William Shakespeare, the illustrious bard of Avon, has left an indelible mark on the world of literature and theater. His works, rich with wisdom and insight, continue to resonate with audiences around the globe. This collection features some of the most profound and memorable quotes from his vast repertoire, providing a lens through which we can better understand human nature and our own experiences. Each quote offers a glimpse into Shakespeare's unparalleled ability to capture the essence of emotions, relationships, and the human condition. Whether you are a lifelong admirer of Shakespeare or a newcomer to his works, these quotes will enlighten and inspire you, bridging the centuries with their timeless relevance.
Wisdom Quotes
"To thine own self be true."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
"The better part of valor is discretion."
"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."
"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast."
"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving."
"Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind."
Love Quotes
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind."
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."
"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep."
"If music be the food of love, play on."
"Speak low, if you speak love."
"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"
"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom."
"The sight of lovers feedeth those in love."
"Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make females mad."
Life Quotes
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."
"All that glisters is not gold."
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."
"The earth has music for those who listen."
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
"What's done cannot be undone."
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions."
"Time and the hour run through the roughest day."
"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."
"Be great in act, as you have been in thought."
"Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered."
Friendship Quotes
"Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find."
"A friend is one that knows you as you are."
"I am wealthy in my friends."
"The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel."
"Friendship is constant in all other things, save in the office and affairs of love."
"Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good people."
"Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly."
"Keep thy friend under thy own life’s key."
"O brave new world, that has such people in't."
"Friendship is the strongest bond between two people."
"A merry heart goes all the day, your sad tires in a mile-a."
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
Motivational Quotes
"Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall."
"Boldness be my friend."
"Strong reasons make strong actions."
"What's past is prologue."
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."
"All things are ready, if our mind be so."
"No legacy is so rich as honesty."
"Though she be but little, she is fierce!"
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments."
"Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting."
"Make use of time, let not advantage slip."
Tragedy Quotes
"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."
"To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on."
"These violent delights have violent ends."
"The miserable have no other medicine but only hope."
"Of all base passions, fear is the most accursed."
"I am not bound to please thee with my answer."
"Men at some time are masters of their fates."
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions."
"False face must hide what the false heart doth know."
"Confusion now hath made his masterpiece."
"Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee."
Comedy Quotes
"I do desire we may be better strangers."
"The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly."
"All's well that ends well."
"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."
"Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage."
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
"I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety."
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."
"As merry as the day is long."
"I am one who loved not wisely but too well."
"In jest, there is truth."
"Your tale, sir, would cure deafness."
Power Quotes
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
"Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other."
"The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept."
"There is no darkness but ignorance."
"Think you I am no stronger than my sex, being so fathered and so husbanded?"
"O, it is excellent to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant."
"The man that hath no music in himself... Let no such man be trusted."
"If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches."
"The quality of mercy is not strained."
"I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad."
"Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep."
"Beware the ides of March."
Fate Quotes
"The wheel is come full circle."
"Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered."
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
"There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will."
"What’s done cannot be undone."
"Time is the justice that examines all offenders."
"The fates lead the willing, but drag the unwilling."
"We have seen better days."
"Journeys end in lovers meeting."
"There’s daggers in men’s smiles."
"Everyone is a king in his own house."
"Be wary then; best safety lies in fear."
Famous Quotes
"To be, or not to be: that is the question."
"Now is the winter of our discontent."
"Beware the ides of March."
"All the world’s a stage."
"Jesus, the day is lost, can no man tell me of my unthrifty son?"
"My salad days, when I was green in judgment."
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies."
"Et tu, Brute?"
"Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war."
"I am one who loved not wisely but too well."
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more."
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Final words
In conclusion, Shakespeare's mastery over language and his profound understanding of the human experience are beautifully showcased through his timeless quotes. From the complexity of love to the inevitability of fate, and from the subtleties of personal reflection to the dynamics of power, Shakespeare's words have a unique ability to speak to every facet of life. His works continue to inspire, challenge, and provoke thought in readers and audiences worldwide. The enduring nature of his quotes serves as a testament to his genius, ensuring Shakespeare remains as relevant today as he was in the Elizabethan era. Through these quotes, we realize the timeless nature of human emotions, the intricacies of relationships, and the perpetual struggle for identity and purpose. Shakespeare's work transcends time, gifting us wisdom and beauty that remain unmatched. Let these famous shakespeare quotes guide and inspire your journey through the wonderful intricacies of life.
