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
I praise God for you, sir: your reasons at dinner have been sharp and sententious; pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, audacious without impudency, learned without opinion, and strange with-out heresy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses admiration for someone's cleverness and articulateness in conversation.
In this quote, Shakespeare praises an individual's ability to engage in thoughtful and entertaining conversation. The speaker highlights various qualities of the dinner guest's speech, noting that it is sharp, witty, and learned, while also being respectful and insightful. This admiration suggests that engaging dialogue is a valuable trait in social interactions.
Themes
WisdomConversationPraiseDialogueSpeech
In practice
Example use cases
During a toast at a wedding, one might quote this to honor the eloquence of the bride and groom's speeches.
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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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