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
Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker values land over vast sea, suggesting a preference for something tangible and useful over empty potential.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses a deep longing for something of real value, in this case, land, over the vastness of the sea, which is full of potential but lacks immediate utility. The speaker's desire for an acre of barren ground illustrates a philosophical perspective on the importance of having something solid and practical rather than an abundance of unutilized resources.
Themes
ValueLandSeaUtilityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about property investments, this quote might be used to emphasize the importance of tangible assets.
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
Not everything that steps out of line, and thus "abnormal", must necessarily be "inferior".
Hans AspergerRead
When you are interviewing refugees, each person you talk to has a different story that could come from a horror movie. So many people talk about seeing their families get murdered before their eyes. Then I go to Central Park, and people are talking about their third divorce and paying tuition.
Brandon StantonRead
Once I found out the secret of the universe. I have forgotten what it was, but I know that the Creator does not take Creation seriously, for I remember that He sat in Space with all His work in front of Him and laughed.
Lord DunsanyRead
In the world of the celebrity, the hierarchy of publicity has replaced the hierarchy of descent and even of great wealth.
C. Wright MillsRead
Day by day we should weigh what we have granted to the spirit of the world against what we have denied to the spirit of Jesus, in thought and especially in deed.
Albert SchweitzerRead
The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. Zen practice is to open up our small mind.
Shunryu SuzukiRead