Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Part 27

Venetian (ve-nê'-shån) Venice (ven'-is) Ventidius (ven-tid'-i-us) Verona (vâ-rô'-nå) Vicentio (vê-sen'-shi-ô)

QUOTATIONS FROM SHAKESPEARE

ACTION.

Action is eloquence, and the eyes of the ignorant More learned than their ears.

Coriola.n.u.s -- III. 2.

ADVERSITY.

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 -- II. 1.

That, Sir, which serves and seeks for gain, And follows but for form, Will pack, when it begins to rain, And leave thee in the storm.

King Lear -- II. 4.

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise, The breath is gone whereof this praise is made: Feast won--fast lost; one cloud of winter showers, These flies are couched.

Timon of Athens -- II. 2.

ADVICE TO A SON LEAVING HOME.

Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.

The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel: but, being in, Bear it, that the opposer may beware of thee.

Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice: Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment, Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy: rich, not gaudy: For the apparel oft proclaims the man; And they in France, of the best rank and station, Are most select and generous, chief in that.

Neither a borrower, nor a lender be: For loan oft loses both itself and friend; And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

This above all.--To thine ownself be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Hamlet -- I. 3.

AGE.

My May of life Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf: And that which should accompany old age, As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have; but, in their stead, Curses not loud, but deep, mouth-honor, breath, Which the poor heart would feign deny, but dare not.

Macbeth -- V. 3.

AMBITION.

Dreams, indeed, are ambition; for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. And I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality, that it is but a shadow's shadow.

Hamlet -- II 2.

I charge thee fling away ambition; By that sin fell the angels, how can man then, The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't?

Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee; Corruption wins not more than honesty.

Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not!

Let all the ends, thou aim'st at, be thy country's, Thy G.o.d's, and truth's.

King Henry VIII. -- III. 2.

ANGER.

Anger is like A full-hot horse, who being allowed his way, Self-mettle tires him.

King Henry VIII. -- I. 1.

ARROGANCE.

There are a sort of men, whose visages Do cream and mantle like a standing pond, And do a willful stillness entertain, With purpose to be dressed in an opinion Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit, As who should say, "I am Sir Oracle, And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark!"

O! my Antonio, I do know of these That therefore are reputed wise For saying nothing, when, I am sure, If they should speak, would almost dam those ears, Which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools.

The Merchant of Venice -- I. 1.

AUTHORITY.