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
You have too much respect upon the world; They lose it that do buy it with much care
Interpretation
The quote suggests that excessive concern for worldly matters can lead to losing respect for oneself and the world.
In this quote, Shakespeare warns against giving too much importance to worldly possessions and opinions, implying that those who obsess over gaining respect or approval from society often end up diminishing their own self-respect. The idea is that true respect comes not from external validation but from an inner understanding of one's own values and worth.
In practice
In a speech about personal values and self-respect.
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.
Money doesn't change men. It merely unmasks them.
We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.
Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.
We have to cultivate contentment with what we have. We really don't need much. When you know this, the mind settles down. Cultivate generosity. Delight in giving. Learn to live lightly. In this way, we can begin to transform what is negative into what is positive. This is how we start to grow up.
Youth is not an age thing. It's a quality. Once you've had it, you never lose it.
Wait by the river long enough and the body of your enemy will float by you.
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