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
the time of life is short; To spend that shortness basely were too long.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life is fleeting, and wasting it on trivial pursuits is a profound loss.
This quote by William Shakespeare reflects on the brevity of life and emphasizes the importance of spending our limited time wisely. It suggests that engaging in unworthy or trivial activities is not only a waste of time but a significant mismanagement of the precious moments we have.
Themes
LifeTimeWisdomValuePurpose
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to encourage people to make the most of their lives.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove bears it out even to the edge of doom.
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Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
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Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
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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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Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that crawls upon the ground will struggle for it.
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We spend our life until weβre twenty deciding what parts of ourself to put into the bag, and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.
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Life is not logic, life is not philosophy. Life is a dance, a song, a celebration! It is more like love and less like logic.
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