About this quote

Counting costs is easy; judging worth takes effort and attention. Many choices are driven by the lowest price or the loudest label, not by what will actually improve our life. Notice what you give up when you pick the cheaper option: workmanship, attention, human care, or lasting satisfaction. Try a quick check next time you buy something—name two benefits beyond price and see whether the purchase still makes sense.

When to use it

• At a product team meeting where the CFO pushes cheaper materials, I bring up Wilde's line to warn we'll lose customer trust.
• When my partner suggests a cheaper daycare, I say, 'Remember that quote about price and value,' and ask who will actually care for our child.
• Standing in the furniture store, I pause at the sale couch and think whether I'll still enjoy it in five years.
• As an art student pricing prints, I refuse to undercut my work because the cheap route would erase what makes it meaningful.