What is your interpretation of this quote, "Only the shallow know themselves." by Oscar Wilde?

Question

"Only the shallow know themselves."
-Oscar Wilde

What do you think it means?

I REALLY APPRECIATED EVERYONE'S ANSWERS/INTERPRETATIONS...I AND SINCE EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN HATE TO CHOOSE JUST ONE

Answer 1

The depths of a puddle are easier to explore than the depths of an ocean.

The shallow do know themselves better because there is less to know, less to see.

A deep individual will spend a lifetime exploring themselves and never know the bottom.
A shallow individual will know themselves rather quickly, and get on with life from there.

Answer 2

Shallow people are too conceited to look beyond the surface. They only worry about looks, and popularity. The body on the outside is very plain and dull. However the deeper and more thoughtful a person is the more they are able to look at the intricate detail of the human body. From the organ systems to individual organs to cells to the parts of cells, figuratively speaking. By being a deeper person they find more and more to learn about themselves, sch as instead of being the prettiest girl at the office, they are the most headstrong.

Answer 3

Only Shallow

Answer 4

Shallow people are very superficial. They know only what they believe at the moment or what is (how they see it) expected of them. To know yourself means that there is nothing more than what meets the eye. If you are open minded, non-superficial and honest you will always find something about yourself that you didn't know. A shallow person can only dig so deep.

Answer 5

Only the shallow would think it important to dwell on themselves. Further, only the shallow would actually think they know themselves since every kind of observational error and bias is present.

Answer 6

Ignorant people think they've got everything down pat in life. Plato at least had the humility to say "all i know is i know nothing".

Answer 7

Similar to the meaning in the expression: having no reflection I have no depth. Mental reflection is an unretarding ability that in its self is creativity, possibility. The self conscious reflect self upon self, creating a defining condition equivalent to infinity, definite takes finite.

Answer 8

The same as Confucius when he said: "Life is really very simple, but men insist on making it complicated".

Good luck!

Answer 9

A shallow person only knows his surface or veneer. Since he is shallow he s only interested in his and others appearance, raiments, grooming, and his instant reaction to people or events. He is superficial but happy, because there s not much too know. The quote is a quip or joke. Wilde is demeaning shallow people for their lack of curiosity about themselves and others, lack of education, and their lack of interest in understanding their motivations, unconscious drives, and their conscience. An unexamined life is not worth living-Socrates. "How could one live and not have story to tell" Dostoyevsky Only the shallow know themselves, because there is very little to know. The Truth Shall set you Free-Self Knowledge.

Answer 10

It means that he was a bit more drunk than usual. Writers say sometimes that make no sense and people who consider themselves smart push those quotes to make others feel inapt. If I tell you that dead cows see larger sky! What does that mean to you? See my point?