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.
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
I can't afford to die; I'd lose too much money.
George BurnsRead
Being silly is still allowed, not excluded by adulthood. What's excluded by adulthood is thoughtlessness, so be thoughtful and silly
Hank GreenRead
I love bawdy humor, but not dirty humor.
Betty WhiteRead
Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different.
Oscar WildeRead
Calvin: Isn't it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it's weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it's funny. Don't you think it's odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us? Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.
Bill WattersonRead
Male authors always take care to make their heroes at least one inch taller than they are, and considerably more muscular. Just as female authors give their heroines better hair and slimmer thighs.
Lee ChildRead