Quote Origin: Life Is Not Complex. We Are Complex. Life Is Simple, and the Simple Thing Is the Right Thing

Oscar Wilde? Robert Ross? Rudolf Flesch? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Modern life seems to be extremely complicated, but the underlying principles of a worthwhile life are quite simple. I am reminded of the following quotation:

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.

These words have been attributed to the famous Irish wit Oscar Wilde, but I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please help me to trace this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In April 1897 Oscar Wilde penned a note to his friend Robert Ross. Wilde was unhappy because Ross had ignored the guidance specified in a previous note. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[ref] 1962, The Letters of Oscar Wilde, Edited by Rupert Hart-Davis, Letter to: Robert Ross, Letter from: Oscar Wilde, Letter date: April 1, 1897, Start Page 512, Quote Page 514, Published by Rupert Hart-Davis, London. (Verified on paper) [/ref]

You should have seen that my wishes were carried out. You were very wrong not to do so. I was quite helpless in prison and I relied on you. You thought that the thing to do was the clever thing, the smart thing, the ingenious thing. You were under a mistake.

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing. Look at the result! Are you pleased with it?

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Complex presentation of the simple word “Love” from Gerd Altmann at Pixabay. The image has been expanded vertically and resized.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Jane Bella whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

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