QuoteProject
Beauty, wit,_x000D_ _x000D_ High birth, vigour of bone, desert in service,_x000D_ _x000D_ Love, friendship, charity, are subjects all_x000D_ _x000D_ To envious and calumniating time.
William Shakespeare
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that qualities like beauty, love, and friendship are often undermined by jealousy and false accusations over time.

In this quote, Shakespeare reflects on the transient nature of beauty, love, and friendship, asserting that these valued qualities are often subjected to the corrosive effects of envy and slander. He highlights how time and societal perceptions can diminish the appreciation of such virtues, inviting us to consider the impact of gossip and jealousy on our relationships and our perception of others.

Themes

BeautyLoveFriendshipEnvyTime

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of cherishing relationships over time.

More from William Shakespeare

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).
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Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
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Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
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Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
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Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
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Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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