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
True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dreams often stem from imagination and idleness, reflecting our fantasies rather than reality.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses a skepticism about dreams, suggesting that they arise from a mind that has wandered too far into idle thoughts. He emphasizes that dreams are mere products of imagination without tangible foundation, pointing out the distinction between aspiration and fantasy.
Themes
DreamsFantasyImaginationIdlenessReality
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about harnessing creativity and addressing the difference between realistic goals and mere fantasies.
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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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