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What captivity has been to the Jews, exile has been to the Irish. For us, the romance of our native land begins only after we have left home; it is really only with other people that we become Irishmen.

— Peter Ackroyd The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

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More quotes by Peter Ackroyd

I believe that the gods themselves are frightened of the world which they have fashioned.

The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

Only those with great ambitions know what great fears drive them forward.

The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

One can forgive Shakespeare anything, except one's own bad lines.

The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

The English can laugh and at the same time strike you down, without the least compunction. It is the secret of their success as a nation.

The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

He had the satisfied countenance of a man who has never succeeded in boring himself.

The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Peter Ackroyd (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.