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
He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously suggests that someone's elaborate speech often lacks substantial content.
In this quote, William Shakespeare critiques individuals who speak at great length without saying anything meaningful. It highlights the tendency of some people to dress their arguments in excessive language, making them seem more important than they actually are, thereby emphasizing the importance of clarity and substance over mere verbosity.
Themes
VerbosityArgumentSpeechClaritySubstance
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about public speaking, one might mention Shakespeare's quote to illustrate the importance of clear communication.
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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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