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 if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker acknowledges a desire for honor, suggesting that this longing may be sinful, highlighting the tension between ambition and moral judgment.
In this quote, Shakespeare reflects on the deep human desire for honor and recognition. The speaker expresses a level of guilt or self-awareness about this ambition, contemplating whether the pursuit of honor might be viewed as a sinful act. This internal conflict illustrates the complexity of human motivation, especially regarding societal values and personal integrity.
Themes
HonorSinAmbitionRecognitionSelf-Awareness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion about the moral implications of ambition in a leadership seminar.
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
Imaginative truth is the most immediate way of presenting ultimate reality to a human being... ultimate reality is what we call God.
R. S. ThomasRead
Live as a villain, die as a hero
BanksyRead
I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without ambiguity, and that if there is not, every imaginary sign of his existence might vanish : in short, let nature speak distinctly, or be totally silent, and I shall know what course to take.
Blaise PascalRead
When lip service to some mysterious deity permits bestiality on Wednesday and absolution on Sunday, cash me out.
Frank SinatraRead
What was Aristotleβs life?β Well, the answer lay in a single sentence: βHe was born, he thought, he died.β And all the rest is pure anecdote.
Martin HeideggerRead
If you stare at a wall from four in the morning till nine at night and you do that for a week, you are getting pretty close to nothingness.
Robert M. PirsigRead