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
Their understanding_x000D_ _x000D_ Begins to swell and the approaching tide_x000D_ _x000D_ Will shortly fill the reasonable shores_x000D_ _x000D_ That now lie foul and muddy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that as understanding grows, it will bring clarity and insight to situations that are currently confusing or chaotic.
William Shakespeare's words reflect the idea that as awareness and comprehension expand, they have the potential to transform tumultuous or unclear circumstances into something organized and meaningful. The metaphor of the tide represents how knowledge and understanding can wash away confusion and bring about clarity, highlighting the inherent potential for growth and improvement in a person or community.
Themes
UnderstandingKnowledgeClarityTransformationGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a graduation speech to emphasize the importance of continual learning.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove 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
When I appeared before the draft board examiner during World War II, he asked me if I thought I could kill. "I don't know about strangers," I replied, "but friends, certainly."
Oscar LevantRead
...My point is, I went crazy. When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was. I went crazy as a coot! I admit it! Why can't you?
Alan MooreRead
Since love of God is the highest felicity and happiness of man, his final end and the aim of all his actions, it follows that he alone observes the divine law who is concerned to love God not from fear of punishment nor love of something else, such as pleasure, fame, ect., but from the single fact that he knows God, or that he knows that the knowledge and love of God is the highest good
Baruch SpinozaRead
One should always have one's boots on and be ready to leave.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum.
Kurt VonnegutRead
Minds are not conquered by force, but by love and high-mindedness.
Baruch SpinozaRead