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Welcome back to Mid-Day Motivation with @JustLibby! Every day I provide thought-provoking quotes by some of the world's most influential men and women!
Today's quote is...
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much
-Oscar Wilde
I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't know much about Oscar Wilde before coming across his quote. I knew him as a famous playwright for his of work like the Importance of Being Earnest. My curiosity brought me to know more about the man behind the quote and whether he had any validity about forgiveness. What I discovered surprised me!
Born in Ireland to a wealthy family, Wilde was surrounded by the high society of the late 1800s. After graduating from Oxford University, Wilde became a prolific writer in London. Focusing his work on the upper class in the Victorian era, Wilde developed into a celebrity in England.
It turns out Mr. Wilde was indeed wild! He had a lavish and mischievous personal life. As a husband and father, he led a double life with a male lover. When the father of his lover, a wealthy lord, caught wind of their relationship, he tried to break up it by sending Wilde a card.
The outraged Wilde sued him in hopes to preserve his respectability. This was the biggest mistake of his life. Wilde lost the trial and because his actions were deemed illegal in England at the time, he was imprisoned for 2 years.
At the height of Wilde's career, he was locked up and unable to maintain his active writing abilities. Upon his release from prison, he was bankrupt and disgraced. He exiled himself to France where lived the rest of his days in run-down hotels. Three years later, he died of meningitis.
While his story is a downer, Wilde's quote is validation that his downfall enabled him to forgive even his biggest enemy.
Perhaps, you've had your own struggles of forgiving someone in your life? According to Wilde, nothing annoys an enemy more than a pardon. Maybe it's worth a try?
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