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).
Affliction is enamoured of thy parts, And thou art wedded to calamity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that adversity is drawn to certain qualities in a person, indicating a connection between one's characteristics and the challenges they face.
In this quote, Shakespeare implies that individuals with certain traits are often beset by troubles, as if they are somehow destined to encounter difficulties. It expresses a profound observation about the human condition, suggesting that our strengths or vulnerabilities might attract both positive and negative experiences, and that calamities often feel intimately tied to our identity.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech to highlight the importance of resilience in facing life's challenges.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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When you’re focused outside and believe that your problem is caused by someone else, rather than by your attachment to the story you’re believing in the moment, then you are your own victim, and the situation appears to be hopeless.
Our plans miscarry because they have no aim.
If we exchange one dollar, we both have one dollar each. But if we exchange one good thought, we both have two good thoughts