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
I would give all of my fame for a pot of ale and safety.
Interpretation
Prioritizing personal safety and simple pleasures over fame and recognition.
In this quote, Shakespeare emphasizes the value of safety and basic needs over the superficial allure of fame. It highlights the idea that true contentment comes from feeling secure and having simple pleasures like a 'pot of ale,' rather than pursuing worldly accolades that can often lead to stress and anxiety.
In practice
During a speech on valuing personal well-being over career advancement.
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.
That I be not as those are who spend the day in complaining of headache and the night in drinking the wine which gives the headache!
Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods, has acknowledged himself to be at the end of his rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which any one can get into.
To be born as a human being is a rare thing, something to be grateful for. But being born as a human being is worthless if you spend your whole life in a mental hospital. It is worthless if you worry about not having money. It is worthless if you become neurotic because you cannot get a prestigious job. It is worthless if you weep because you lose your girlfriend.
Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.
What I always wanna tell young people now: Pay attention. This isn't gonna happen again. Rather than try to understand it as it's going along, have it go along for a while and then understand it.
This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for.
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