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
Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back _x000D_ _x000D_ Wherein he puts alms for oblivion, _x000D_ _x000D_ A great-sized monster of ingratitudes: _x000D_ _x000D_ Those scraps are good deeds past, which are devour'd _x000D_ _x000D_ As fast as they are made, forgot as soon as done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Time allows good deeds to be forgotten quickly, making gratitude seem scarce.
In this quote, Shakespeare reflects on the nature of time and memory, suggesting that our good deeds often fade into oblivion as quickly as they are performed. The metaphor of time having a 'wallet' implies that it stores our acts of kindness, but they are consumed by forgetfulness just as easily, leading to a feeling of ingratitude in both the giver and the receiver.
Themes
TimeOblivionIngratitudeGood DeedsMemory
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of kindness, one might say, 'As Shakespeare suggests, time can make our good deeds forgotten, so let us cherish and remember each other's kindness.'
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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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