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
A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the desperation and value placed on something that seems trivial in the face of greater loss.
In this famous line from Shakespeare's Richard III, the character King Richard III exclaims that he would trade his kingdom for a horse, highlighting the irony of how a seemingly minor need becomes crucial when one is in a desperate situation. It speaks to the idea that in moments of crisis, priorities can shift dramatically, revealing the true value of what one truly needs versus what one possesses.
Themes
DesperationValueCrisisNeedSacrifice
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of facing challenges, one might quote this line to illustrate the urgency of acting in dire situations.
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