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
Nor shall this peace sleep with her; but as when The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix, Her ashes new-create another heir As great in admiration as herself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the cyclical nature of life and how greatness can be reborn after death.
In this quote, Shakespeare uses the metaphor of the phoenix, a mythical bird that is reborn from its ashes, to convey the idea that even after the loss of a great figure, their legacy and influence continue to inspire new greatness in subsequent generations. The reference to peace not sleeping implies that the impact of this greatness remains eternally active, ensuring that admiration and reverence persist over time.
Themes
RebirthLegacyGreatnessInspirationLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial service to honor a beloved leader's impact on the community.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove 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
Not to think of yourself / as someone who did not count -- / Festival of the Souls.
Matsuo BashoRead
They laughed. Things were funny. They weren't afraid to care. There was no sense to life, to the structure of things.
Charles BukowskiRead
There is a name hidden in the shadow of my soul, where I read it night and day and no other eye sees it.
Alphonse De LamartineRead
It is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth.
Irenaeus Of LyonsRead
Despotic power is always accompanied by corruption of morality.
Lord ActonRead
Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice.
Michael CrichtonRead