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
Love is a wonderful, terrible thing
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love is both beautiful and painful.
This quote captures the complex nature of love, highlighting how it can bring immense joy and fulfillment, yet also lead to heartache and suffering. Shakespeare suggests that love's duality is what makes it both wonderful and terrible, embodying the highs and lows of human emotion.
Themes
LoveEmotionPainJoyPassion
In practice
Example use cases
A wedding speech where the dual nature of love is celebrated.
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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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Love cannot be forced, love cannot be coaxed and teased. It comes out of heaven, unasked and unsought.
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O Love! what hours were thine and mine, In lands of palm and southern pine; In lands of palm, of orange-blossom, Of olive, aloe, and maize and vine!
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Fly me up to where you are beyond the distant star. I wish upon tonight to see you smile, if only for a while to know you're there. A breath away's not far to where you are.
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Six foot six he stood on the ground He weighed two hundred and thirty-five pounds But I saw that giant of a man brought down To his knees by love
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