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
They are sick that surfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Excess and deprivation can both lead to unhappiness and suffering.
This quote by William Shakespeare suggests that both extremes of having too much and having too little can be detrimental to a person's well-being. It highlights the importance of balance in life, indicating that overindulgence can be just as harmful as poverty or starvation.
Themes
BalanceExcessDeprivationHappinessWell-Being
In practice
Example use cases
In a talk about mental health, one might quote this to emphasize the need for balance in one's 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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