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
But jealous souls will not be answered so, They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they're jealous. 'Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Jealousy is a self-sustaining emotion that thrives without a real cause.
In this quote, Shakespeare highlights the nature of jealousy as a complex and self-referential emotion that does not require an external justification. It suggests that jealous individuals often feel jealousy for the sake of feeling jealous, indicating that such feelings are intrinsic and self-propagating, leading to destructive behavior without rational basis.
Themes
JealousyEmotionSelfPhilosophyDestruction
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about toxic relationships, one might quote Shakespeare to illustrate the irrationality of jealousy.
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
If ye despise the human race, and mortal arms, yet remember that there is a God who is mindful of right and wrong.
VirgilRead
Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms, Alone and palely loitering?
John KeatsRead
If you have a great idea, you should be able to communicate it as well. It's like the sound of one hand clapping. You have a great idea but aren't able to express it - well, how great was the idea?
Douglas CouplandRead
True, Heaven prohibits certain pleasures; but one can generally negotiate a compromise.
MoliereRead
'But I don't want to go among mad people,' said Alice. 'Oh, you can't help that,' said the cat. 'We're all mad here.'
Lewis CarrollRead
When a man in the process of dreaming becomes conscious that he is dreaming, he is no longer identified with the phenomena; he is not affected exultantly or dolefully. God consciously dreams His cosmic play and is unaffected by it's dualities. A yogi who perceives his real self as separate from his active senses and their objects never becomes attached to anything. He is aware of the dream nature of the universe and watches it without being entangled in its complex but ephemeral nature.
Paramahansa YoganandaRead