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 wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. Now sir, the sound that tells what hour it is Are clamorous goans, which strike upon my heart, Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans Show minutes, times, and hours.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the regret of wasting time and how time now controls the speaker's existence.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses the profound realization that time, once squandered in idle moments, has now turned against the speaker. The imagery of time as a watch and the speaker's thoughts as minutes poignantly illustrates the internal struggle of feeling time slipping away, filled with regret and sorrow. The metaphoric sound of sighs, tears, and groans serves as a painful reminder of lost moments, highlighting how deeply intertwined emotions are with the passage of time.
Themes
TimeRegretEmotionsLifePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the importance of time management.
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