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
O love, be moderate, allay thy ecstasy, In measure rain thy joy, scant this excess!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love should be balanced and measured to prevent overwhelming emotions.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses the idea that love, while passionate and joyful, can also lead to excess and turmoil if not kept in moderation. He suggests that one should experience love with restraint and balance, rather than allowing it to take over one's emotions completely.
Themes
LoveModerationEmotionBalanceJoy
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding toast, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of balanced love in a relationship.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love 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
As for me, to love you alone, to make you happy, to do nothing which would contradict your wishes, this is my destiny and the meaning of my life.
Napoleon BonaparteRead
To kiss well one must kiss solely. No groping hands or stammering hearts. The lips and the lips alone are the pleasure. Passion is sweeter split strand by strand. Divided and re-divided like mercury then gathered up only at the last moment.
Jeanette WintersonRead
You don't need to justify your love, you don't need to explain your love, you just need to practice your love. Practice creates the master.
Miguel Angel RuizRead
Boys and girls should be taught respect for each other's liberty... and that jealousy and possessiveness kill love.
Bertrand RussellRead
Okay, let’s put it this way. I would like to sleep with you. But it’s alright if I don’t sleep with you. What I’m saying is I’d like to be as fair as possible. I don’t want to force anything on anybody, any more than I’d want anything forced on me. It’s enough that I feel your presence or see your commas swirling around me.
Haruki MurakamiRead
Women were like rivers, their banks were unreachable, the night often rang with the cries of the drowned.
Thomas BernhardRead