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
These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore love moderately; long love doth so; Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote advises moderation in love to prevent destructive outcomes.
William Shakespeare's quote warns that extreme passions can lead to disastrous consequences, suggesting that love should be approached with moderation. The imagery of fire and powder highlights how intense emotions can quickly lead to turmoil, while the notion that even the sweetest experiences can become overwhelming emphasizes the need for balance in relationships to ensure longevity and happiness.
Themes
LoveModerationPassionBalanceRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
A wedding speech emphasizing the importance of balanced love.
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 gift you offer another person is just your being.
Ram DassRead
You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
I am proud only of those days that pass in undivided tenderness.
Robert BlyRead
Of all the rash and midnight promises made in the name of love, none, Boone now knew, was more certain to be broken than "I'll never leave you.
Clive BarkerRead
Those who love others _x000D_ grandly are those who love themselves grandly. Those who have a high _x000D_ toleration and acceptance of others are those who have a high _x000D_ toleration and acceptance of themselves. You cannot show another a part _x000D_ of you that you cannot show yourself. Therefore, begin where all _x000D_ growth, where all evolution, where all love must begin; with the person _x000D_ in the mirror.
Neale Donald WalschRead
I have learned more about love, selflessness and human understanding from the people I have met in this great adventure in the world of AIDS than I ever did in the cutthroat, competitive world in which I spent my life.
Anthony PerkinsRead