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
And then he drew a dial from his poke, And looking with lack-lustre eye, Says very wisely, 'It is ten o'clock: Thus we may see', Quoth he, 'how the world wags: 'Tis but an hour ago since it was nine, And after one hour more 'twill be eleven; And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe, And then from hour to hour we rot and rot.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the passage of time and the inevitability of decay and change.
Shakespeare's quote contemplates the relentless march of time, illustrating how life progresses from one hour to the next. It emphasizes the cyclical nature of existence, where moments of ripening and decay are inevitable, suggesting a deeper philosophical understanding of life's transient nature.
Themes
TimeChangeLifeDecayPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a graduation speech to reflect on how time impacts our lives.
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