A brass dish full of gold coins with a red ribbon curling out of it on a purple background.

Original artwork, not a still

Lady Windemere's Fan

Oscar Wilde

CECIL GRAHAM. What is a cynic? LORD DARLINGTON. A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Cecil Graham asks for a definition of a cynic, and Lord Darlington answers by separating knowledge of prices from recognition of value. The exchange criticises reducing worth to cost.

Context reviewed

Share this quote