We Are All In The Gutter

This line is spoken by Lord Darlington in Act III of Lady Windermere's Fan (1892). In context, Dumby says "I don't think we are bad. I think we are all good, except Tuppy," to which Darlington replies: "No, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Darlington is presenting his defense of his own flawed character — the "gutter" is moral rather than literal, and the "star" a symbol of aspiration beyond one's circumstances. The line was delivered to packed houses throughout a run that made Wilde a wealthy celebrity.