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
Who knows himself a braggart, Let him fear this; for it will come to pass That every braggart will be found an ass.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-awareness is crucial; those who boast may reveal their own foolishness.
This quote by Shakespeare warns against the danger of arrogance and boasting. It implies that individuals who are overly proud or who frequently brag about their accomplishments may ultimately expose their own shortcomings and foolishness, suggesting that humility is a more admirable trait than vanity.
Themes
BraggartHumilitySelf-AwarenessFoolishnessArrogance
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation, to remind the audience about the importance of humility.
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
If I look confused it is because I am thinking.
Samuel GoldwynRead
Listen to no one's advice except that of the wind in the trees. That can recount the whole history of mankind.
Claude DebussyRead
I have great faith in fools,β self-confidence my friends will call it.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
I have one talent, and that is the capacity to be tremendously surprised, surprised at life, at ideas. This is to me the supreme Hasidic imperative: Don't be old. Don't be stale.
Abraham Joshua HeschelRead
With reference to the younger generation..."If the experience of their exhausted, insomniac, dispirited elders makes them decide they'd prefer not to go straight from the classroom to the cubicle to the coffin, it doesn't mean they're lazy. It means they're sane."
Anna QuindlenRead
Lasting fulfillment is attained only through gaining insight into the core of our human nature, unleashing the power to understand, appreciate, and enjoy our lives at the deepest level.
Tony RobbinsRead