This continuation page contains additional source-backed quotations not shown in the initial 50-quotation overview. Return to the topic guide and browse collection.
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
The line makes self-trust a prerequisite for independent thought and action.
Essay “Self-Reliance.”
“To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.”
The value of a journey can lie in purposeful movement and effort rather than only in the moment of arrival.
Essay “El Dorado.”
“If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”
Composure under social pressure is treated as a mark of maturity, especially when panic and blame are spreading around you.
Poem “If—,” opening lines.
“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”
Individual strength and group strength reinforce one another when responsibility runs in both directions.
“The Law of the Jungle,” in The Second Jungle Book.
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
Seneca shifts the complaint from life being too brief to attention and time being poorly spent.
English wording varies by translation.
“I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”
The exuberant image celebrates unapologetic self-expression and a voice that refuses to become small merely to fit social expectations.
Near the close of “Song of Myself”; Whitman turns self-expression into a large, physical cry.
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
Contradiction is treated as part of a large human self rather than automatic proof of failure or hypocrisy.
Leaves of Grass (1855), untitled first-edition poem later known as “Song of Myself,” printed page 55 (Wikisource scan page 61). The verbal passage is present there, while this collection retains the more familiar later punctuation/parenthetical presentation. Later editions number this movement section 51; that section number is cross-edition orientation only and is not presented as 1855 structure.
“Resist much, obey little.”
The compact command favors independent judgment over reflexive obedience, especially when authority conflicts with conscience or freedom.
Leaves of Grass (1860), poem “Walt Whitman’s Caution,” represented on Wikisource from the 1860 edition.
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand and a Heaven in a Wild Flower.”
The image invites attention to scale and wonder, suggesting that profound meaning can appear inside ordinary and easily overlooked details.
Opening of “Auguries of Innocence”; Blake places vastness inside tiny natural forms.
“He who binds to himself a joy does the winged life destroy.”
Trying to possess a joyful moment permanently can damage it, while accepting impermanence allows experience to remain alive and free.
Short poem commonly titled “Eternity”; Blake contrasts grasping with the passing movement of joy.
“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”
The proverb provocatively suggests that excess can teach limits through direct experience, though it is not a simple instruction to pursue excess.
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, “Proverbs of Hell”; Blake presents the line as a deliberately paradoxical aphorism about experience and limits.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce.”
Physical size is separated from force of character, giving the line its enduring use as a compact statement of spirited strength.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene 2; Helena describes Hermia during the lovers’ quarrel. Verified in the scan-backed 1918 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Willard Higley Durham; direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act III transcription.
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
Love is described as complicated rather than frictionless, which makes the line a durable reminder against idealizing relationships.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act I, Scene 1; Lysander says this to Hermia while describing the obstacles that repeatedly frustrate lovers. Verified in the scan-backed 1918 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Willard Higley Durham; direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act I transcription.
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
The line values trustworthy character above possessions or reputation inherited after death.
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act III, Scene 5; Mariana warns Diana about Bertram and says that no legacy is so rich as honesty. Verified against Wikisource’s 1910 facsimile transcription of the 1623 First Folio; direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act III transcription.
“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie.”
Before assuming rescue must come from outside, the line asks what capacity, choice, or effort is already available within.
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act I, Scene 1; Helena resolves to act rather than ascribe every possibility to fate. Verified against Wikisource’s 1910 facsimile transcription of the 1623 First Folio (folio spelling “Our remedies oft in our selues do lye”); direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act I transcription.
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
The advice combines generosity with judgment: goodwill can be broad while trust remains selective.
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act I, Scene 1; the Countess of Roussillon gives Bertram the counsel “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” Verified against Wikisource’s 1910 facsimile transcription of the 1623 First Folio (folio spelling “Loue all, trust a few, Doe wrong to none”); direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act I transcription.
“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.”
Human life is pictured as a fabric woven from favorable and painful threads rather than a story made from only one kind of experience.
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act IV, Scene 3; the First Lord reflects that human life is woven from good and ill together while discussing Bertram and Parolles. Verified against Wikisource’s 1910 facsimile transcription of the 1623 First Folio (folio spelling “The webbe of our life, is of a mingled yarne”); direct evidence resolves to the reviewed Act IV transcription.
“Sweet are the uses of adversity.”
Adversity is presented as capable of yielding insight or value even when the experience itself is unwelcome.
As You Like It, Act II, Scene 1, Duke Senior; 1919 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Jack R. Crawford, printed page 24 / Wikisource scan leaf 36. “Sweet are the uses of adversity” occurs in Duke Senior’s Forest of Arden reflection on exile, winter and the lessons he claims to find outside court life. It remains fictional dramatic speech rather than Shakespeare’s autobiographical advice or a modern psychological claim about hardship.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
The metaphor treats life as a sequence of roles and stages, inviting reflection on identity, aging, and impermanence.
As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7, Jaques; 1919 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Jack R. Crawford, printed page 42 / Wikisource scan leaf 54. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” opens Jaques’s seven-ages speech after Duke Senior compares human suffering with theatrical pageants. The metaphor remains dramatic character speech about roles and aging, not Shakespeare speaking autobiographically.
“The readiness is all.”
The emphasis is not on controlling every outcome but on meeting what comes with preparedness and acceptance.
Act 5, Scene 2.
“Brevity is the soul of wit.”
The line praises compression: saying less can sharpen meaning when the words that remain do real work.
Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2; Polonius says this while promising the King and Queen he will be brief, immediately before continuing at comic length. The dramatic irony is part of the line’s context.
“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
The line condenses an existential dilemma into a question about endurance, action, fear, and the unknown consequences of death.
Act 3, Scene 1; Hamlet weighs existence against suffering and uncertainty.
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
The line leaves room between present identity and future possibility, making it useful for reflection on change and potential.
Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5; Ophelia speaks during her disrupted state, so the line remains dramatic dialogue rather than Shakespearean autobiography.
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
The line separates events from the judgments people place on them, a useful distinction for thinking about perception and response.
Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2; Hamlet says this to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern while explaining that Denmark feels like a prison to him. The line is dramatic dialogue, not a detached psychological proposition by Shakespeare.
“The better part of valour is discretion.”
Courage is balanced with judgment here: avoiding a needless danger can sometimes be wiser than performing bravery for appearance.
Henry IV, Part 1, Act V Scene 4; reviewed against the 1917 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Samuel B. Hemingway, printed page 110 / scan leaf 124. Falstaff says 'The better part of valour is discretion' after counterfeiting death during the battle and immediately boasts that this discretion saved his life. It remains comic fictional self-justification rather than a universal rule for courage or risk.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
Status and authority are presented as carrying anxiety and responsibility rather than guaranteeing comfort or peace of mind.
Henry IV, Part 2, Act III Scene 1; reviewed against the 1921 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Samuel B. Hemingway. King Henry speaks the crown line at the close of his sleepless midnight monologue after contrasting his wakefulness with the sleep of poor subjects and the storm-tossed ship-boy. It remains dramatic kingship rhetoric rather than clinical evidence about leadership stress.
“Men at some time are masters of their fates.”
Circumstances matter, but people also have moments when their own decisions meaningfully shape what follows.
Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2, in the 1919 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Lawrence Mason. Cassius says ‘Men at some time are masters of their fates’ immediately before the fuller stars/underlings argument; the retained short record is part of the same local persuasion scene.
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.”
The contrast suggests that repeated fear can make a person suffer imagined losses long before the real event arrives.
Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene 2, in the 1919 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Lawrence Mason. Caesar tells Calpurnia, ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once,’ while rejecting her fear and deciding to go out. The line remains Caesar’s dramatic reasoning, not Shakespeare’s direct personal counsel.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
The line rejects passive fatalism and places responsibility for circumstances more directly on human decisions, ambition, and action.
Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2, in the 1919 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by Lawrence Mason. Cassius tells Brutus that men can be masters of their fates and immediately continues, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.’ This is Cassius’s political persuasion inside the drama, not neutral historical evidence or Shakespeare speaking directly.
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”
The image captures the particular hurt of care being answered by ingratitude within a close family bond.
King Lear, Act I, Scene IV, reviewed against the scan-backed First Folio facsimile. Lear's serpent's-tooth line occurs inside his curse against Goneril after the reduction of his retinue; it is angry dramatic speech, not a neutral rule about children or family relationships.
“What’s done cannot be undone.”
Some consequences cannot be reversed, so the practical question becomes how to respond now rather than how to erase the past.
Macbeth, Act V, Scene I, reviewed against the scan-backed 1918 Yale text. Lady Macbeth says 'What's done cannot be undone' during the sleepwalking scene; the dramatic context is guilt and psychological disintegration, not generic advice that consequences should simply be accepted.
“There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”
Friendly appearance can conceal harmful intent, so trust should consider patterns of conduct rather than expressions alone.
Macbeth, Act II, Scene III, reviewed against the scan-backed 1918 Yale text and the First Folio facsimile. Donalbain's 'There's daggers in men's smiles' follows Duncan's murder as Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee; it is fictional suspicion under immediate danger rather than a universal claim about trust.
“The miserable have no other medicine but only hope.”
When circumstances offer little immediate relief, hope can preserve the possibility of endurance without pretending the pain is gone.
Measure for Measure, Act III, Scene I, Claudio to the disguised Duke. The scan-backed 1910 Methuen facsimile transcription of the 1623 First Folio reads “The miserable haue no other medicine / But onely hope” as Claudio awaits possible execution. The line remains fictional speech under threat of death, not medical treatment guidance or a guarantee that hope resolves suffering.
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”
Doubt becomes harmful when it stops useful action before reality has had a chance to test what might be possible.
Measure for Measure, Lucio to Isabella. The retained modern locator is Act I, Scene 4; the represented 1623 First Folio witness, reviewed through the 1910 Methuen facsimile transcription on Wikisource, labels the same scene Act I, Scene V (Scena Quinta). Lucio urges Isabella to test her ability to plead for Claudio rather than let doubt prevent the attempt. This is fictional dramatic speech, not Shakespeare speaking autobiographically or a universal psychological law.
“The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.”
Preserving some inward freedom after a loss denies the wrongdoer complete control over what the loss becomes.
Othello, Act I, Scene III, reviewed against the scan-backed 1910 First Folio facsimile on Wikisource. The Duke tells Brabantio that continuing to spend grief on an irreversible loss only compounds it; the retained modernized wording corresponds to the Folio's 'The rob'd that smiles, steales something from the Thiefe.' It is dramatic counsel inside the scene, not Shakespeare autobiography or clinical grief guidance.
“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on.”
Grief over what cannot be changed can become a second injury when it prevents attention to what can still be done.
Othello, Act I, Scene III, reviewed against the scan-backed 1910 First Folio facsimile on Wikisource. The Duke's 'To mourne a Mischeefe that is past and gon' sentence is part of the same attempt to redirect Brabantio after Desdemona's marriage; this collection preserves modernized spelling and punctuation rather than Folio orthography.
“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”
Time ignored earlier becomes painfully visible later, when opportunities narrow and delay can no longer be recovered.
Richard II, Act V, Scene V in the represented 1921 Yale edition. Richard's 'I wasted time, and now doth time waste me' occurs in the prison soliloquy as he compares broken musical time with his ruined political life. The First Folio facsimile numbers the corresponding prison scene differently, so the Yale route is used to preserve this collection's modern scene numbering.
“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”
Speed without judgment can undermine the very goal a person is pursuing, so patience becomes part of effective action.
Act 2, Scene 3; Friar Laurence urges Romeo to move with greater care.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.”
The line questions whether labels and inherited identities should determine the value or reality of the person beneath them.
Act 2, Scene 2; Juliet separates Romeo from the social meaning of his family name.
“All that glisters is not gold.”
Appearance can imitate value without possessing it, so the line encourages evidence and discernment before admiration or trust.
Act 2, Scene 7; the inscription warns against judging by outward appearance.
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
Even respected language can be quoted selectively, so a citation should be judged by context and purpose rather than authority alone.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 3.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
The dramatic line relocates evil from an imagined elsewhere into immediate human experience and frightening events in the present.
Act 1, Scene 2; Ferdinand describes the terror surrounding the shipwreck.
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
The line emphasizes impermanence and the dreamlike brevity of human life.
Act 4, Scene 1.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
Shared human tendencies can connect people across status and difference, even when the behavior being shared is imperfect.
Troilus and Cressida, Act III, Scene 3, Project Gutenberg #1528; Ulysses speaks to Achilles. ‘One touch of nature makes the whole world kin’ is immediately defined by the following lines: people ‘with one consent praise new-born gauds’ and the present eye praises the present object. The retained line therefore belongs to Ulysses’s argument about novelty, reputation and forgotten past merit, not an uncomplicated statement of sentimental universal fellowship or Shakespearean autobiography.
“Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing.”
Anticipation and active pursuit can carry more energy than possession itself, making the process part of the reward.
Troilus and Cressida, Act I, Scene 2, Project Gutenberg #1528; Cressida speaks privately after Pandarus leaves. ‘Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing’ occurs in her reflection that people prize what is still ungained and that love can seem sweetest while desire is still suing; she then resolves to conceal her own love. It remains fictional dramatic psychology inside the play’s courtship plot, not a universal motivational or happiness law.
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”
The sentence distinguishes inherited status, earned achievement, and unexpected responsibility, making greatness look less like one single path.
Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene 5; 1922 Yale Shakespeare edition edited by George Henry Nettleton, printed page 43 / Wikisource scan leaf 55. Malvolio reads “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” from Maria’s forged letter written in Olivia’s supposed voice as part of the prank. The maxim remains an embedded deceptive written voice rather than Malvolio’s original saying or Shakespeare’s direct advice about success.
“The Child is father of the Man.”
Adult character grows from earlier habits of perception, so childhood is presented as a formative source rather than a discarded stage.
Poem “My Heart Leaps Up.”
“Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.”
Direct attention to the natural world is offered as a form of learning that complements books and abstract study.
Poem “The Tables Turned.”
