Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“This above all: to thine own self be true.”
- Source
- Hamlet
- Date
- c. 1600
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Polonius
Meaning of “This above all: to thine own self be…”
Polonius frames integrity as consistency between inward conviction and outward conduct, although the advice belongs to a fallible fictional counselor.
Where does it come from?
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3; Polonius gives Laertes this advice before Laertes leaves for France.
Why the local voice matters
Polonius advises Laertes in Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3.
