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
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Listen more than you speak, and be cautious in making judgments about others.
This quote by William Shakespeare emphasizes the importance of being a good listener and exercising caution when forming judgments about others. It suggests that one should approach conversations with openness and consideration, valuing the opinions of others while also being mindful of the need to reserve personal judgment until more is known.
Themes
ListeningJudgmentWisdomCommunicationOpenness
In practice
Example use cases
In a team meeting to emphasize the importance of collaboration.
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Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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