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
No matter where; of comfort no man speak: Let's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs; Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth
Interpretation
The quote reflects on mortality and the human experience of grief.
William Shakespeare's quote delves into the inevitability of death and the sorrow that comes with it. By suggesting that we should confront uncomfortable truths, such as graves and epitaphs, he encourages a profound discussion about life, loss, and the legacy we leave behind, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging our mortality and the emotions tied to it.
In practice
In a eulogy, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of remembering those who have passed.
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).
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
The thing that haunts a man the most is what he isn't ordered to do.
The smallest things become great when God requires them of us; they are small only in themselves; they are always great when they are done for God.
Tie two birds together. They will not be able to fly, even though they now have four wings.
While Newton seemed to draw off the veil from some of the mysteries of nature, he showed at the same time the imperfections of the mechanical philosophy; and thereby restored her ultimate secrets to that obscurity, in which they ever did and ever will remain.
Society's preservation against the unlimited violence of scandals lies in the mimetic coalition against the single victim and its ensuing limited violence. The violent death of Jesus is, humanly speaking, an example of this strange process.
Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need
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