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
Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our desires often influence our thoughts and beliefs.
This quote from Shakespeare suggests that our wishes and desires can shape our thoughts, implying that what we long for can lead us to create narratives that justify or support those desires. It highlights the subjective nature of perception, indicating that people's interpretations are frequently colored by their hopes and aspirations.
Themes
WishThoughtDesirePerceptionInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal aspirations, one might say, 'Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought, reminding us that our hopes shape our view of reality.'
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
The lie was dead And damned, and truth stood up instead.
Robert BrowningRead
The principles which men give to themselves end by overwhelming their noblest intentions.
Albert CamusRead
When God had made The Man, he made him out of stuff that sung all the time and glittered all over. Some angels got jealous and chopped him into millions of pieces, but still he glittered and hummed. So they beat him down to nothing but sparks but each little spark had a shine and a song. So they covered each one over with mud. And the lonesomeness in the sparks make them hunt for one another.
Zora Neale HurstonRead
There is no present or future-only the past, happening over and over again-now.
Eugene O'NeillRead
One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.
Morihei UeshibaRead
For women... bras, panties, bathing suits, and other stereotypical gear are visual reminders of a commercial, idealized feminine image that our real and diverse female bodies can't possibly fit. Without these visual references, each individual woman's body demands to be accepted on its own terms. We stop being comparatives. We begin to be unique.
Gloria SteinemRead