A hand mirror reflecting a pink rose stands above a shallow peach dish with petals and a trailing pink ribbon.

Original artwork, not a still

Phrases and Philosophies for the use of the Young • 1894

Oscar Wilde

To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The statement recasts loving oneself as the start of a romance that lasts a lifetime. The playful comparison borrows the language of a love affair for a relationship with the self. Its promise of duration gives that inward affection an expansive, cheerfully confident quality.

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