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
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death.
In this passage from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the speaker contemplates the relentless passage of time and the futility of life. It illustrates how each day blends into the next, ultimately leading to death, suggesting that life can feel insignificant, much like a poor performance on stage that is soon forgotten. The imagery of a 'brief candle' symbolizes the transitory nature of existence, emphasizing that despite all the noise and chaos of life, it ultimately may signify nothing of great importance.
Themes
TimeLifeDeathFutilityExistence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a reflection on the nature of life at a philosophical discussion.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love 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 believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou shalt nots - that is, the not harming others - and say we can help others and we should be helping others.
Peter SingerRead
It is hard to interest those who have everything in those who have nothing.
Helen KellerRead
If we were to drive out the English with the weapons with which they enslaved us, our slavery would still be with us even when they have gone.
Mahatma GandhiRead
I would have written of me on my stone: I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
Robert FrostRead
And thus we all are nighing The truth we fear to know: Death will end our crying For friends that come and go.
Edwin Arlington RobinsonRead
What agent is there other than the Creator of the heavens and earth who can know whatever occurs in our heart, down to its most subtle and secret thoughts, and illuminate the future for us by establishing the Hereafter, saving us from the countless suffocating waves of the world?
Said NursiRead