QuoteProject
For man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.
William Shakespeare
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects on the unpredictable and frivolous nature of humanity.

William Shakespeare's observation highlights the whimsical and often irrational behavior of humans. By stating that 'man is a giddy thing,' he suggests that our actions can sometimes be frivolous or driven by fleeting emotions, leading to complex conclusions about our nature and existence.

Themes

Human NatureFrivolityEmotionsExistence

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the unpredictability of life, I quoted Shakespeare: 'For man is a giddy thing.'

More from William Shakespeare

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
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

Too often, we fall into the trap of thinking 'equal' means 'the same' and that we achieve equality by treating everyone identically.
Stella YoungRead
What of the old serpent who cannot shed his skin, and calls all others naked and shameless?
Khalil GibranRead
The greatest need of my people is my own holiness.
Robert Murray M'CheyneRead
Delusion means mortality. And awareness means Buddhahood.
BodhidharmaRead
Our sadness won’t be of the searing kind but more like a blend of joy and melancholy: joy at the perfection we see before us, melancholy at an awareness of how seldom we are sufficiently blessed to encounter anything of its kind. The flawless object throws into perspective the mediocrity that surrounds it. We are reminded of the way we would wish things always to be and of how incomplete our lives remain.
Alain De BottonRead
There is only one solution if old age is not to be an absurd parody of our former life, and that is to go on pursuing ends that give our existence a meaning.
Simone De BeauvoirRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.