for your destiny is yourself. If you want to become a success, then you need to take responsibility for your actions and do something about it. Take any opportunities you can for personal development as this will help you along the way. Also, start putting in the effort straight away rather than waiting to actions.

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