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.
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Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
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