QuoteProject
He hath not eat paper, as it were; he hath not drunk ink; his intellect is not replenished; he is only an animal, only sensible in the duller parts. (Shakespeare, Love's Labor's Lost, IV)
William Shakespeare
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that lacking education or intellectual nourishment makes one less than fully human, reducing them to mere animalistic instincts.

In this quote from Shakespeare's 'Love's Labor's Lost', the speaker criticizes someone for their lack of intellectual growth and knowledge, implying that without engaging with literature and ideas, a person cannot reach their full potential. The metaphor of not having 'eaten paper' or 'drunk ink' represents a failure to consume knowledge and thus to develop intellectually. This line reflects the belief that one's humanity is tied to one's intelligence and capacity for abstract thought.

Themes

EducationIntellectKnowledgeWisdomHumanity

In practice

Example use cases

Using this quote in a discussion about the importance of education in personal development.

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).
William ShakespeareRead
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

When, by meditation, we withdraw restless thoughts from the lake of the mind, we behold our soul, a perfect reflection of Spirit.
Paramahansa YoganandaRead
And he writhed inside at what seemed the cruelty and unfairness of the demand. He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to do another and harder and better one.
C. S. LewisRead
Now the skies could fall _x000D_ Not even if my boss should call _x000D_ The world it seems so very small _x000D_ 'Cause nothing even matters at all
Lauryn HillRead
Chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort.
Kelly McgonigalRead
We learned many years ago that the rich may have money, but the poor have time.
Cesar ChavezRead
But because of his telling, many who did not believe have come to believe, and some who did not care have come to care. He tells the story, out of infinite pain, partly to honor the dead, but also to warn the living - to warn the living that it could happen again and that it must never happen again. Better than one heart be broken a thousand times in the retelling, he has decided, if it means that a thousand other hearts need not be broken at all. (vi)
Elie WieselRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.