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
. . from this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand. And even now, To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of taking immediate action based on one's feelings and thoughts.
In this excerpt from Shakespeare, the speaker expresses a commitment to translating their innermost feelings and thoughts into concrete actions without delay. It suggests a deep connection between intention and execution, highlighting the value of acting on one’s emotions in a timely manner to achieve desired outcomes.
Themes
ActionEmotionThoughtCommitmentDecisiveness
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to encourage taking initiative in life.
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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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