50+ Deep Shakespeare Quotes About Life in a Staged World
Life, as it unfolds in all its mystery, joy, sorrow, and complexity, has perhaps never been more eloquently explored than in the works of William Shakespeare. Known as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare’s profound understanding of the human condition resonates in his plays and sonnets, remaining relevant centuries after they were written. His musings on life, love, death, time, betrayal, and the nature of reality are deep, insightful, and timeless, transcending cultural and generational boundaries. This collection of over 50 deep Shakespeare quotes about life can offer a fresh perspective on life’s challenges and triumphs, providing solace, guidance, or simply an opportunity for contemplation.
In his works, Shakespeare has masterfully woven a tapestry of emotions, experiences, and wisdom that continue to captivate and inspire readers worldwide. “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more,” he writes in Macbeth, reminding us of the brevity and fleeting nature of our existence. In “Julius Caesar,” he muses, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune,” a powerful metaphor for seizing life’s opportunities. As we delve into these quotes, we are invited to reflect upon our own lives, reevaluate our perceptions, and perhaps, in true Shakespearean fashion, find eloquence and wisdom in the beauty of our mortal existence.
Table of Contents
- What Shakespeare said about life in his works
- William Shakespeare Quotes about Wisdom and Life
- “Some achieve greatness…” : Deep Shakespeare Quotes about Life
- “All the World is A Stage” : Shakespeare Quotes about Humanity
- What Shakespeare said about friendship in his works
- Shakespeare Quotes on Friendship
- Shakespeare Quotes about Time
What Shakespeare said about life in his works
Throughout his many works, William Shakespeare expressed complex, nuanced views about life, exploring themes of love, mortality, ambition, power, and the human condition. Here are some key themes he explores regarding life:
1. Life as a Stage: Perhaps one of the most famous metaphors Shakespeare uses to describe life is in “As You Like It,” where he writes, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” He compares life to a play, where everyone has their roles to perform and stages to pass through, suggesting life’s transience and the changes we all experience.
2. Life and Mortality: Shakespeare also frequently contemplates mortality. In “Macbeth,” he writes, “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow.” This quote speaks to the brevity and fragility of life, highlighting the inevitability of death.
3. Life and Ambition: Shakespeare’s works often explore the destructive power of uncontrolled ambition. This theme is particularly prominent in “Macbeth,” where unchecked ambition leads to downfall and death.
4. Life as a Journey: Many of Shakespeare’s works portray life as a journey full of trials and tribulations. For instance, in “Julius Caesar,” he writes, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” This suggests that life is full of opportunities and the choices we make determine our path.
5. Value of Life: Shakespeare also explores the intrinsic value of life. In “King Lear,” he writes, “Nothing will come of nothing,” emphasizing the idea that we must actively engage with life to create meaning and achieve our desires.
6. Life and Perception: Shakespeare’s works often explore the relationship between perception and reality. In “Hamlet,” he says, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” suggesting our experience of life is shaped significantly by our perceptions and attitudes.
In essence, Shakespeare’s views on life are multifaceted and profound, touching on its brevity, its stages, its value, and the role of individual perception in shaping it. His works continue to resonate because of his remarkable ability to capture the human experience in all its complexity.
William Shakespeare Quotes about Wisdom and Life
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Hamlet
Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win,
by fearing to attempt.
Measure for Measure
When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools. King Lear
In time we hate that which we often fear. Antony and Cleopatra
Expectation is the root of all heartache.
I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. Hamlet
Hell is empty and all the devils are here. The Tempest
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. As You Like It
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. All’s Well That Ends Well
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Julius Caesar
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
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.
As You Like It
Brevity is the soul of wit. Hamlet
We know what we are, but not what we may be. 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;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.–Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d!
Hamlet
Galaxy Photo by Andy Holmes
Don’t waste your love on somebody, who doesn’t value it. Romeo and Juliet
There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet
Life … is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
MacbethThe devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. The Merchant of Venice
Lovers and madmen have such seething brains
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“Some achieve greatness…” : Deep Shakespeare Quotes about Life
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” – Macbeth
“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” – Julius Caesar
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” – The Tempest
“Nothing will come of nothing.” – King Lear
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” – Julius Caesar
“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow.” – Macbeth
“Things won are done, joy’s soul lies in the doing.” – Troilus and Cressida
“If life be short, then let it be a glorious one.” – Henry V
“Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.” – King John
“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” – All’s Well That Ends Well
“All the World is A Stage” : Shakespeare Quotes about Humanity
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties!” – Hamlet
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – As You Like It
“Give me that man that is not passion’s slave and I will wear him in my heart’s core, in my heart of heart.” – Hamlet
“Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.” – Othello
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” – Julius Caesar
“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
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Hamlet
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” – Hamlet
“Man is a giddy thing.” – Much Ado About Nothing
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – As You Like It
Related: Best 101 William Shakespeare Quotes to Explain The Beauty and Tragedy of Human Life
What Shakespeare said about friendship in his works
William Shakespeare’s writings often explored the complexities of friendship, delving into its joys, betrayals, and transformative power. He portrayed friendship as a deeply intimate bond that can sometimes surpass romantic or familial relationships in its importance and influence. Some key takeaways from his works on the theme of friendship include:
1. True Friendship Endures All Trials: Many of Shakespeare’s works emphasize that real friendship can withstand adversity. In “Julius Caesar,” for example, we see the line, “A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities,” suggesting that true friends support each other even in their weakest moments.
2. Friendship as a Source of Joy and Comfort: Shakespeare also celebrated the happiness and comfort that friendship can bring. In “Richard II,” he writes, “I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.”
3. The Importance of Loyalty: Loyalty is another key feature of friendship in Shakespeare’s works. “Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,” from “Hamlet,” advises us to hold onto those friends who have proven their loyalty to us.
4. Friendship and Betrayal: Shakespeare also explored the darker aspects of friendship, including betrayal. Plays like “Othello” and “Julius Caesar” delve into the tragic outcomes that can ensue when trust between friends is broken.
5. Selectiveness in Friendship: Finally, he advises selectiveness when it comes to making friends. The line, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none,” from “All’s Well That Ends Well,” suggests we should be kind to all, trust a chosen few, and harm none.
In short, Shakespeare presents friendship as a deep, powerful, and sometimes complicated relationship, capable of bringing both great joy and profound sorrow.
Shakespeare Quotes on Friendship
“A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities.” – Julius Caesar
“I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.” – Richard II
“I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” – The Tempest
“Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love.” – Much Ado About Nothing
“Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel.” – Hamlet
“A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.” – Much Ado About Nothing
“He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need.” – The Passionate Pilgrim
“Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find.” – The Passionate Pilgrim
“Give me that man that is not passion’s slave and I will wear him in my heart’s core.” – Hamlet
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – All’s Well That Ends Well
Shakespeare Quotes about Time
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
“Time travels at different speeds for different people. I can tell you who time ambles withal, who it trots withal, who it gallops withal, and who it stands still withal.” – As You Like It
“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” – Richard II
“Time’s glory is to calm contending kings, to unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light.” – The Rape of Lucrece
“Time is the justice that examines all offenders.” – As You Like It
“So full of shapes is fancy that it alone is high fantastical.” – Twelfth Night
“Time and the hour run through the roughest day.” – Macbeth
“But I remember now I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly.” – Macbeth
“Like as the waves make towards the pebbl’d shore, so do our minutes hasten to their end.” – Sonnet 60
“For time is like a fashionable host, that slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand.” – Romeo and Juliet
You may also like:
101 Walt Whitman Quotes that Will Help You Re-evaluate Life
Love Truth But Pardon Error | 61 Voltaire Quotes
I Felt it Shelter to Speak to You | 101 Emily Dickinson Quotes
Eastern Wisdom | 70 Famous Confucius Quotes