William Shakespeare, the unparalleled bard of Avon, has left an indelible mark on literature and society. His quotes, brimming with wit, wisdom, and emotion, continue to resonate across the ages. This article delves into ten different themes found within Shakespeare's timeless works, each with twelve carefully selected quotes exemplifying the theme. From the musings on love and life's brevity to reflections on power and betrayal, Shakespeare's words offer a mirror to the human condition. Explore these quotes to gain insight into the genius of Shakespeare, whose understanding of human psychology transcends time. Whether you seek inspiration, solace, or simply a deeper appreciation of the bard's work, these quotes will surely captivate your imagination.
Love Quotes
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
"Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love."
"When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew."
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep."
"If music be the food of love, play on."
"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."
"I would not wish any companion in the world but you."
"Speak low if you speak love."
"One half of me is yours, the other half yours—mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, and so all yours."
Life Quotes
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day."
"Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more."
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."
"The golden age is before us, not behind us."
"Come what come may, time and the hour run through the roughest day."
Friendship Quotes
"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."
"I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul rememb’ring my good friends."
"Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find."
"A friend should bear his friend's infirmities."
"Friendship is constant in all things, save in the office and affairs of love."
"In time we hate that which we often fear."
"The better part of valour is discretion."
"Certes, it is not a thing to be done to discourage true friendship."
"Thou think’st are mine who deadly dost offend me."
"Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel."
"A friend is a present you give yourself."
"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come."
Wisdom Quotes
"Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportioned thought his act."
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners."
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
"No legacy is so rich as honesty."
"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief."
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
"Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage."
"All that glisters is not gold."
"What’s done cannot be undone."
Power Quotes
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
"Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind."
"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."
"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them."
"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."
"Men in rage strike those that wish them best."
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!"
"I am constant as the northern star, of whose true-fix'd and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament."
"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."
"I see that the constant man is old and ugly and full of energy, committed to finding weakness where strength is the rule."
"In time we hate that which we often fear."
"Power is a very different beast, unfathomable to those caught in the thrall of its pursuit."
Betrayal Quotes
"Et tu, Brute?"
"Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me."
"The smallest worm will turn being trodden on."
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
"Men that make enemies willingly are creatures of weak understanding."
"What's gone and what's past help should be past grief."
"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."
"Love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies themselves commit."
"In time we hate that which we often fear."
"The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation; that away, men are but gilded loam or painted clay."
"O, villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"
Fate Quotes
"What’s past is prologue."
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
"Men at some time are masters of their fates."
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."
"Our revels now are ended."
"Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered."
"Journeys end in lovers meeting."
"Such as we are made of, such we be."
"Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises."
"Throughout all eternity, seasons may change, but my love will not."
"Time and the hour run through the roughest day."
"Thou shalt have a fair share of my wealth, control, and fate."
Human Nature Quotes
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it."
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
"The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!"
"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break."
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
"I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at."
"I am not bound to please thee with my answer."
"He jests at scars that never felt a wound."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
"What’s done cannot be undone."
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions."
"You common cry of curs, whose breath I hate as reek o' the rotten fens."
Wisdom and Folly Quotes
"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
"I pray you, do not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine."
"Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit."
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
"How sharp the serpents tooth it is, to have a thankless child!"
"What fools these mortals be!"
"The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream."
"He has eaten me out of house and home."
"The truth will out."
"Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."
"The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief."
Reflection Quotes
"The better part of Valour, is Discretion."
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."
"All that glitters is not gold."
"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."
"So wise so young, they say, do never live long."
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
"What’s past is prologue."
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."
"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast."
Final words
Shakespeare's prowess with the pen crafts a tapestry that captures the essence of humanity with astonishing accuracy. Through the showcased themes of love, life, friendship, wisdom, power, betrayal, fate, human nature, wisdom and folly, and reflection, each quote stands as a testament to his unparalleled understanding of the human psyche. In exploring these timeless quotes, readers not only appreciate the sheer beauty of Shakespeare's language but also uncover the profound truths of their existence. These quotes are reminders of the constancy of human emotions and experiences across centuries. As we delve into Shakespeare’s words, his insights offer us a nuanced lens through which to view and interpret our own journeys, revealing both the simplicity and complexity of life. Let these quotes inspire introspection and impart wisdom as you navigate the stage of life. Shakespeare's words remind us that, indeed, "life's but a walking shadow" and it is up to us to give it form and meaning.
