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
How art thou out of breath when thou hast breath To say to me that thou art out of breath?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously questions the contradiction of being out of breath while still speaking.
In this quote, Shakespeare cleverly plays with the idea of breathlessness, highlighting the absurdity of someone claiming to be out of breath while simultaneously having enough breath to articulate that claim. It suggests a deeper commentary on human nature and communication, reflecting how we often express our struggles even when we still possess the means to do so.
Themes
BreathCommunicationAbsurdityIronyHumor
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of clear communication.
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
TAIL, n. The part of an animal's spine that has transcended its natural limitations to set up an independent existence in a world of its own.
Ambrose BierceRead
Why, dear boy, we don't send wizards to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts.
J. K. RowlingRead
It's a positive thing to talk about terrible things and make people laugh about them.
Louis C. K.Read
Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about all the dumb things I do every day... If I live to be eighty and I do ten dumb things each day... That would be about two hundred and ninety thousand dumb things... When you add up all the dumb things you do, it's best to use round figures.
Charles M. SchulzRead
When you are honest in your comedy, you have to acknowledge the world that you're in. Through a comedic voice, you're talking about what needs to be talked about, whether it's race relations or politics or anything that's happening on a global or an American scale.
Trevor NoahRead
There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.
Erma BombeckRead