Shakespeare

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. To thine own self be true.

   Polonius gives this advice to his son leaving for Paris. Be honest with yourself first, he says, and you cannot be false to anyone else. Know what you value and live by it.

   Hamlet 1.3, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

2. Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

   Hamlet tells his old friends that Denmark is a prison to him, though not to them. Much of our experience is shaped by judgment. Change the view and you change the weight.

   Hamlet 2.2, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

3. Cowards die many times. The brave die only once.

   Caesar says this when his wife begs him to stay home. Fear makes you live through every disaster in your head. The brave suffer only what actually comes.

   Julius Caesar 2.2, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

4. The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

   Cassius tells Brutus they are not doomed by fate to bow to Caesar. Men at some time are masters of their fates, he says. Stop blaming luck for what choices could change.

   Julius Caesar 1.2, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

5. There is a tide. Take it at the flood.

   Brutus argues that the moment to act is now. Miss the tide, he says, and the whole voyage of life is stuck in shallows. Recognize your moment and move.

   Julius Caesar 4.3, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

6. Our doubts are traitors.

   Lucio urges Isabella to go plead with Angelo. Doubt makes us lose what we could have won, just by stopping us from trying. Try anyway.

   Measure for Measure 1.4, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

7. Once more unto the breach.

   King Henry rallies his tired soldiers to charge the broken wall again. The second, third and tenth attempt are where battles are won. Go again.

   Henry V 3.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

8. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

   Outnumbered before Agincourt, Henry turns a weakness into a bond. Small groups who share a hard thing become family. Value the people who stood with you.

   Henry V 4.3, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

9. Be not afraid of greatness.

   The line comes from a forged letter used to trick the steward Malvolio, but it outlived the joke. Greatness arrives in different ways. If it comes for you, do not flinch.

   Twelfth Night 2.5, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

10. Sweet are the uses of adversity.

    The banished Duke finds his exile in the forest teaches him more than the court did. Cold wind does not flatter. Look for the jewel in the ugly thing.

    As You Like It 2.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

11. We are such stuff as dreams are made on.

    Prospero ends a magic show by saying the whole world will dissolve like it. Life is brief and strange. Hold it lightly and treasure it.

    The Tempest 4.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

12. What's past is prologue.

    Antonio uses it to tempt Sebastian into a crime, but the phrase has a life of its own. Everything up to now is only the opening act. The main story is still yours to write.

    The Tempest 2.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

13. Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

    The Countess gives her son a short code as he leaves home. It covers warmth, caution and justice in seven words. It still works.

    All's Well That Ends Well 1.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

14. Screw your courage to the sticking-place.

    Lady Macbeth says it to push her husband toward murder, so the context is dark. The image is of tightening a bowstring until it holds. Once you have decided, lock it in.

    Macbeth 1.7, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

15. The readiness is all.

    Hamlet senses danger before the duel and decides not to dodge it. What comes will come; being ready is what matters. Prepare, then let go.

    Hamlet 5.2, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

16. Though she be but little, she is fierce.

    Helena says it as a complaint about her small, furious friend Hermia. It became a compliment. Size has nothing to do with spirit.

    A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

17. Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.

    Friar Lawrence warns the rushing Romeo. Romeo does not listen, and the play shows the cost. Haste trips people up.

    Romeo and Juliet 2.3, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

18. There are more things in heaven and earth than your philosophy dreams of.

    Hamlet says this after seeing his father's ghost. The world is bigger than any theory about it. Stay curious and humble.

    Hamlet 1.5, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

19. Don't heat the furnace so hot it burns you.

    Norfolk warns the angry Buckingham against rushing at Wolsey. Revenge and rage often hurt the one who feeds them. Cool down before you strike.

    Henry VIII 1.1, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)

20. Give sorrow words.

    Malcolm says it to Macduff, who has just learned his family was murdered. Grief kept silent breaks the heart. Talk about what hurts.

    Macbeth 4.3, Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)