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
O, how I faint when I of you do write, Knowing a better spirit doth use your name, And in the praise thereof spends all his might To make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker feels inadequate when comparing themselves to the person they admire.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses the feeling of being overwhelmed by admiration for someone so great that it leaves the speaker at a loss for words. The acknowledgment of a 'better spirit' suggests that the speaker realizes their own limitations and struggles to articulate the praise that the other person deserves.
Themes
AdmirationInadequacyPraiseFameLove
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used at a tribute speech to honor someone significant in your life.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love 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
Great loves too must be endured.
Coco ChanelRead
The most important fact is that gays have been here since day one. To say otherwise is a gross denial and stupidity. We played an enormous part in the history of America.
Larry KramerRead
Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it and it darts away.
Dorothy ParkerRead
...they enjoyed the miracle of loving each other as much at the table as in bed, and they grew to be so happy that even when they were two worn-out old people they kept on blooming like children and playing together like dogs.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love.
Jean RacineRead
Never stop smiling not even when you're sad, someone might fall in love with your smile.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead