Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“When one is in love one begins by deceiving oneself. And one ends by deceiving others.”
- Source
- A Woman of No Importance
- Date
- 1893
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Lord Illingworth
Meaning of “When one is in love one begins by…”
The line turns romance into a two-stage comedy of self-deception and social deception, exaggerating cynicism to expose how desire distorts judgment.
Where does it come from?
A Woman of No Importance, Act III; Lord Illingworth answers Gerald’s question about love with the romance/self-deception epigram. The exact catalog wording is supported by this play, not by The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Why the local voice matters
A Woman of No Importance, Act III; Lord Illingworth answers Gerald’s question about love with the romance/self-deception epigram. The line is not Lord Henry dialogue from The Picture of Dorian Gray.
