William Shakespeare Quotes

1564–1616 England

William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.

England
Actors
Playwrights
Poets

Also known as: Shakespeare, Shakespeare, William, Shakespearean, Shakspeare

Random William Shakespeare quote

2,353 quotes

All these you may avoid but the Lie Direct; and you may avoid that too, with an If. I knew when seven justices could not take up a quarrel, but when the parties were met themselves, one of them thought but of an If, as, "If you said so then I said so"; and they shook hands and swore brothers. Your If is the only peace-maker; much virtue in If.

Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours 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, as I do.

Henry VIII (1613)

However wickedness outstrips men, it has no wings to fly from God.

Misattributed

Nothing is more common than the wish to be remarkable.

Misattributed

There is plenty of time to sleep in the grave.

Misattributed

Children wish fathers looked but with their eyes; fathers that children with their judgment looked; and either may be wrong.

Misattributed

Charity — gently to hear, kindly to judge.

Attributed

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

Misattributed

He is not worthy of the honeycomb
That shuns the hives because the bees have stings.

Attributed The Tragedy of Locrine (1595)

Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find.

Attributed

When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.

Misattributed

He who has injured thee was either stronger or weaker than thee. If weaker, spare him; if stronger, spare thyself.

Misattributed

Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. The saying goes you live by the sword you shall die by the sword...It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.

Misattributed

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: William Shakespeare (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.