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
Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius! If we do meet again, why, we shall smile; If not, why then this parting was well made.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a bittersweet farewell, contemplating the uncertainty of future meetings and the acceptance of parting.
In this quote from William Shakespeare, the speaker reflects on the nature of farewells and the possibility of reunion. It conveys a sense of acceptance, suggesting that if they do meet again, they will share smiles, emphasizing the importance of connection, while also acknowledging that if they do not, the parting is justified, highlighting a deeper philosophical understanding of relationships and the transient nature of life.
Themes
FarewellPartingMeetingAcceptanceRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
You might use this quote during a graduation ceremony to reflect on friendships formed.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove 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
I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!
Gene RoddenberryRead
My own concern is primarily the terror and violence carried out by my own state... It is very easy to denounce the atrocities of someone else. That has about as much ethical value as denouncing atrocities that took place in the 18th century.
Noam ChomskyRead
I see the origin of the irresistible attraction of metaphor and analogy, the explanation of our strange and permanent need to find similarities in things. I can scarcely refrain from suspecting some ancient, diffused magnetism; a call from the center of things; a dim, almost lost memory, or perhaps a presentiment, pointless in so puny a being, of a universal syntax.
Roger CailloisRead
Language is the most imperfect and expensive means yet discovered for communicating thought.
William JamesRead
The great paradox of the 21st century is that, in this age of powerful technology, the biggest problems we face internationally are problems of the human soul.
Ralph PetersRead
Very well then; emancipation from usury and money, that is, from practical, real Judaism, would constitute the emancipation of our time.
Karl MarxRead