meaning of shakespeare quotes

Famous Shakespeare Quotes

Some William Shakespeare quotes are known for their beauty, some Shakespeare quotes for their everyday truths and some for their wisdom.

As the most quoted English writer , Shakespeare created more than his fair share of famous quotes.  We often talk about Shakespeare’s quotes as things the wise Bard is saying to us, but we should remember that some of his wisest words are spoken by his biggest fools . For example, both ‘neither a borrower nor a lender be,’ and ‘to thine own self be true’ are from the foolish, garrulous and quite disreputable Polonius in Hamlet .

Whilst it’s hard to definitively say which are the most famous Shakespeare quotes, we’ve examined polls published around the world, combined these with feedback from website users, and added our own take on Shakespeare’s words, and can now offer what we believe to be the 50 most famous Shakespeare quotes of all time (in no particular order!).

50 Of Shakespeare’s Most Famous Quotes

1. ‘ to be, or not to be: that is the question’.

( Hamlet , Act 3, Scene 1)

2. ‘ All the world’s a stage , and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.’

( As You Like It , Act 2, Scene 7)

3. ‘Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? ‘

( Romeo and Juliet , Act 2, Scene 2)

4. ‘ Now is the winter of our discontent’

( Richard III , Act 1, Scene 1)

5. ‘ Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?’

( Macbeth , Act 2, Scene 1)

6. ‘ The lady doth protest too much, methinks ‘

(Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2)

7. ‘ Beware the Ides of March. ‘

(Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2)

8. ‘ Get thee to a nunnery. ‘

(Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)

9. ‘ If music be the food of love play on. ‘

(Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 1)

10. ‘ What’s in a name ? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet .’

(Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2)

11. ‘ The better part of valor is discretion ‘

( Henry IV, Part 1 , Act 5, Scene 4)

12. ‘ All that glisters is not gold. ‘

(The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 7)

13. ‘ Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him .’

(Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2)

14. ‘ Cry “havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war ‘

(Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1)

15. ‘ A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! ‘

( Richard III , Act 5, Scene 4)

16. ‘ There are more things in heaven and earth , Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’

(Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5)

17. ‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind .’

(A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 1)

18. ‘ Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.’

( Sonnet 18 )

19. ‘ Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. ‘

( Henry IV, Part 2 , Act 3, Scene 1)

20. ‘ Brevity is the soul of wit. ‘

(Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2)

21. ‘This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle… This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.’

(Richard II, Act 2, Scene 1)

22. ‘ What light through yonder window breaks .’

23. ‘some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.’.

( Twelfth Night , Act 2, Scene 5)

24. ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.’

( Julius Caesar , Act 2, Scene 2)

25. ‘Full fathom five thy father lies, of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his eyes. Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea-change into something rich and strange.’

( The Tempest , Act 1, Scene 2)

26. ‘A man can die but once.’

( Henry IV, Part 2 , Act 3, Part 2)

27. ‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!’

( King Lear , Act 1, Scene 4)

28. ‘Frailty, thy name is woman.’

(Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2)

29. ‘If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?’

( The Merchant of Venice , Act 3, Scene 1)

30. ‘I am one who loved not wisely but too well.’

( Othello , Act 5, Scene 2)

31. ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.’

(The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1)

32. ‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’

(Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5)

33. ‘ To thine own self be true , and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.’

(Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3)

34. ‘ Et tu, Brute? ‘

35. ‘there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’, 36. ‘nothing will come of nothing.’.

(King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1)

37. ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’

( A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Act 1, Scene 1)

38. ‘Lord, what fools these mortals be!’

39. ‘the fault, dear brutus, lies not within the stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.’, 40. ‘let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.’.

( Sonnet 116 )

41. ‘The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones.’

42. ‘but, for my own part, it was greek to me.’, 43. ‘neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.’, 44. ‘we know what we are, but know not what we may be.’.

(Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5)

45. ‘Off with his head!’

(Richard III, Act 3, Scene 4)

46. ‘Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows .’

(The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 2)

47. ‘This is very midsummer madness.’

(Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 4)

48. ‘Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.’

(Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3, Scene 1)

49. ‘I cannot tell what the dickens his name is.’

( The Merry Wives of Windsor , Act 3, Scene 2)

50. ‘We have seen better days.’

( Timon of Athens , Act 4, Scene 2)

51. ‘I  am a man more sinned against than sinning.’

(King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2)

What do you think – any famous Shakespeare quotes missing from the above list? As per his own words, Shakespeare may not have been born great, but he certainly managed to achieve greatness! Let us know your favourite William Shakespeare quotes in the comments section below.

38 Shakespeare Quotes Spoken in Two Minutes

Watch students from the 2012 Shakespeare School work their way through 38 famous Shakespeare quotes in two minutes… How many of them do you know?

Shakespeare Quotes Quiz

Test your Shakespeare quotes knowledge with this great Shakespeare quote quiz from Buzzfeed – simply match the 20 Shakespeare quotes to the correct play then check out your score – novice or pro?

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In school I am learning all about Shakespeare. I really like there English back then Now that I read these quotes somehow it makes me feel strong and loved inside.

Edward de vere the 17th earl of oxford

A good candidate. I trust you have seen the movie “Anonymous”? The so-called bard could barely write his own name. There are, i.e. Ben Johnson, Francis Bacon and some by committee have been mentioned. There is a great issue of ‘The Atlantic’ from the early eighties that is devoted to this subject. Probably available on line. Perhaps, the website of the magazine.

art thou be true to thy self with the selfishness put beside them.

Poetry is the best way to express one’s feelings in fewer words and poets make it easier for us because of their poetry.

Look love night’s candles have burnt out and jocund day stands tiptoe on the mountaintop (This should be added to the list!)

“To dream of not completing or dropping out of high school may reflect feelings about not having done enough to achieve power or status. Feeling that you didn’t try hard enough to achieve your goals. Feeling that you surrendered or gave on an accomplishment you cared a lot about. Feeling like a loser for not having tried hard enough at something important to you.”

THIS!!!!! This is exactly how I feel every waking moment of my life.

Alas poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio (you fools, you didn’t listen)

My bounty is a boundless as the sea

The best intentions pave the way to hell.

I am learning about Shakespeare in drama and my favorite quote is ‘to be or not to be that is the question.’

“Alas, poor Yorick”, and “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

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Ten of the Best Shakespeare Quotes (And What They Actually Mean)

Do you love Shakespeare but have always wanted to understand it a bit better? Shakespeare is, and always has been, a staple of English literature – and probably always will be. Which means that if you’re interested in English Literature at A Level or higher it’s time to gain a better understanding. So here you go, some of the most famous (and in our opinion the best) Shakespeare quotes explained.

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

This means that it shouldn’t matter what a person looks like, you love them for their personality and what’s inside. The quote is said in jealousy, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by Helena because Demetrius thinks that Hermia is more beautiful than Helena and has been swayed by her beauty. Helena thinks that Demetrius should love her for who she is and keep his promises to her rather than loving Hermia for her beauty.

“Neither rhyme nor reason” (The Comedy of Errors)

“Dromio: But I pray, sir, why am I beaten?

Antipholus: Dost thou not know?

Dromio: Nothing, sir, but that I am beaten.

Antipholus: Shall I tell you why?

Dromio: Ay, sir, and wherefore; for they say, every why hath a wherefore.

Antipholus: Why, first, for flouting me, and then wherefore, for urging it the second time to me.

Dromio: Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season, when in the why and the wherefore is neither rhyme nor reason?”

Here Shakespeare links alliterative nouns in ‘neither rhyme nor reason’ and attempts a little Latin comedy while he’s at it; in fact, it wouldn’t be out of place on TV today.

Poor Dromio, confused as to why he is beaten, angers his master Antipholus even more by asking for a reason. Antipholus is sure Dromio has said something he shouldn’t, confusing the servant even more. The cause of the confusion lies in twin Antipholus and Dromios, a case of comical mistaken identity – a plot still used by Hollywood today.

“To die, to sleep – to sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there’s the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come…” (Hamlet)

This is said by Hamlet to himself when he thinks he is alone. He is asking himself if it is better to give up and die rather than facing his troubles but he is frightened that he will dream when he is dead and never get any peace from his earthly troubles. The speech starts with the even more famous “To be or not to be…” which is the ‘should I live or die?’ part.

“Off with his head!” (Richard III)

It simply had to be included! Short and sweet, and one of the most famous Shakespeare quotes of all. Richard shouts this about his former friend, Hastings – having already tricked him into denouncing witchcraft, then accusing him publicly of the same skullduggery.

“I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of. What do you call your knight’s name, sirrah?” (The Merry Wives of Windsor)

What the dickens? An expression you might have heard on countless occasions and wrongly presumed to be a reference to another writer of note, Charles Dickens. But in fact it was penned by the Bard of Avon, who meant something quite different when he wrote the line in Act 3, Scene 2 for his fictional Mrs. Page in the Merry Wives of Windsor.

The dickens in this case is an oath referring to old Nick, or the Devil. Little or perhaps nothing at all to do with anyone known by the name, Dickens, it was used to represent Satan in this instance (as in “what the deuce?” or similar). Here the meaning was aimed at the character Sir John Falstaff – Master Ford had stumbled into an elaborate plan by Mrs Page and Ford’s wife to spoil Sir John’s lecherous advances.

“My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break.” (The Taming of the Shrew)

We love this quote. It’s delivered by Katherine to Hortensio during an argument in which he is being particularly foul and she feels she has to speak her mind; she tells him she has to express her anger to him or she will die from keeping it in. Another part of her speech is “Your betters have endured me say my mind and if you cannot best you stop your ears.” This means better men than you have heard me speak my mind so if you can’t take it you had better not listen! Stirring stuff.

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.” ( Macbeth)

This quote is by Macbeth to himself (the classic Shakespeare soliloquy) he is asking the stars to hide their light so that no one will be able to see the dark desires he has inside him. To put it in context, Malcolm is now the prince of Cumberland and Macbeth must decide whether to step over him to become king or just give up.

“I pray you, in your letters, when you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak of one that lov’d not wisely but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, perplex’d in the extreme…” (Othello)

Poor miserable Othello, before committing suicide and having murdered his wife Desdemona in a pique of jealous rage, tries to justify his foolish act in Act 5, Scene 2 with an emotional admission of loving her ‘not wisely but too well’. But she was blameless, and he never gave her a chance to prove that fact – so really, he was a bit of an over-indulged brute.

“He hath eaten me out of house and home, he hath put all my substance into that fat belly of his: but I will have some of it out again, or I will ride thee a-nights like the mare.” (Henry IV)

The lecherous Sir John Falstaff is back in Act 2, Scene 1 – this time facing the wrath of Hostess Quickly in her Boar’s Head Tavern where he has clearly outstayed his welcome (and introduced “eaten me out of house and home” to day-to-day speech in the process). Bawdy and lecherous as ever, he retorts with a lewd interpretation of her threat: “I think I am as like to ride the mare if I have any vantage of ground to get up.”

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” (Romeo and Juliet)

Juliet says this in her famous balcony speech while Romeo listens in secret. She is talking about the family rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets and asks herself what difference does a name make; it would still smell as sweet if it were called something different. She goes on to ask Romeo (she still doesn’t know he is listening) to lose his name, as it doesn’t mean anything, and take her instead, as that way the family rivalry wouldn’t matter.

If you want to discover more about Shakespeare have a look at No Fear Shakespeare ( http://nfs.sparknotes.com/ ) to see original text side by side with a modern explanation.

To study while sitting back with the popcorn and a movie,  check out our pick of Shakespeare films .

If this has inspired you to learn more take a look at our A Level English Literature courses .

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Quotes from William Shakespeare , history's most famous playwright, are full of passion and wisdom, and, sometimes, a shade of sarcasm. The passion in Shakespeare's writing never fails to move the reader. The Bard wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets, and his works are still performed onstage. These quotes remain relevant, as many still reflect the values and beliefs of our society, as well as the human condition.

'Hamlet,' 3:1

"To be, or not to be: that is the question."

Perhaps the most famous of Shakespearean lines, the anguished Hamlet ponders the purpose of life and suicide in this profound soliloquy.

'All's Well That Ends Well,' 1:2

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

This bit of simple wisdom, beloved to many throughout the ages, was spoken by the Countess of Roussillon to her son, as he sets out for court far away.

'Romeo and Juliet,' 2:2

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow."

These lines, spoken by Juliet at the end of the famous balcony scene, describe the mixed feelings of parting from a loved one. Mixed with the pain of separation is the anticipation of the sweetness of reunion.

'Twelfth Night,' 2:5

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

 This line, quoted often by today's inspirational speakers, is spoken in the play by Malvolio as he reads from a letter written by Maria.

'The Merchant of Venice,' 3:1

"If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

These well-known lines, implored by Shylock, are usually interpreted as a humanistic plea against anti-Semitism, though the play is also understood by some as steeped in the tacit anti-Semitism of its time.

'Hamlet,' 1:5

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Hamlet is here responding to his friend Horatio's wonderment upon their meeting with a ghost. Hamlet is reminding him that as dumbfounded as Horatio is, this vision reminds him that much exceeds his limited understanding.

'Macbeth,' 1:3

"If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me."

After hearing the witches' prophesy about Macbeth's successful future, Banquo here is asking the witches what they see about his own future.

'Twelfth Night,' 3:1

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

Olivia's lines in "Twelfth Night" speak of the joy of unexpected love, rather than that which is pined for.

'Antony & Cleopatra,' 3:4

"If I lose mine honor, I lose myself."

Antony here worries about losing himself in his devotion to Cleopatra, noting how slavish love can destroy one's honor.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' 5:1

"It's not enough to speak, but to speak true."

This quote of quotes speaks of the importance of truth and against empty chatter. 

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20 Famous Shakespeare Quotes That Show the Bard’s Wit and Wisdom

You probably have quoted at least one of these lines from William Shakespeare’s plays.

In fact, many lines of his work live far outside high school English classrooms and trivia games. Shakespeare has been credited with either coining or at least popularizing myriad phrases that have become so ingrained into the everyday lexicon that many people aren’t even aware of their origins. Just a few examples: “love is blind” ( The Merchant of Venice ), “break the ice” ( The Taming of the Shrew ), “the be-all and the end-all” ( Macbeth ), and “wild-goose chase” ( Romeo and Juliet ).

Aside from the pages of his tragedies and comedies, some of Shakespeare’s longer phrases and quotes continue to live on, frequently referenced throughout pop culture, emblazoned on posters, T-shirts, and even in tattoos. (Actor Megan Fox , for example, has a line from King Lear —“We will all laugh at gilded butterflies”—inked on her shoulder.)

Here are 20 of the playwright’s most famous quotes about life and love.

“To be or not to be—that is the question”

— hamlet , act 3, scene 1.

Prince Hamlet’s soliloquy in the Danish-set tragedy—particularly the first line—has been widely referenced in modern pop culture. The longer quote reads:

“To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them.”

Of course, “the question” can be broadly applied to many different situations, but at its inception, the speech was part of a deeply philosophical internal debate about the pros and cons of human existence.

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

— hamlet , act 1, scene 3.

Also taken from the seminal tragedy, the line, which was spoken by Polonius as a pep talk of sorts, has resonated throughout the generations for its universal theme of sticking to one’s values when faced with a dilemma.

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”

— julius caesar , act 2, scene 2.

Using death as a metaphor, the Roman ruler minimizes his wife Calpurnia’s fears that he may soon die, in the play. Many identify with the call to bravery in the present moment versus “dying inside,” so to speak, while wasting one’s life in fear of an inevitable end.

“Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

— julius caesar , act 1, scene 2.

Cassius uses this speech to convince Brutus to join the assassination conspiracy against his friend Caesar . What Cassius intended to convey is that people can control their destinies and that they’re not necessarily pre-determined by some divine power. Et tu, Brute? , a Latin phrase meaning “even you, Brutus?,” has also come to signify an unexpected betrayal by a loved one.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet.”

— romeo and juliet , act 2, scene 2.

In Shakespeare’s tragedy about the titular “star-crossed lovers,” Juliet’s line references her and Romeo’s warring families and that their last names—Montague and Capulet—shouldn’t define who they are or negate their romance. Instead, she’s saying that a name given to an object is nothing more than a collection of letters, and changing what something is called doesn’t change what it inherently is.

“Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

Taken from Romeo and Juliet ’s iconic balcony scene, Juliet speaks these words as she is saying goodbye to Romeo. The highly relatable—though seemingly paradoxical—sentiment notes the sadness of saying goodbye to a loved one, while also pointing to the “sweet” excitement of thinking about the next time they will see each other.

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

— as you like it , act 2, scene 7.

In this 17 th century comedy, Jaques says this line from the frequently quoted passage:

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.”

It contends that life essentially follows a script and that people play roles, as in a theater production, during its various stages.

“The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief”

— othello , act 1, scene 3.

Much like the phrase “grin and bear it,” the Duke of Venice’s words act as a piece of advice to follow when you are wronged. His claim is that when someone doesn’t show that he or she is upset, it removes a sense of satisfaction for the wrongdoer.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

— henry iv part 2 , act 3, scene 1.

Sometimes rewritten with the phrase “heavy is” in place of “uneasy lies,” the dialogue from the titular King Henry IV conveys the great difficulties of leaders who are tasked with great responsibilities and difficult decisions.

“All that glitters is not gold”

— the merchant of venice , act 2, scene 7.

In essence, the quote written on a scroll in the 16 th century play means that appearances can sometimes be deceiving. Shakespeare originally used the word “glisters,” an antiquated synonym of “glitters.”

“But love is blind, and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit”

— the merchant of venice , act 2, scene 6.

The phrase “love is blind” was first penned circa 1405 by Chaucer in his Merchant’s Tale. Shakespeare loved the phrase so much that it appears in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V , and the example here. Like Cupid, the blindfolded Roman god of love striking unsuspecting couples with his arrows so they fall in love, this phrase explains the often-inexplicable behavior of those in love.

“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.’’

— twelfth night , act 2, scene 5.

In this scene, Malvolio reads a letter written in jest by his fellow servants claiming that they were born to noble parents and thus into greatness. Today, this phrase is used to describe various routes to success: being born into wealth, working hard, or being at the right place at the right time.

“We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.”

— the tempest , act 4, scene 1.

This famous line from one of Shakespeare’s last plays is also one of his most-quoted, often incorrectly as: “We are such stuff as dreams are made of. ” However, this does not change its meaning, that life is illusory. Humphrey Bogart ’s character, Sam Spade, references this phrase in the classic film The Maltese Falcon (1941).

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t.”

— hamlet , act 2, scene 2.

Polonius speaks this line to imply that Hamlet is not truly crazy, but simply pretending in order to fool his mother and uncle. In modern parlance, we use the idiom “There’s method in my madness” to convey that there’s a reason behind our seemingly inane actions.

“It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

— macbeth , act 5, scene 5.

Upon learning of the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth delivers these lines from the full text of the tragedy’s soliloquy:

“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

Macbeth’s speech is nihilistic, full of pessimism and despair, signifying that for him, life is meaningless, leading to inevitable death. The title of William Faulkner ’s novel The Sound and the Fury is derived from this Shakespeare quote.

“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”

— richard iii , act 5, scene 4.

Spoken while fighting for his life after losing his horse—an indispensable tool in medieval battle—the villainous Richard III would have traded his entire kingdom for one. Today, we’ve modified the statement to sayings such as “I’d give my right arm” or “I’d give my eye teeth” to imply that we’d give anything in exchange for something we desperately need.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

— hamlet , act 3, scene 2.

Spoken by Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, to imply that the actions of the Player Queen are excessive or insincere, Gertrude suggests that she doesn’t believe a word of it. Today, this cynical comment about someone overdoing a denial has lost its gender specificity and can be also applied to a man.

“Jesters do oft prove prophets.”

— king lear , act 5, scene 3.

In royal courts, jesters were often the only ones who could speak their minds in the presence of a king by cloaking painful truths or those likely to provoke in humor. Only the fool can tell King Lear the truth without fear of punishment.

“Why then, the world’s mine oyster, which I with sword will open.”

— the merry wives of windsor , act 2, scene 2.

As with many sayings derived from Shakespeare, the idiom we use today, “The world is your oyster,” is a misquote. The modern implication is that one’s future is bright and full of potential, but the original metaphor from this comedy had a more sinister connotation. Oysters are notoriously difficult to open, and so to get what one wants—to open the oyster and get the pearl—one must resort to violence.

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

— twelfth night , act 1, scene 1.

In one of English literature’s most famous opening lines, Orsino, hopelessly in love with Olivia, a woman who will never requite his affection, tells the musicians assembled before him to continue playing so that he can be sated with music instead of the love that will forever evade him. Orsino hopes that more music will cause him to lose his appetite for Olivia, like eating too much so that one is no longer hungry.

Kimberly Manning is a writer and communications professional with a passion for storytelling. Life artists and underdogs inspire her. Kim published her first piece, an essay on women’s empowerment, at age 9. An avid reader and fiber enthusiast, when not thinking of her next knitting project, you’ll likely find her hiking in the outdoors.

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Shakespeare quotes, 10 shakespeare quotes about fear.

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Shakespeare Quotes on Life

Shakespeare's timeless sayings about life itself.

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Shakespeare's works are as relevant to twenty-first-century audiences as they were to sixteenth-century ones because he knew the true meaning and complexities of life. These well-known quotes show he understood human nature: the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Top Shakespeare Quotes on Life

To be, or not to be, that is the question — Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1, lines 56-83; Hamlet

All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players — As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 7, lines 139-40; Jacques to Duke Senior and his companions

Out, out brief candle! / Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage — Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5, Lines 23-25; Macbeth to Seyton

We are such stuff / As dreams are made on; and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep — The Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1, lines 156-58; Prospero to Miranda and Ferdinand

Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. — Twelfth Night, Act 2 Scene 5, Lines 139-41; Malvolio

When we are born we cry that we are come / To this great stage of fools — King Lear, Act 4 Scene 6, lines 178-79; King Lear to Gloucester

The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together — All's Well That Ends Well, Act 4 Scene 3, lines 68-69; One lord to another

You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will not more willingly part withal - except my life, except my life, except my life — Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2, lines 213-17; Hamlet

The time of life is short! / To spend that shortness basely were too long — Henry IV Part 1, Act 5 Scene 2, Lines 81-84; Hotspur to a Messenger

I love long life better than figs — Antony and Cleopatra, Act 1 Scene 2, line 33; Chairman to a soothsayer

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130 Best William Shakespeare Quotes That Still Resonate

Boldness be my friend.

Romeo and Juliet. Macbeth. Othello. These are just a few of the beloved classic tales penned by William Shakespeare that continue to be discovered by new generations. Many quotes by Shakespeare are still relevant in our modern society, which is a sign that the poet was ahead of his time. Here’s a list of our favorite quotes by Shakespeare to share with your students.

Quick reminder: Shakespeare wrote about love, betrayal, and many adult themes in his works. Every classroom is different, so be sure to thoroughly read through these quotes by Shakespeare before sharing them with students.

Our Favorite Quotes by Shakespeare

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. — troilus and cressida – act 3, scene 3, line 181 ..

We know what we are but know not what we may be. — Hamlet – Act 4, scene 5, lines 48-49 .

No legacy is so rich as honesty. — All’s Well That Ends Well – Act 3, scene 5, line 13 .

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. — Hamlet – Act 1, scene 3, line 74 .

Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em. — Twelfth Night – Act 2, scene 5, lines 148-150 .

Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head. — As You Like It – Act 2, scene 1, lines 12-14 .

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. — Henry IV – Part 2, Act 3, scene 1, line 31 .

Nothing will come of nothing. — King Lear – Act 1, scene 1, line 99 .

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. — Measure for Measure – Act 1, scene 4, lines 85-87 .

How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? — Othello – Act 2, scene 3, lines 391-392 .

Though she be but little, she is fierce. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 3, scene 2, line 342 .

How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. — The Merchant of Venice – Act 5, scene 1, lines 99-100 .

The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief. — Othello – Act 1, scene 3, lines 238-239 .

What’s done cannot be undone. — Macbeth – Act 5, scene 1, line 71 .

Sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge. — Titus Andronicus – Act 1, scene 1, line 119 .

I wasted time, and now doth time waste me. — Richard II – Act 5, scene 5, line 50 .

Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. — The Comedy of Errors – Act 3, scene 1, lines 33-34 .

Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself. — Henry VIII – Act 1, scene 1, lines 168-169 .

What’s past is prologue. — The Tempest – Act 2, scene 1, line 289 .

In time we hate that which we often fear. — Antony and Cleopatra – Act 1, scene 3, line 14 .

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. — Julius Caesar – Act 3, scene 2, line 101 .

’Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after. — Timon of Athens – Act 1, scene 1, lines 125-126 .

Neither a borrower nor a lender be. — Hamlet – Act 1, scene 3, line 81 .

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come. — The Merchant of Venice – Act 1, scene 1, line 85 .

I bear a charmed life. — Macbeth – Act 5, scene 8, line 15 .

Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise. — Troilus and Cressida – Act 2, scene 2, lines 15-16 .

And ’tis a kind of good deed to say well. And yet words are no deeds. — Henry VIII – Act 3, scene 2, lines 196-197 .

Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain. — Richard II – Act 2, scene 1, lines 7-8 .

Boldness be my friend. — Cymbeline – Act 1, scene 6, line 21 .

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts. — As You Like It – Act 2, scene 7, lines 146-149 .

Words without thoughts never to heaven go. — Hamlet – Act 3, scene 3, line 103 .

Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 3, line 101 .

Pleasure and action make the hours seem short. — Othello – Act 2, scene 3, line 400 .

To be or not to be—that is the question. — Hamlet – Act 3, scene 1, line 64 .

All that glisters is not gold. — The Merchant of Venice – Act 2, scene 7, line 73 .

And oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse. — King John – Act 4, scene 2, lines 30-31 .

Such as we are made of, such we be. — Twelfth Night – Act 2, scene 2, line 32 .

The fault … is not in our stars but in ourselves. — Julius Caesar – Act 1, scene 2, lines 147-148 .

Brevity is the soul of wit. — Hamlet – Act 2, scene 2, line 97 .

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. — As You Like It – Act 2, scene 1, lines 15-17 .

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. — Macbeth – Act 5, scene 5, lines 27-29 .

I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it. — As You Like It – Act 2, scene 4, lines 97-98 .

Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’erfraught heart and bids it break. — Macbeth – Act 4, scene 3, lines 246-247 .

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. — The Merry Wives of Windsor – Act 2, scene 2, lines 319-320 .

Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under ’t. — Macbeth – Act 1, scene 5, lines 76-77 .

My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart, concealing it, will break. — The Taming of the Shrew – Act 4, scene 3, lines 82-83 .

Et tu, Brute? — Julius Caesar – Act 3, scene 1, line 85 .

That one may smile and smile and be a villain. — Hamlet – Act 1, scene 5, line 115 .

Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 1, scene 3, lines 34-35 .

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind. — Henry VI – Part 3, Act 5, scene 6, line 11 .

Conscience does make cowards of us all. — Hamlet Act 3, scene 1, line 91 .

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. — Othello – Act 3, scene 3, lines 195-197 .

Be great in act, as you have been in thought. — King John – Act 5, scene 1, line 46 .

April … hath put a spirit of youth in everything. — Sonnet 98 , lines 2-3 .

All things are ready if our minds be so. — Henry V – Act 4, scene 3, line 73 .

The tempter or the tempted, who sins most? — Measure for Measure – Act 2, scene 2, line 200 .

For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds. — Sonnet 94 , lines 13-14 .

Thought is free. — Twelfth Night – Act 1, scene 3, line 68 .

I would not wish any companion in the world but you. — The Tempest , Act 3, scene 1, lines 65-66 .

Summer’s lease hath all too short a date. — Sonnet 18 , line 4 .

He jests at scars that never felt a wound. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 2, line 1 .

Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners. — Othello – Act 1, scene 3, lines 362-363 .

Men should be what they seem. — Othello – Act 3, scene 3, line 147 .

They do not love that do not show their love. — The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Act 1, scene 2, line 31 .

She sat like Patience on a monument, smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed? — Twelfth Night – Act 2, scene 4, lines 126-127 .

Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love. — Hamlet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 124-127 .

I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 4, scene 1, lines 300-301 .

O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 114-116 .

Speak of me as I am … Of one that loved not wisely, but too well. — Othello – Act 5, scene 2, lines 402-404 .

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 140-142 .

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. — Sonnet 18 , line 1 .

Love is too young to know what conscience is. — Sonnet 151 , line 1 .

If music be the food of love, play on. — Twelfth Night – Act 1, scene 1, line 1 .

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. — All’s Well That Ends Well – Act 1, scene 1, lines 66-67 .

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 1, scene 5, lines 59-60 .

Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks, shall win my love. — The Taming of the Shrew – Act 4, scene 2, lines 41-42 .

Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 1, scene 1, line 197 .

Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 1, scene 1, lines 240-241 .

And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 3, scene 1, lines 145-146 .

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O, that I were a glove upon that hand that I might touch that cheek! — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 24-26 .

Go to your bosom: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know. — Measure for Measure – Act 2, scene 2, lines 166-167 .

The course of true love never did run smooth. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 1, scene 1, line 136 .

In black ink my love may still shine bright. — Sonnet 65 , line 14 .

For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me — much ado about nothing – act 5, scene 2, lines 59-61 ..

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. — Sonnet 116 , lines 11-12 .

Speak low, if you speak love. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 2, scene 1, line 97 .

Love sought is good, but given unsought is better. — Twelfth Night – Act 3, scene 1, line 164 .

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow. — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 199–201 .

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee. — Sonnet 18 , line 13 .

Love comforteth like sunshine after rain. — Venus and Adonis , line 799 .

How art thou out of breath when thou hast breath to say to me that thou art out of breath? — Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, scene 5, lines 33-34 .

For you, in my respect, are all the world. — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 2, scene 1, line 231 .

Love is not love, which alters when it alteration finds. — Sonnet 116 , lines 2-3 .

I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me. — much ado about nothing – act 1, scene 1, lines 129-130 ..

Love is merely a madness. — As You Like It – Act 3, scene 2, line 407 .

“I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.” “No. An he were, I would burn my study.” — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 1, scene 1, lines 76-78 .

I would my horse had the speed of your tongue. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 1, scene 1, lines 139-140 .

God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another. — Hamlet – Act 3, scene 1, lines 155-156 .

Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. — The Tempest – Act 2, scene 2, lines 40-41 .

O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil. — Othello – Act 2, scene 3, lines 300-302 .

He that loves to be flattered is worthy o’ th’ flatterer. — Timon of Athens – Act 1, scene 1, lines 258-259 .

Lord, what fools these mortals be! — A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 3, scene 2, line 117 .

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man. — King John – Act 3, scene 4, lines 110-111 .

I will praise any man that will praise me. — Antony and Cleopatra – Act 2, scene 6, line 115 .

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. — Twelfth Night – Act 1, scene 5, line 34 .

My pride fell with my fortunes. — As You Like It – Act 1, scene 2, line 252 .

Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once. — Julius Caesar – Act 2, scene 2, lines 34-35 .

There’s many a man hath more hair than wit. — The Comedy of Errors – Act 2, scene 2, lines 90-91 .

Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance? — Henry IV – Part 2, Act 2, scene 4, lines 265-266 .

I dote on his very absence. — The Merchant of Venice – Act 1, scene 2, line 110 .

I am not bound to please thee with my answers. — The Merchant of Venice – Act 4, scene 1, line 66 .

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. — As You Like It – Act 5, scene 1, lines 31-32 .

Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. — Othello – Act 2, scene 3, lines 287-289 .

A lover’s eyes will gaze an eagle blind. — Love’s Labor’s Lost – Act 4, scene 3, line 328 .

Be wary, then; best safety lies in fear. — Hamlet –   Act 1, scene 3, line 47 .

I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul rememb’ring my good friends. — Richard II – Act 2, scene 3, lines 48-49 .

The private wound is deepest. — The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Act 5, scene 4, line 75 .

Thy sting is not so sharp as friend remembered not. — As You Like It – Act 2, scene 7, lines 196-197 .

Friendship is constant in all other things, save in the office and affairs of love. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 2, scene 1, lines 173-174 .

Of all base passions, fear is most accursed. — Henry VI – Part 1, Act 5, scene 2, line 18 .

There’s beggary in the love that can be reckoned. — Antony and Cleopatra – Act 1, scene 1, line 16 .

I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange? — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 4, scene 1, lines 281-282 .

A heaven on earth I have won by wooing thee. — All’s Well That Ends Well – Act 4, scene 2, line 78 .

By my troth, I kiss thee with a most constant heart. — Henry IV – Part 2, Act 2, scene 4, lines 274-275 .

O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee! — Macbeth , Act 2, scene 3, lines 73-74 .

So are you to my thoughts as food to life, or as sweet-seasoned showers are to the ground. — Sonnet 75 , lines 1-2 .

Thee will I love, and with thee lead my life. — The Comedy of Errors – Act 3, scene 2, line 72 .

When you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness takes his leave. — Much Ado About Nothing – Act 1, scene 1, lines 99-100 .

O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams. — Hamlet – Act 2, scene 2, lines 273-275 .

To mingle friendship far is mingling bloods. — The Winter’s Tale – Act 1, scene 2, line 140 .

This above all: To thine own self be true. — Hamlet – Act 1, scene 3, line 84 .

Like these quotes by Shakespeare for students? Check out these motivational quotes for the classroom too.

Come share your favorite quotes by shakespeare in the we are teachers helpline group on facebook ..

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Here Are Shakespeare’s 15 Most Beloved Quotes

I n honor of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, TIME compiled the 15 most beloved quotes from his 38 plays using a semi-scientific method: We scrolled through three different editions of his complete words for Kindle—roughly 10,000 pages—and collected the most highlighted passages. (Kindles have a feature where any reader can see which passages many other anonymous readers have highlighted.) There was significant overlap between the three.

Curiously, several of the quotations have a very different meaning in context from the way they are often deployed popularly. The “greatness” that Twelfth Night ‘s Malvolio contemplates in the prank letter he reads refers primarily to social status, not courage or success. Likewise, Helena’s comment that “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind” is in direct contradiction to her circumstances, in which Demetrius has left her for the better-looking Hermia.

The quotations are almost evenly split between comedies and tragedies, though several famous passages weren’t chosen by the highlighters: Nowhere was Shylock’s “If you prick us do we not bleed?” from Merchant of Venice or Juliet’s eulogy to Romeo, made especially famous by Robert F. Kennedy’s tribute to his slain brother at the 1964 Democratic convention: “Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night / And pay no worship to the garish sun.”

Here are the 15 most highlighted Shakespeare quotes.

1. Hamlet contemplating suicide in his famous soliloquy. ( Hamlet ) “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep;”

2. Polonius, giving Laertes a pep talk. ( Hamlet ) “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

3. Macbeth, upon learning of the queen’s death. ( Macbeth ) “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

4. Lafeu, consoling the Countess on the death of her husband and departure of her son. ( All’s Well That Ends Well ) “Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead, excessive grief the enemy to the living.”

5. The Countess dispensing some motherly wisdom to Bertram before he departs for France. ( All’s Well That Ends Well ) “Love all, trust a few, Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy Rather in power than use, and keep thy friend Under thy own life’s key: be cheque’d for silence, But never tax’d for speech.”

6. Hamlet explaining to Horatio the appearance of a ghost. ( Hamlet ) “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

7. Caesar, to his wife, brushing aside her fear that he will soon die, which he does. ( Julius Caesar ) “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”

8. Cassius, priming Brutus to join the conspiracy against Caesar. ( Julius Caesar ) “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

9. King Claudius, admitting to himself that his prayers are not heartfelt. ( Hamlet ) “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”

10. Friar Lawrence, chastising Romeo for abandoning Rosaline for his new love, Juliet Capulet ( Romeo and Juliet ) “Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.”

11. Hermia, getting in a dig at men’s infidelity ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream ) “By all the vows that ever men have broke, In number more than ever women spoke”

12. Lysander, arguing with Hermia about love ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream ) “Ay me, for aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth, But either it was different in blood—”

13. Malvolio (reading from a letter by Maria, which he believes to be from Olivia) ( Twelfth Night ) “…be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”

14. Helena, lamenting that Demetrius has left her for Hermia ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream ) “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind.”

15. Prospero reflects on the fleeting nature of drama and life ( The Tempest ) “We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.”

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Quotations by Theme

156 Famous Shakespeare Quotes Worth Knowing

Bringing you the best quotes from the bard's mouth to yours.

Your high school English teacher wasn't lying when they said Shakespeare was one of the most influential English language writers to ever put pen to paper. We have him to thank for so many words, phrases, and tropes.

In fact, you don't even have to be an avid fan of the classics to recognize a Shakespeare line in the wild. Chances are, you've been tossing out famous Shakespeare quotes without even realizing it, and here are a few to add to your arsenal.

Famous Quotes From Shakespeare's Comedies

As a young curious mind, your first foray into the wonderful world of Shakespeare was probably his comedies. There's nothing that piques a 12-year-old's interest quite like a talking donkey and fairy kings. But, don't let the humor fool you - some of the most gut-punching lines of Shakespeare's comes from his comedic plays.

Here are just a few of the famous quotes we love from Shakespeare's comedies:

• "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." - As You Like It
• "Can one desire too much of a good thing?" - As You Like It
• "All things are ready if our minds be so." - The Comedy of Errors
• "Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast." - Love's Labor Lost
• "The quality of mercy is not strained." - The Merchant of Venice
• "How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!" - The Merchant of Venice
• "The world is still deceived with ornament." - The Merchant of Venice
• "Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open." - The Merry Wives of Windsor
• "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear." - A Midsummer Night's Dream
• "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" - A Midsummer Night's Dream
• "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more. Men were deceivers ever." - Much Ado About Nothing
• "I would my horse had the speed of your tongue." - Much Ado About Nothing
• "Fie, fie! Unknit that threatening unkind brow." - The Taming of the Shrew
• "Of all base passions, fear is the most accursed." - The Taming of the Shrew
• "I am wealthy in my friends." - The Comedy of Errors
• "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." - As You Like It
• "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." - The Tempest
• "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." - The Tempest
• "What's past is prologue." - The Tempest
• "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." - Twelfth Night
• "If music be the food of love, play on." - Twelfth Night
• "I am not what I am." - Twelfth Night
• "Give me excess of it, that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die." - Twelfth Night
• "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" - Twelfth Night
• "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." - Twelfth Night
• "If she be not fair to me, what care I how fair she be?" - The Comedy of Errors
• "How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes!" - As You Like It
• "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it." - As You Like It

Along with gifting us so many of his recognizable quotes ("To be or not to be," anyone?) Shakespeare is also credited with creating over 400 words , many of which we still use today. A few of these include "bedroom," "quarrelsome," "stealthy," and "zany."

Some of the Best Quotes From Shakespeare's Tragedies

Shakespeare's iconic lines have been parodied a thousand times over, and his tragedies most of all. From "et tu, Brute?" that's become a stronger sign of betrayal than Judas' pieces of silver to Juliet's cries for Romeo from her balcony, these are a few of the most memorable quotes from Shakespeare's tragedies:

• "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" - Romeo and Juliet
• "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." - Romeo and Juliet
• "Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night." - Romeo and Juliet
• "Et tu, Brute?" - Julius Caesar
• "I am a woman, and when I think, I must speak." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "I have immortal longings in me." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "The miserable change now at my end Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts in feeding them with those my former fortunes wherein I lived." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." - Julius Caesar
• "Beware the ides of March." - Julius Caesar
• "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war." - Julius Caesar
• "This was the noblest Roman of them all." - Julius Caesar
• "To be, or not to be: that is the question." - Hamlet
• "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - Hamlet
• "The rest is silence." - Hamlet
• "I am constant as the northern star." - Julius Caesar
• "The wheel is come full circle." - King Lear
• "Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones!" - King Lear
• "Nothing will come of nothing." - King Lear
• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" - Macbeth
• "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - Macbeth
• "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble." - Macbeth
• "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." - Othello
• "The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, is of a constant, loving, noble nature." - Othello
• "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at." - Othello
• "I am not what I am." - Othello
• "The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows." - Timon of Athens
• "There's beggary in the love that can be reckoned." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "A friend should bear his friend's infirmities." - Timon of Athens
• "Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone." - Othello
• "I have done a thousand dreadful things as willingly as one would kill a fly." - Titus Andronicus
• "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die." - Romeo and Juliet
• "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "Thou art a traitor, false to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father." - Coriolanus
• "The weight of this sad time we must obey, speak what we feel, not what we ought to say." - King Lear
• "There is no creature loves me; and if I die, no soul shall pity me." - Timon of Athens
• 80+ Reading Quotes to Help Kids Fall in Love With Literature

Famous Quotes From Shakespeare's Histories

Want to spice up your history paper or drop a wise line in the middle of an argument? Look no further than Shakespeare's histories. Spanning decades of English lore and outlining the victories and follies of England's past monarchs, Shakespeare's histories are chock full of great quotes:

• "This England never did, nor never shall, lie at the proud foot of a conqueror." - King John
• "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me." - Richard II
• "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings." - Richard II
• "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." - Henry IV, Part 2
• "The better part of valor is discretion." - Henry IV, Part 1
• "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." - Henry V
• "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." - Henry V
• "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." - Henry VI, Part 2
• "True nobility is exempt from fear." - Henry VI, Part 2
• "The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on." - Henry VI, Part 3
• "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York." - Richard III
• "Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe." - Richard III
• "I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die." - Richard III
• "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England." - Richard II
• "Presume not that I am the thing I was." - Henry IV, Part 1
• "The time shall come when thou shalt wish for me to help thee curse that poisonous bunchbacked toad." - Richard III
• "The game's afoot: follow your spirit, and upon this charge cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'" - Henry V
• "The painful warrior famoused for fight, after a thousand victories once foiled, is from the book of honor razed quite, and all the rest forgot for which he toiled." - Henry VI, Part 3
• "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" - Richard III
• "If that thy valour stand on sympathies, there is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine." - Richard II
• "Is all our travail turned to this effect? After the slaughter of so many peers, so many captains, gentlemen, and soldiers, that in this quarrel have been overthrown and sold their bodies for their country's benefit, shall we at last conclude effeminate peace?" - Henry IV, Part 1
• "Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time; for from this instant there's nothing serious in mortality." - Henry IV, Part 2
• "Death makes no conquest of this conqueror; for now he lives in fame, though not in life." - Richard II
• "Off with his head!" - Richard III
• "Let's pay him fairer than he merits." - Henry IV, Part 1
• "No, 'tis slander, whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongue outvenoms all the worms of Nile, whose breath rides on the posting winds, and doth belie all corners of the world." - Richard II
• "I am a villain: yet I lie, I am not." - Richard III
• "Vouchsafe to wear this ring." - Henry IV, Part 2
• "As full of valour as of royal blood." - Richard II
• "Not all the water in the rough rude sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king." - Richard II
• "Here I and sorrows sit; here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it." - Richard II
• "By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap to pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon, or dive into the bottom of the deep, where fathom-line could never touch the ground, and pluck up drowned honour by the locks." - Henry IV, Part 1
• "His rash fierce blaze of riot cannot last, for violent fires soon burn out themselves; small showers last long, but sudden storms are short; he tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes; with eager feeding food doth choke the feeder: light vanity, insatiate cormorant, consuming means, soon preys upon itself." - Henry VI, Part 1
• "Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water." - Henry VIII
• "You have undone a man of fourscore-three, that thought to fill his grave in quiet." - Henry VIII
• "Farewell! A long farewell, to all my greatness!" - Henry VIII
• "This is the state of man: today he puts forth the tender leaves of hope; tomorrow blossoms, and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; the third day comes a frost, a killing frost, and, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely his greatness is a-ripening, nips his root, and then he falls." - Henry VIII

Popular Quotes From Shakespeare's Sonnets

Though Shakespeare is best known for his theatrical plays, he was just as prolific of a poetry writer as he was a playwright. He carved out his own sonnet structure and reinvigorated English poetry with a fresh voice. Here are some popular quotes from his notable sonnets:

• "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" - Sonnet 18
• "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes." - Sonnet 29
• "Let those who are in favour with their stars." - Sonnet 25
• "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past." - Sonnet 30
• "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." - Sonnet 130
• "From fairest creatures we desire increase." - Sonnet 1
• "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee." - Sonnet 18
• "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow." - Sonnet 2
• "Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?" - Sonnet 8
• "Not marble nor the gilded monuments." - Sonnet 55
• "Thou art more lovely and more temperate." - Sonnet 18
• "The expense of spirit in a waste of shame is lust in action." - Sonnet 129
• "O, never say that I was false of heart." - Sonnet 109
• "They that have power to hurt and will do none." - Sonnet 94
• "Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will." - Sonnet 135
• "For where is she so fair whose uneared womb disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?" - Sonnet 3
• "To me, fair friend, you never can be old." - Sonnet 104
• "The forward violet thus did I chide: sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells?" - Sonnet 99
• "Against that time, if ever that time come, when I shall see thee frown on my defects." - Sonnet 39

Well-Known Love Quotes From Shakespeare's Plays and Works

Shakespeare's works were no stranger to the idea of love and romance - after all, many of his comedies ended in marriage! Try a few of these popular sayings when you're want to express yoruself via your inner Shakespeare.

• "The course of true love never did run smooth." - A Midsummer Night's Dream
• "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." - A Midsummer Night's Dream
• "For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?" - Much Ado About Nothing
• "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." - All's Well That Ends Well
• "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." - Twelfth Night
• "We that are true lovers run into strange capers." - Antony and Cleopatra
• "To be wise and love exceeds man's might." - Edward III
• "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." - Sonnet 116
• "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come." - Sonnet 116
• "When my love swears that she is made of truth." - Sonnet 138
• "In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes." - Sonnet 141
• "Love is my sin and thy dear virtue hate." - Sonnet 142
• "Those lips that Love's own hand did make." - Sonnet 145

Famous Quotes Attributed to Shakespeare

Unfortunately for us, Twitter wasn't around in the Elizabethan era and we didn't get to see good old Billy Shakespeare post late-night nonsense. Because direct quotes from outside of his works are limited, every supposed "Shakespeare" personal quote is up for debate.

Yet, if you're curious about what Shakespeare might've tossed out as his status update, here are some quotes that're widely believed to be from Shakespeare himself.

Bonus points if you can recognize which of these famous lines made their way into his work.

• "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
• "Brevity is the soul of wit."
• "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
• "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
• "This above all: to thine own self be true."
• "Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me."
• "To be, or not to be: that is the question."
• "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
• "The course of true love never did run smooth."
• "If music be the food of love, play on."
• "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."
• "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
• "The better part of valor is discretion."
• "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
• "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

From the Bard's Mouth to Yours

There's something beautiful about the fact that we still use phrases that were drummed up hundreds of years ago. While we can't say how William Shakespeare would feel about his legacy, we think he'd be tickled pink by the chokehold it has on the English language. So, when you're tempted to throw out a curse word or modern phrase, switch things up with one of these punchy Shakespeare quotes instead.

100 Shakespeare Quotes You Might Hear Today

The truth is that Shakespeare was the HBO of the times. He wrote entertaining plays for the masses and played on themes such as sex, murder, mystery, magic and politics. His work was the 17th century equivalent of “Game of Thrones,” except that the girls weren’t as gorgeous because the morals of the times forbade women from treading the boards as thespians. Yes, “thespians.” Look it up if you must !

I can just hear people discussing the latest play,

“Didst thou see the latest play by Shakespeare?”

“Yes, but it was the same old thing: sex and violence followed by more sex and violence. What, I ask thee, are we to make of the shocking entertainments of modern times, prithee?”

“Methinks it should have an age restriction!”

The popularity of Shakespeare through the centuries caused people to quote him, and today, we spout quotes and idioms from his plays without even realizing their origins. If you ever say any of the following, you’re quoting the bard. Even if you don’t personally use these words, there’s a good chance you know exactly what the mean because they are used so often to this day.

Dead as a Doornail

“Look on me well: I have eat no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail, I pray God I may never eat grass more.” (Henry VI part 2)

That was written in 1592, but the bard was hardly being original. The saying had been around since 1350, if not earlier. Would it have stayed alive without Shakespeare? Probably not!

Method in the Madness

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it…” (Hamlet)

And by the way, if you use the word “gunk” please give a nod to Shakespeare, who, in the same act, had Hamlet speaking of “eyes full of gunk.”

Out of the Jaws of Death

Unlike “dead as a doornail,” it seems this is completely original. There are no written references to this phrase before Twelfth Night (1602). It certainly caught on, and to this day, we refer to the “jaws of death.” It’s certainly an exciting story, complete with cops, pirates, bigwigs, and cases of mistaken identity. But I won’t spoil it for you…

We Have Seen Better Days

Did I mention Shakespeare also wrote comedies? “As You Like It” was a complete side-splitter back in 1599, and everyone was probably quoting bits of it and giggling like crazy just as we quote our favorite comedians today. Nowadays, saying you’ve seen better days isn’t even thought of as funny. Maybe the joke got stale or we lost the context.

Wild Goose Chase

“Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five. Was I with you there for the goose?”

This quote comes from “Romeo and Juliet,” and it probably referred to a horse race of some kind, though how geese got involved in a horse race is beyond me.

Good Riddance

I don’t have to give you the quote in context because that’s all it consisted of. It comes from the play ‘Trolius and Cressida,” and it has been taken up by bands such as Green Day. We use it with reference to unpleasant people of any description as soon as they offer to go away and leave us alone.

“Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle, and I would call it fair play.” (The Tempest)

Of course, we use this phrase in sport and gambling far more often than we use it in politics these days. Could it be that politics isn’t even expected to play fair? Let’s not even go there. I’m sure it never was.

You know how it is: sometimes lying low is the best solution, and that’s just what Antonio in the play “Much Ado About Nothing” thought.

“If he could right himself with quarreling, some of us would lie low.”

Yes, I know people like that, too.

It Was Greek to Me…

Have you ever said this after a particularly baffling lecture at school? In the play “Julius Caesar,” Casca was equally baffled:

“Nay, an I tell you that, Ill ne’er look you i’ the face again: but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.”

I Must Be Cruel to Be Kind

Again, we quote from Shakespeare, and this time, it’s Hamlet:

“So, again, good night. I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.”

I bet you didn’t even know that was an erudite quote. Mind you, as I pointed out before, Shakespeare was considered a bit racy, so you don’t have to feel like too much of a nerd if you quote him habitually.

Apart from popular phrases such as “Be-all and end-all” (Macbeth), “Break the ice” (Taming of the Shrew), “Heart of Gold” (Henry V), “Kill with Kindness” (Taming of the Shrew) and even “Knock, knock. Who’s there?” (Macbeth), we also have Shakespeare to thank for the continued use of certain popular words. “Puke” is just one of them. Who said Shakespeare was highbrow?

A List of Common Shakespeare Quotes and Sayings

All’s Well That Ends Well

• “All’s well that ends well.”

As You Like It

• “Forever and a day”
• “Puking”
• “Too much of a good thing”
• “Not slept one wink”
• “As pure as the driven snow”
• “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
• “Conscience does make cowards of us all.”
• “Dog will have his day”
• “In my heart of hearts”
• “In my mind’s eye”
• “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”
• “Own flesh and blood”
• “Rant”
• “There’s method in the madness.”
• “There’s the rub.”
• “This above all, to thine own self be true.”
• “Discretion is the better part of valour.”
• “Eaten out of house and home”
• “Give the devil his due”
• “Ill wind which blows no man to good”
• “Send him packing”
• “Set my teeth on edge”
• “The game is afoot.”
• “A heart of gold”
• “Swagger”
• “As dead as a doornail”
• “Faint-hearted”
• “Fight till the last gasp”
• “Mum’s the word”
• “For goodness sake”

Julius Caesar

• “A dish fit for the gods”
• “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.”
• “Fight fire with fire.”
• “It was Greek to me.”
• “Live long day”
• “Elbow Room”
• “Play fast and loose”
• “Fie, foh, and fum, I smell the blood of a British man.”
• “Full circle”
• “More sinned against than sinning”

Love’s Labour’s Lost

• “Obscene”
• “Naked truth”
• “Zany”
• “All our yesterdays”
• “Assassination”
• “Come what come may”
• “Crack of doom”
• “Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
• “Knock knock, who’s there?”
• “Milk of human kindness”
• “One fell swoop”
• “The be all and the end all”

The Merchant of Venice

• “All that glitters is not gold.”
• “In the twinkling of an eye”
• “Love is blind.”
• “Pound of flesh”
• “Truth will out”
• “With bated breath”

The Merry Wives of Windsor

• “As good luck would have it”
• “Laughing stock”
• “The world’s mine oyster”
• “What the dickens”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

• “Fancy-free”
• “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

Much Ado About Nothing

• “As merry as the day is long”
• “Lie low”
• “Addiction”
• “Foregone conclusion”
• “Jealousy is the green-eyed monster.”
• “Neither here nor there”
• “Vanish into thin air”
• “Wear your heart on your sleeve.”
• “Spotless reputation”

Romeo and Juliet

• “Star-crossed lovers”
• “Wild goose chase”

The Taming of the Shrew

• “All of a sudden”
• “Bedazzled”
• “Break the ice”
• “Cold comfort”
• “Kill with kindness”
• “Refuse to budge an inch.”

The Tempest

• “Brave new world”
• “In a pickle”
• “Melted into thin air”
• “Such stuff as dreams are made on”

Titus Andronicus

• “Devil Incarnate”

Troilus and Cressida

• “Fashionable”
• “Good riddance”

Twelfth Night

• “If music be the food of love, play on.”
• “In stitches”
• “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”

The Winter’s Tale

• “Set your teeth on edge”

I’m genuinely surprised at the number of everyday sayings that are attributable to Shakespeare. I thought there would be a few, but not this many that are part of our daily culture in 2017.

This is what is so great about Shakespeare. Most people think it’s highbrow stuff while using a lot of it in their everyday life without even realizing it. That just goes to show the impact he had on our culture and writing.

I’m surprised at the number there are that I would have never guessed came from the Bard.

I would never have believed so many of these sayings came from Shakespeare. I thought my mother made them up!

I never thought so many expressions I’ve used come from the Bard of Avon. I’ve righetfully attributed to the famous playwright some quotes that I have used in my write-ups.

Thats a loooooooooot of quotes! º_º

Wow!! love this page, I never knew ‘oh my goodness’ is a quote from Shakespeare

When Lady Macbeth kills herself, Macbeth states, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. (V.V. 19-28). so powerful.

I don’t think much of Shakespeare … it’s full of clichés.

to be or not to be? that is the question.

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William Shakespeare Quotes

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The eye sees all, but the mind shows us what we want to see.

Silence is the perfect herald of joy.

Have more than you show, Speak less than you know.

What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.

All the world is a stage and we are merely players.

Laughing faces do not mean that there is absence of sorrow! But it means that they have the ability to deal with it

When I got enough confidence, the stage was gone. When I was sure of losing, I won. When I needed people the most, they left me. When I learnt to dry my tears, I found a shoulder to cry on. And when I mastered the art of hating, somebody started loving me.

Never play with the feelings of others, because you may win the game but the risk is that you will surely lose the person for life time

Don't judge a man's conscience by looking at his face cause he may have a bad heart.

The Eyes are the window to your soul

If we are true to ourselves, we can not be false to anyone.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

I love thee, I love thee with a love that shall not die. Till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old.

Nothing comes from doing nothing.

Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

You know who you are, but know not who you could be.

I wish you all the joy that you can wish.

Beauty lives with kindness.

I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed!

No legacy is so rich as honesty.

Give thanks for what you are today and go on fighting for what you gone be tomorrow

We suffer a lot the few things we lack and we enjoy too little the many things we have.

Love does not see with the eyes, but with the soul.

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William Shakespeare

• Died: April 23, 1616
• Occupation: Poet
• Cite this Page: Citation

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