Who said “I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye upon that little tent of blue which…”?

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Oscar Wilde. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898)

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“I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye upon that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky.”
— Oscar Wilde
VerifiedThe Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898) · evidenceSky
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898).

APA

Wilde, O. (n.d.). I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye upon that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/38073-i-never-saw-a-man-who-looked-with/

MLA

Wilde, Oscar. “I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye upon that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/38073-i-never-saw-a-man-who-looked-with/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Wilde, Oscar. “I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye upon that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/38073-i-never-saw-a-man-who-looked-with/.

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“And that inverted bowl we call The Sky, where under crawling coop't we live and die, lift not thy hands to It for help -- for it rolls impotently on as thou or I.”
— Omar Khayyam
VerifiedFitzGerald, Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1859, '68, '72, '79, '89), LII (1859) · evidenceDetails & citeSky
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