Shakespeare’s brilliance is timeless, and his words hold a mirror to the human condition. From love to betrayal, power to tragedy, Shakespeare’s profundity resonates with countless generations. Below, we’ve compiled an exploration of Shakespearean quotes across multiple themes. With a flair for wit and wisdom, these lines paint vivid emotions and truths that continue to shape our understanding of ourselves and the world.
Famous Shakespeare Quotes on Love
"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." - *Twelfth Night*
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." - *Sonnet 18*
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep." - *Romeo and Juliet*
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." - *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*
"The course of true love never did run smooth." - *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*
"If music be the food of love, play on." - *Twelfth Night*
"They do not love that do not show their love." - *Two Gentlemen of Verona*
"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." - *All’s Well That Ends Well*
"Hear my soul speak: The very instant that I saw you, did My heart fly to your service." - *The Tempest*
"Speak low if you speak love." - *Much Ado About Nothing*
"What is light, if Silvia be not seen? What is joy, if Silvia be not by?" - *Two Gentlemen of Verona*
"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?" - *As You Like It*
Inspirational Shakespeare Quotes
"To thine own self be true." - *Hamlet*
"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - *Twelfth Night*
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - *Hamlet*
"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." - *Measure for Measure*
"Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice." - *Hamlet*
"Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find." - *The Passionate Pilgrim*
"Boldness be my friend." - *Cymbeline*
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - *Julius Caesar*
"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast." - *The Comedy of Errors*
"Pleasure and action make the hours seem short." - *Othello*
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." - *Hamlet*
"Time is very slow for those who wait, very fast for those who are scared, very long for those who lament, very short for those who celebrate; but for those who love, time is eternal." - *Attributed to Shakespeare*
Melancholic Shakespeare Quotes
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions." - *Hamlet*
"Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow." - *Romeo and Juliet*
"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." - *Othello*
"Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude." - *As You Like It*
"I am a man more sinned against than sinning." - *King Lear*
"So wise so young, they say, do never live long." - *Richard III*
"The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together." - *All’s Well That Ends Well*
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be." - *Hamlet*
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" - *King Lear*
"Oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths." - *Macbeth*
"For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds." - *Sonnet 94*
"The wheel is come full circle: I am here." - *King Lear*
Shakespeare Quotes on Humanity
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players." - *As You Like It*
"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty!" - *Hamlet*
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." - *Twelfth Night*
"The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones." - *Julius Caesar*
"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." - *Julius Caesar*
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool." - *As You Like It*
"What’s done cannot be undone." - *Macbeth*
"All that glisters is not gold." - *The Merchant of Venice*
"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff." - *Julius Caesar*
"Men in rage strike those that wish them best." - *Othello*
"Strong reasons make strong actions." - *King John*
"The miserable have no other medicine but only hope." - *Measure for Measure*
Witty Shakespeare Quotes
"Brevity is the soul of wit." - *Hamlet*
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." - *As You Like It*
"Many a true word hath been spoken in jest." - *King Lear*
"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." - *The Merry Wives of Windsor*
"A jest’s prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it." - *Love’s Labour’s Lost*
"I do desire we may be better strangers." - *As You Like It*
"He hath eaten me out of house and home." - *Henry IV, Part 2*
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" - *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." - *The Tempest*
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on." - *The Tempest*
"This is the very ecstasy of love." - *Hamlet*
"I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks." - *Twelfth Night*
Final words
Shakespeare’s words transcend time, epitomizing love, ambition, sorrow, and humanity. His ability to capture the complexities of life continues to inspire and enlighten audiences across the globe. Whether you seek solace, laughter, or wisdom, these Shakespearean quotes provide insights into the multifaceted nature of life. Keep these quotes at your fingertips to sprinkle a touch of Elizabethan grace, wit, and depth into your daily musings or thought-provoking discussions.
