As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
Affection is a coal that must be cooled; else, suffered, it will set the heart on fire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Affection needs to be balanced; excessive passion can lead to emotional pain.
This quote by William Shakespeare suggests that while affection and love can be powerful forces in our lives, they must be kept in check. If we allow our feelings to run uncontrolled, they can lead to overwhelming emotions and potential heartbreak; therefore, moderation is key in matters of the heart.
Themes
AffectionEmotionLoveHeartPassion
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a relationship counseling session to emphasize the importance of moderation in affection.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove bears it out even to the edge of doom.
William ShakespeareRead
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
William ShakespeareRead
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
William ShakespeareRead
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
William ShakespeareRead
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
William ShakespeareRead
Similar quotes
In contrast to a dream a reverie cannot be recounted. To be communicated, it must be written, written with emotion and taste, being relived all the more strongly because it is being written down. Here, we are touching the realm of written love. It is going out of fashion, but the benefits remain. There are still souls for whom love is the contact of two poetries, the fusion of two reveries.
Gaston BachelardRead
Half the sum of attraction, on either side, might have been enough, for he had nothing to do, and she had hardly any body to love." (of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth, Persuasion)
Jane AustenRead
Consider God's charity. Where else have we ever seen someone who has been offended voluntarily paying out his life for those who have offended him?
St. Catherine Of SienaRead
I've seen too much hate to want to hate, myself.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
I think the quality of sexiness comes from within.
Sophia LorenRead
Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.
Victor HugoRead