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
So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend: thy love ne'er alter, till they sweet life end
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a deep and unwavering bond of friendship, promising lasting affection.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys the sentiment of a steadfast friendship that persists, regardless of physical distance. The phrase 'thy love ne'er alter' emphasizes the idea that true friendship remains constant and unchanging, even as life brings its challenges and changes, reflecting the eternal nature of true bonds.
Themes
FriendshipLoveAffectionDistanceBond
In practice
Example use cases
In a farewell speech at a gathering of friends.
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
Two are better than one,because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lif' up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.
SolomonRead
Make no man your friend before inquiring how he has used his former friends; for you must expect him to treat you as he has treated them. Be slow to give your friendship, but when you have given it, strive to make it lasting; for it is as reprehensible to make many changes in one's associates as to have no friends at all. Neither test your friends to your own injury nor be willing to forego a test of your companions.
IsocratesRead
Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.
Richard BachRead
When friendship disappears then there is a space left open to that awful loneliness of the outside world which is like the cold space between the planets. It is an air in which men perish utterly.
Hilaire BellocRead
They might not need me; but they might. I'll let my head be just in sight; a smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity.
Emily DickinsonRead
For a friend with an understanding heart is worth no less than a brother
HomerRead