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
By my troth, I care not; a man can die but once; we owe God a death and let it go which way it will he that dies this year is quit for the next
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life is finite, and death is inevitable; we should accept it as a natural part of existence.
In this quote, Shakespeare reflects on the inevitability of death, suggesting that since every person must face it, we should not fear it or be overly concerned about it. He emphasizes that death is a debt we all owe to God, and once we've paid that debt, we should not worry about how it happens or when it comes, as each year brings us closer to our eventual fate. The acceptance of death is tied to a broader understanding of life and mortality.
Themes
DeathLifeMortalityAcceptanceGod
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about life choices and acceptance, this quote can help illustrate the importance of not fearing death.
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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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