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 love thee so, that, maugre all thy pride,_x000D_ _x000D_ Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide._x000D_ _x000D_ Do not extort thy reasons from this clause,_x000D_ _x000D_ For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause_x000D_ _x000D_ But rather reason thus with reason fetter,_x000D_ _x000D_ Love sought is good, but given unsought better.
Interpretation
True love does not seek justification; it is better when given freely without pursuit.
In this quote by William Shakespeare, the speaker emphasizes the depth of their love, which overshadows any pride or rationality. It suggests that love that is pursued can be good, but love that is given freely, without being sought after, holds even greater value. This reflects the idea that genuine affection does not require justification or reasoning but exists as a powerful and palpable emotion.
In practice
A wedding speech celebrating the unyielding love between the couple.
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).
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
What else? She is so beautiful. You don’t get tired of looking at her. You never worry if she is smarter than you: You know she is. She is funny without ever being mean. I love her. I am so lucky to love her, Van Houten. You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.
Cities, in many ways, are the best repositories for a love affair. You are in a forest or a cornfield, you are walking by the seashore, footprint after footprint of trodden sand, and somehow the kiss or the spoken covenant gets lost in the vastness and indifference of nature. In a city there are places to remind us of what has been.
Then there is the usual scene when lovers are excited with each other, quarrels, entreaties, reproaches, and then fondling reconcilement.
I definitely don't think that money can buy you love. It can buy you affection but certainly not love.
You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are my divinity, my madness, my selfishness, my transfiguration and purification. You are my rapscallionly fellow vagabond, my tempter and star. I want you.
Love took up the harp of Life, and smote on all the chords with might; Smote the chord of Self, that, trembling, passed in music out of sight.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.