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Desperate times breed desperate measures
William Shakespeare
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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

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).
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Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
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Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
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Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
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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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