A: tristia fata iubent: similis fit femina matri:     non fit vir similis (tristia fata!) suae. J: nonne sapis? A: pulchro modulor! sat vera loquela est:     haud nimium veram suavibus esse decet. J: quippe salis taedet. coepit iam quisque lepores:     occurrit lepidus, quicquid inibis iter.     laeditur immenso lepidorum publica damno     res. date, di, stultis posse manere! A: manent. J: nosse velim certe. quo more loquuntur? A: inepti?     de lepidis. J: o mens stulta et inepta gregis!

Algernon: All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his. Jack: Is that clever? Algernon: It is perfectly phrased! And quite as true as any observation in civilised life should be. Jack: I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can’t go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left. Algernon: We have. Jack: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about? Algernon: The fools? Oh, about the clever people, of course. Jack: What fools.