The only artists I have ever known who are personally delightful are bad artists. Good artists exist simply in what they make, and consequently are perfectly uninteresting in what they are. A great poet, a really great poet, is the most unpoetical of all creatures. But inferior poets are absolutely fascinating. The worse their rhymes are, the more picturesque they look. The mere fact of having published a book of second-rate sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize.

Summary

This quote by Oscar Wilde suggests that artists who are personally delightful are often not the most talented or skilled in their craft. The truly great artists are solely focused on their creative work and may lack personal charm or interesting qualities. However, the quote implies that artists of inferior talent are appealing because they embody the romanticized image of struggling artists. Their flaws and unsuccessful attempts at their art make them more intriguing and captivating to others. The quote highlights the irony that those who live the poetry they cannot write are more alluring than those who write poetry they dare not live.

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