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
There's such divinity doth hedge a king _x000D_ That treason can but peep to what it would.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the protection and sanctity surrounding a king's authority, suggesting that treachery can only approach but never fully succeed.
William Shakespeare's quote emphasizes the idea that a king holds a divine right, and thus, any act of treason is ultimately thwarted by the natural order that protects their sovereignty. It suggests that while betrayal may linger close, it will never fully manifest because of the inherent power and respect afforded to a ruler.
Themes
DivinityKingTreasonPowerSovereignty
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on leadership, one might say, 'As Shakespeare noted, 'There's such divinity doth hedge a king,' to highlight the protective nature of power.
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
No other technique for the conduct of life attaches the individual so firmly to reality as laying emphasis on work; for his work at least gives him a secure place in a portion of reality, in the human community.
Sigmund FreudRead
But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.
Benjamin DisraeliRead
The human soul needs actual beauty more than bread.
D. H. LawrenceRead
When the mind soars in pursuit of the things conceived in space...it pursues emptiness; but when man dives deep within himself, he experiences the fullness of existence.
Meher BabaRead
What is the mirror of Being? Non-being. Bring non-being as your gift, if you are not a fool.
RumiRead
I've already become a mastodon in print - I don't see a consciousness for my kind of journalism.
Hunter S. ThompsonRead