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 would give all of my fame for a pot of ale and safety.
Interpretation
Prioritizing personal safety and simple pleasures over fame and recognition.
In this quote, Shakespeare emphasizes the value of safety and basic needs over the superficial allure of fame. It highlights the idea that true contentment comes from feeling secure and having simple pleasures like a 'pot of ale,' rather than pursuing worldly accolades that can often lead to stress and anxiety.
In practice
During a speech on valuing personal well-being over career advancement.
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).
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
Folly consists not in committing Folly, but in being incapable of concealing it. All men make mistakes, but the wise conceal the blunders they have made, while fools make them public. Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you canβt be good, be careful.
Greatness is always built on this foundation: the ability to appear, speak and act, as the most common man.
Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher.
Taste every fruit of every tree in the garden at least once. It is an insult to creation not to experience it fully. Temperance is wickedness.
I didn't set out to discover a truth. I was actually sent to the Outer Fringes to conduct a chair census and learn some humility. But the truth inevitably found me, as important truths often do, like a lost thought in need of a mind.
I have no advice for anybody; except to, you know, be awake enough to see where you are at any given time, and how that is beautiful, and has poetry inside. Even places you hate.
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