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
I were better to be eaten to death with a rust than to be scoured to nothing with perpetual motion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It's better to be consumed by an inevitable fate than to be endlessly worn down by constant pressure.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys the idea that a steady, unrelenting struggle can be more damaging than succumbing to an unavoidable end. The metaphor of being eaten by rust suggests that, while a slow demise is frustrating, being caught in a cycle of ceaseless activity can lead to complete depletion of one's essence or worth.
Themes
RustPerpetual MotionStrugglePhilosophySteady Decline
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could resonate in a speech about work-life balance during a corporate event.
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Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
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Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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