The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." – Oscar Wilde?

Question

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." – Oscar Wilde

What do you think might have motivated Wilde to say that? Is the truth often complex? Are there multiple versions of “truth

Answer 1

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"truth" means different things to different people. And it's rarely "pure" because there will always be parts of it less emphasized (or simply hidden) because of interest. And it isn't simple because the events that led to a certain situation are bound to be complex, interpretable and subjective.

"What led him to that conclusion?" Life experience, obviously.

You have to think of "truth" in its human sense, which always has some emotional implication. If we were all robots, out truth would be pure and simple. But hey, we're not.

Am I making sense here?

Answer 2

maybe it was because he was gay and taught that telling the truth is easier said then done because when he told Thar truth he was put in jail for it

Answer 3

Actually the quotation is "The truth is rarely pure and never simple." It comes from Act 1 of "The Importance of being Earnest." If you know the plot of the play then you will understand why that was in it. I think it means exactly what it says and there was no hidden agenda.
Having said that the truth is often complicated and there can be multiple versions depending on your interpretation of the facts. You only have to listen to some MP's to realise that.