QuoteProject
My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel; I know not where I am nor what I do.
William Shakespeare
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the confusion and chaos of the speaker's thoughts and existence.

In this quote, Shakespeare conveys a sense of disorientation and uncertainty, likening the unpredictability of his mind to the spinning of a potter's wheel. The powerful imagery suggests that the speaker feels lost and lacks control over their own thoughts and actions, mirroring the complexities of the human condition and the struggle to find clarity in moments of turmoil.

Themes

ThoughtsConfusionIdentitySelf-AwarenessUncertainty

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the creative process, one could use this quote to illustrate the chaotic nature of inspiration.

More from William Shakespeare

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 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

A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers. After that vigorous definition, the subject will be, if I may say so, exhausted.
Albert CamusRead
What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.
James MadisonRead
People talk of “social outcasts.” The words apparently denote the miserable losers of the world, the vicious ones, but I feel as though I have been a “social outcast” from the moment I was born. If ever I meet someone society has designated as an outcast, I invariably feel affection for him, an emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness.
Osamu DazaiRead
The fear of punishment, the desire of reward, the sense of duty, are all useful arguments, in their way, to persuade people to holiness. But they are all weak and powerless, until a person loves Christ.
J. C. RyleRead
The willing, destiny guides them; the unwilling, destiny drags them.
Seneca The YoungerRead
I have the feeling of this completely alternative person I should have become. There was another life that I might have had, but I’m having this one.
Kazuo IshiguroRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.