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O mischief, thou art swift to enter in the thoughts of desperate men!
William Shakespeare
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote conveys how the thoughts of desperate individuals can quickly lead to mischief and trouble.

In this quote, Shakespeare reflects on the nature of desperation and how it can cloud judgment, leading individuals toward reckless and harmful actions. When people are in desperate situations, their minds may turn to mischievous or ill-conceived plans as a way to cope or escape their circumstances, illustrating the dangers of despair and impulsive thinking.

Themes

DesperationMischiefThoughtsDangerTrouble

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about the effects of stress on decision-making.

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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).
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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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