This sentence was written by Wilde in his play "Lady Wintermill's Fan" and said by Roda Lington. In Wilde's plays, there is always a nobleman like a duke who will say something meaningful or thought-provoking.
Oscar Wilde (1854- 1900) is an English writer and poet. He was born in Dublin. His father is a doctor, and he is accomplished in archaeology and literature. His mother is an Irish nationalist poet. During his study in Magdalene College of Oxford University, he became a believer in Ruskin's aesthetic views and a representative of aestheticism. He advocates "art for art's sake", emphasizes the purity of art, and thinks that thought and language are the tools of art, and good and evil are the material of artists.