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
All lovers swear more performance than they are able, and yet reserve an ability that they never perform; vowing more than the perfection of ten, and discharging less than the tenth part of one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lovers often promise more than they can deliver, yet they hold back even more potential.
In this quote, Shakespeare suggests that lovers tend to make grand promises and declarations of love that exceed their actual capabilities. They may vow to give their all, yet often fail to meet even a fraction of those expectations, highlighting the disparity between love's idealism and its reality.
Themes
LovePromisesPerformanceExpectationsDisappointment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a wedding speech to humorously highlight the promises made in relationships.
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All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
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Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
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Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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