"It is only by not paying one's bills that one can hope to live in the memory of the commercial classes"

This quote by Oscar Wilde is a commentary on the power of money and the impact it has on people's memories. Wilde recommends that if one wishes to be kept in mind by the industrial classes, they must not pay their bills. This suggests that money is a powerful incentive which those who have it can manage the memories of those who do not. It likewise suggests that those who are financially successful are most likely to be remembered than those who are not. Wilde's quote is a suggestion that money can be an effective tool for affecting people's memories and that those who have it can use it to their benefit. It also serves as a warning to those who are not economically effective, as it recommends that they may not be remembered in the same way as those who are.