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
I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment.
Interpretation
This quote humorously expresses dissatisfaction with drinking as a form of entertainment.
In this quote, Shakespeare uses wit to criticize the social custom of drinking, suggesting that it leads to poor mental states and unhappiness. The speaker wishes for a more pleasant and courteous form of entertainment that doesn't involve alcohol, highlighting both the burdens of drinking and the desire for better social practices.
In practice
In a discussion about social habits, one might quote Shakespeare to highlight the downsides of drinking culture.
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.
They do what they do for money - that's all. I don't even know why you're listening to me. I've done commercials for both Coke and Pepsi. Truth is, I can't even taste the difference, but Pepsi paid me last, so there it is.
Deep within the heart of every evangelist lies the wreck of a car salesman.
He'd heard that writers spent all day in their dressing gowns drinking champagne. This is, of course, absolutely true.
You don't need a critic to tell you people aren't laughing.
TALK, v.t. To commit an indiscretion without temptation, from an impulse without purpose.
You know what male comics can't do? They can't get pregnant. They can't perform pregnant. So my attitude is, just use all those differences.
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