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
We suffer a lot the few things we lack and we enjoy too little the many things we have.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the tendency to focus on what we don't have rather than appreciating our current blessings.
William Shakespeare's quote reflects on human nature, pointing out that we often dwell on our deficiencies instead of recognizing the abundance around us. This mindset can lead to unnecessary suffering as we forget to enjoy the many positives in our lives. It serves as a reminder to cultivate gratitude and shift our perspective towards appreciation.
Themes
GratitudeAppreciationSufferingLackEnjoyment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mental health, one might use this quote to encourage mindfulness and gratitude.
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
For most of us, for almost all of us, truth can be attained, if at all, only in silence. It is in silence that the human spirit touches the divine.
Iris MurdochRead
While waiting for a Moses to lead us into the promised land, we have forgotten how to walk.
Wendell JohnsonRead
I know why the caged bird sings.
Maya AngelouRead
the knowledge of impermanence that haunts our days is their very fragrance.
Rainer Maria RilkeRead
[I]t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs, laugh like a fool β it drives the man to dancing... it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.
HomerRead
Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow creatures and drawing them near to the Law.
Hillel The ElderRead