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
But love is blind and lovers cannot see
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love can obscure reality, causing people in love to overlook flaws in their partners.
In this quote, Shakespeare illustrates the idea that love often clouds judgment, making it difficult for lovers to perceive the truth about each other or their relationship. This blindness can lead to unrealistic expectations and an inability to see the relationship's imperfections, highlighting the sometimes irrational nature of love.
Themes
LoveBlindnessRelationshipsJudgmentTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the challenges of romantic relationships.
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
How could it be that you could love someone so much and keep it secret from yourself as you woke daily so far from home?
Alice SeboldRead
She wore far too much rouge last night and not quite enough clothes. That is always a sign of despair in a woman.
Oscar WildeRead
Way far back in the beginning of the world was the whirlwind warning that we could all be blown away like chips and cry- Men with tired eyes realize it now, and wait to deform and decay- with maybe they have the power of love yet in their hearts just the same, I just don't know what that word means anymore- All I want is an ice cream cone
Jack KerouacRead
My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
Brennan ManningRead
A boy spends his time finding a girl to sleep with. A real man spends his time looking for the one worth waking up to.
John F. KennedyRead
What is love? There is nothing in the world, neither man nor Devil nor any thing, that I hold as suspect as love, for it penetrates the soul more than any other thing. Nothing exists that so fills and binds the heart as love does. Therefore, unless you have those weapons that subdue it, the soul plunges through love into an immense abyss.
Umberto EcoRead