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
Give obedience where 'tis truly owed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of giving respect and loyalty to those who truly deserve it.
William Shakespeare's quote, 'Give obedience where 'tis truly owed,' reflects the idea that loyalty and respect should be directed towards individuals who have genuinely earned it through their actions and character. It suggests a discerning approach to relationships and authority, urging individuals to recognize and honor those who are worthy of their allegiance.
Themes
ObedienceRespectLoyaltyAuthorityRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about leadership values, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of respecting true leaders.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →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
Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.
Penn JilletteRead
Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.
ConfuciusRead
Every man must be content with that glory which he may have at home.
BoethiusRead
I believe that for permanent survival, man must balance science with other qualities of life, qualities of body and spirit as well as those of mind - qualities he cannot develop when he lets mechanics and luxury insulate him too greatly from the earth to which he was born.
Charles LindberghRead
Whatever mitigates the woes, or increases the happiness of others, is a just criterion of goodness; and whatever injures society at large, or any individual in it, is a criterion of iniquity.
Oliver GoldsmithRead
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
Steve JobsRead