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).
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)
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
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion about the importance of education in personal development.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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