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
We that are true lovers run into strange capers; but as all is mortal in nature, so is all nature in love mortal in folly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love leads people to act in unusual ways, but it is ultimately temporary and flawed.
This quote by William Shakespeare reflects on the irrational and often whimsical nature of true love, suggesting that those who are genuinely in love often engage in strange behaviors and escapades. However, Shakespeare notes the transient nature of love and life itself, indicating that folly is an inherent part of love, as both love and life are mortal and subject to imperfections.
Themes
LoveMortalityFollyNatureHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a wedding toast, capturing the whimsical nature of love.
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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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Smiles from reason flow, To brute deny'd, and are of love the food.
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Love renders all of our plans and all of our hopes a gamble.
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It is the deep urge to be one with the whole, the deep urge to dissolve I and thou into one unity. Love is that because we are separated from our own source, out of that separation the desire arises to fall back into the whole, to become one with it.
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