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
Celebrity is never more admired than by the negligent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Celebrity is often idolized by those who pay little attention to substance or character.
This quote suggests that the phenomenon of celebrity often attracts admiration from those who are not deeply engaged in critical thinking or who may overlook the true qualities that define a person's worth. It highlights a cautionary perspective on the nature of admiration, indicating that superficial acclaim can often drown out more meaningful attributes.
Themes
CelebrityAdmirationNegligenceSuperficialityCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of being genuine, one could use this quote to illustrate the pitfalls of idolizing fame.
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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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