Quotations and Literature Forum

I happend upon this quote and I thought it was interesting, but I remain unclear on just what it means. I have an idea, but I am not sure, and would like to here some of your thoughts first.

What are your thoughts about the meaning of this quote.

The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future -- Oscar Wilde

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

Meaning that every sinner can be redeemed and become a saint if they choose to create a past that's worth living.

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Sanctuary: a small safe place in a troubling world

I was thinking it was more along the lines of the fact that typically when one is talking about a Saint, it is someone who is dead. As I do not think a still living person can be made a saint.

But typically when one refers to Sinner's it is a person who is still alive. So a Saint has nothing left but thier past deeds, while a Sinner still has a life ahead of him.

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

Not quite. Case and point - Hitler, Jack the ripper, a suicide bomber, And other dudes who's names end in "er"

I think cdsg23 was on the right path there. If you follow Christianity, then classically, EVERYONE is a sinner. Even if you do nothing wrong, there's this thing called original sin, which you're supposedly born with. So every sinner has potential, because we are all sinners any way, and we all have potential. That is why every sinner has a future. Every saint has a past because they have already made the choice to do something with that potential.

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My name is supposed to say Ayreon, with the E before the O. This is the name of my favorite band. The name Ayroen is just a typo.

I would somewaht disagree with that. While those people can be viewed as evil, I do not think they are commonly refered to as a "Sinner" being that well they can no longer be saved, whatever the afterlife holds, it is done and over.

But a sinner is one with whom might still "reform"

The other reason why I question the quote is becasue it is an Oscar Wilde quote, and he is known for his sardonic wit. I find it difficult to beleive he would make such a remark without meaning it in some biting way.

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

I thought pehraps seeing the quote in context might help the understanding of it, though I still find the true meaning of it vauge.

It is within the play A Woman of No Imporantce, Act 3

which can be found here: http://www.quotesandpoem.com/literature ... portance/5

Here is how the quote appears within the play

LADY HUNSTANTON. Now I am quite out of my depth. I usually am when Lord Illingworth says anything. And the Humane Society is most careless. They never rescue me. I am left to sink. I have a dim idea, dear Lord Illingworth, that you are always on the side of the sinners, and I know I always try to be on the side of the saints, but that is as far as I get. And after all, it may be merely the fancy of a drowning person.

LORD ILLINGWORTH. The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.

LADY HUNSTANTON. Ah! that quite does for me. I haven't a word to say. You and I, dear Mrs. Arbuthnot, are behind the age. We can't follow Lord Illingworth. Too much care was taken with our education, I am afraid. To have been well brought up is a great drawback nowadays. It shuts one out from so much.

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

Could it be that saints are not born as saints and may have sinned in their past lives, their subsequent later reformation and good deeds earning them sainthoods after death? Then, as cdsg suggested, even sinners still have the chance to become saints if they reform sufficiently and progress to good deeds.

May well be wrong, but didn't St Francis of Assisi start off as a fairly wild young man?

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The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
e e cummings (1894 - 1962)

Yes, I can see that fitting. That sounds like it would make sense. As I do not think a person is born with the intent of becoming a Saint, thus they would make all the same typical mistakes anyone else would in thier younger days and be guilty of the same things.

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

I thought pehraps seeing the quote in context might help the understanding of it, though I still find the true meaning of it vauge. My site is find out.

The saint wasn't born a saint actions that he made in his life gave him the opportunity to become a saint,That is the saints past.
Every sinner has the opportunity to become a saint depending on the choices he makes in his future,that part is self explanatory.

The saint wasn't always a saint but he did his good deeds to become a saint and the sinner has the Opportunity to do his,The difference is the Choices.

Just my Opinion