Experience was… merely the name men gave to their mistakes.
The quip turns regret into branding. It’s witty because it sounds tough-minded, but it also lowers the stakes of wrongdoing—mistakes are just lessons. For Dorian, this is a clean way to file away remorse. Irony sharpens the line: calling sin “experience” doesn’t heal its damage. The portrait contradicts the euphemism; it shows the true cost. Wilde suggests that self-explanations can be as addictive as the acts they excuse. Readers hear the polish and sense the danger.