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
Desperate times breed desperate measures
Interpretation
What this quote means
In difficult circumstances, people may resort to extreme actions.
This quote suggests that when faced with challenging or desperate situations, individuals or groups might adopt unconventional or drastic methods to survive or address their problems. It highlights the human tendency to make tough choices when the stakes are high and normal solutions seem inadequate.
Themes
DesperationMeasuresTimesCircumstancesHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a business meeting discussing how to handle a financial emergency, one might say, 'As Shakespeare reminds us, desperate times breed desperate measures.'
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
You cannot invent an algorithm that is as good at recommending books as a good bookseller, and that's the secret weapon of the bookstore - is that no algorithm will ever understand readers the way that other readers can understand readers.
John GreenRead
Ponder and deliberate before you make your move. He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
Sun TzuRead
Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
All that time is lost which might be better employed.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
Be proud of your scars. They have everything to do with your strength, and what you've endured. They're a treasure map to the deep self.
Clarissa Pinkola EstesRead
Life is about balance. Be kind, but donβt let people abuse you. Trust, but donβt be deceived. Be content, but never stop improving yourself.
Zig ZiglarRead