Declare nothing but your 'Genius'

Oscar Wilde was a 'dandy' who defied the strict norms of the Victorian era. Observing people blindly following trends, he remarked that most lives are a mimicry and passions merely quotations.

Upon arriving in New York in 1882, when asked if he had anything to declare, he famously replied, 'I have nothing to declare but my genius.' This provocative statement showed how much he valued unique identity.