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
Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile; Filths savour but themselves.
Interpretation
Those who are corrupt cannot appreciate true goodness or wisdom.
In this quote, Shakespeare suggests that individuals who are morally corrupt or vile will perceive wisdom and goodness as unappealing or vile themselves. This reflects a broader truth about the human condition, where one's perspective is deeply influenced by their moral integrity. When people are steeped in negativity or wrongdoing, they often fail to recognize or value the positive qualities that others possess, leading to a disconnect between values and perceptions.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about ethical leadership to highlight the importance of integrity.
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).
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can see only when itβs dark
Nobody would know me from my own description of myself; which is why, when called upon (rarely, I grant) to provide an account, I tailor it, I adapt, I try to provide an outline that can, in some way, correlate to the outline that people understand me to have -- that, I suppose, I actually have, at this point. But who I am in my head, very few people really get to see that. Almost none. It's the most precious gift I can give, to bring her out of hiding.
It occurs to me as I write that this "white light," usually presented dippily (evidence of afterlife, higher power), is in fact precisely consistent with the oxygen deficit that occurs as blood flow to the brain decreases. "Everything went white," those whose blood pressure has dropped say of the instant before they faint.
Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend.
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.
All looks yellow to a jaundiced eye.
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