It’s that time of year again; Shakespeare’s birthday on little cat’s feet attends. I have chosen a number of quotes from Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, choosing the exceptionally lovely, including some most often quoted, incorporating a few of my favorites. Can you name the play from which the following quotes are taken? Give yourself extra points for naming the speaker. If you can place the quote in the correct act, scene, and line you are a) a Shakespearean actor of renown, b) an academic who teaches the works of the mighty bard, or c) you’re using the same sources that I have used. Dame Fortune be thy friend.
1. Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep.
2. For there was never yet a philosopher
That could endure a toothache patiently,
3. Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
4. For ‘tis the mind that makes the body rich.
5. Things without all remedy
Should be without regard: what’s done is done.
6. Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my
reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and
what remains is bestial.
7. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
8. When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste:
9. A friend i’ the court is better than a penny in purse.
10. O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness
through another man’s eyes!
11. The moon, like to a silver bow
New-bent in heaven.
12. Those wounds heal ill that men do give themselves.
13. The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
14. Experience is by industry achieved
And perfected by the swift course of time.
15. Slander,
Whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongue
Outvenoms all the worms of Nile, whose breath
Rides on the posting winds and doth belie
All corners of the world.
16. Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew and dog will have his day.
17. Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were but little
happy, if I could say how much.
18. Who steals my purse steals trash; ‘tis something, nothing;
‘Twas mine, ‘tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
19. And do as adversaries do in law,
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
20. They say, best men are moulded out of faults:
And, for the most, become much more the better,
For being a little bad.
21. Every good servant does not all commands.
22. He that dies pays all debts.
23. 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 own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
24. There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
25. We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers.
Zounds that was fun! Each time I read Shakespeare there is something new to admire. I hope you enjoyed the quotes. Answers follow.
1. King Henry VI Part II – III.i.53 (Earl of Suffolk)
2. Much Ado About Nothing – V.i.35-36 (Leonato)
3. Julius Caesar – II.ii.32-33 (Caesar)
4. The Taming of the Shrew – IV.iii.174 (Petruchio)
5. Macbeth – III.ii.11-12 (Lady Macbeth)
6. Othello – II.iii.262-264 (Cassio)
7. The Tempest – IV.i.156-158 (Prospero)
8. Sonnet XXX – first four lines
9. King Henry IV Part II – V.i.33 (Shallow)
10. As You Like It – V.ii.47-48 (Orlando)
11. A Midsummer Night’s Dream – I.i.9-10 (Hippolyta) A marvelous simile!
12. Troilus and Cressida – III.iii.229 (Patroclus)
13. The Merchant of Venice – I.iii.99-103 (Antonio)
14. The Two Gentlemen of Verona – I.iii.22-23 (Antonio)
15. Cymbeline – III.iv.35-39 (Pisanio)
16. Hamlet – V.i.314-315 (Hamlet)
17. Much Ado About Nothing – II.i.316-317 (Claudio)
18. Othello – III.iii.157-161 (Iago)
19. The Taming of the Shrew – I.ii.278-279 (Hortensio)
20. Measure for Measure – V.i.444-446 (Mariana)
21. Cymbeline – IV.i.6 (Posthumus)
22. The Tempest – III.ii.140 (Stephano)
23. Hamlet – I.iii.75-80 (Polonius)
24. Julius Caesar – IV.iii.218-221 (Brutus)
25. Antony and Cleopatra – II.i.5-8 (Menecrates)
Happy Birthday, Will.
Showing posts with label Quotations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quotations. Show all posts
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Flotsam and Jetsam of a Messy Mind
I’ve been doing some serious Spring Cleaning lately; no matter we are fast approaching the autumnal equinox. In the process I’ve dusted the cobwebs off some of my hoarded treasures of miscellany. These represent bits and pieces of memory washed up onto the shoreline of my consciousness. “Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food.” (Austin O’Malley) Let me throw a few tidbits your way.
In The Arts of the Beautiful Etienne Gilson writes of talent, genius, and the creation of beauty. Of talent he observed that either one possess it or not, but it is not rare. Talent “composes a work by mastering techniques and skillfully adjusting and organizing parts.” On the other hand, genius is extremely rare and unteachable. The genius “generates the work in its entirety from the seminal form which is its germ.” Genius will use the acquired techniques as it pleases. However, the main point in regards to both is “to respect the primacy of making over knowing.” (emphases mine)
Gilson speaks also of writing (an act of making). “One writes not in order to produce writing, but in order to think, for the mind knows what it thinks with absolute certainty only after it has expressed it.” How does this compare with Francis Bacon in “Of Studies?” “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; writing an exact man.” And into the mix, add Stendhal, “Speech was given to man so that he might hide his thoughts.”
Having mentioned writing, we should also touch on knowledge. There is a Persian adage from an unknown sage:
“He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool—shun him;
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is a child—teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep—awaken him;
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise—follow him.”
Bits and pieces have been promised; let us shift our attention to advice about advice. John Steinbeck said, “No one wants advice, only corroboration.” The Marquis de Lagrange observed, “When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” When addressing the graduates of an East Coast university, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake invoked advice given to him. “I will try to follow the advice that a university president once gave a prospective commencement speaker. ‘Think of yourself as the body at an Irish wake,’ he said. ‘They need you in order to have the party, but nobody expects you to say very much.’” (Chicago Tribune 12/31/1995) Now that’s an accomplice if I ever met one!
And finally, a word of advice from William Edward Norris:
“If your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care.
To whom you speak, of whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where.”
It gives me pleasure to take these bits and pieces from my treasure box and to reflect on their relevance in the 21st century. The times they are certainly changing!
Genius abounds. Today we are surrounded by “Infant Einsteins” learning to read before they can speak. No longer rare, indeed, genius will become commonplace when genetic engineering enables parents to select high IQs for not yet born offspring. The older set can also partake in genius that is so loosely awarded to mediocre performance in aid of raising self-esteem. Make no one feel bad, award the laurels of creative excellence all-round. Standards be damned.
Making has fallen by the wayside. We don’t seem to make anything anymore so primacy is claimed by knowing. Orphaned making, with understanding and wisdom, a-begging go. More and more factoids—out of context—represent “knowledge.” It is questionable how much thinking is involved. Speech reveals all thoughts, however trite. Our exactitude rests on a foundation of texts, talk, hypertext links, and tweets. Truth becomes relative while, conversely, the relativity of social networking pushes a reality that conforms only to “what’s hot”. He who knows not, but cares not, is connected—“friend him.”
Timely advice validates both seeker and sage. Each accomplice IMs opinion for our delectation, flourishing emoticons all the while LOL. No matter the subject, there are experts sans portfolio who are eager “to share” how it should be done. Our wise advisors care not to whom or of whom, but only by whom.
These are my colored rags. I will confess that I, too, am guilty of 21st century frippery. I hoard my treasures long stored out of context, fully read once upon a time. Yet I urge you to reflect on what crumbs this messy mind has salvaged from her sea of memory.
In The Arts of the Beautiful Etienne Gilson writes of talent, genius, and the creation of beauty. Of talent he observed that either one possess it or not, but it is not rare. Talent “composes a work by mastering techniques and skillfully adjusting and organizing parts.” On the other hand, genius is extremely rare and unteachable. The genius “generates the work in its entirety from the seminal form which is its germ.” Genius will use the acquired techniques as it pleases. However, the main point in regards to both is “to respect the primacy of making over knowing.” (emphases mine)
Gilson speaks also of writing (an act of making). “One writes not in order to produce writing, but in order to think, for the mind knows what it thinks with absolute certainty only after it has expressed it.” How does this compare with Francis Bacon in “Of Studies?” “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; writing an exact man.” And into the mix, add Stendhal, “Speech was given to man so that he might hide his thoughts.”
Having mentioned writing, we should also touch on knowledge. There is a Persian adage from an unknown sage:
“He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool—shun him;
He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is a child—teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep—awaken him;
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise—follow him.”
Bits and pieces have been promised; let us shift our attention to advice about advice. John Steinbeck said, “No one wants advice, only corroboration.” The Marquis de Lagrange observed, “When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” When addressing the graduates of an East Coast university, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake invoked advice given to him. “I will try to follow the advice that a university president once gave a prospective commencement speaker. ‘Think of yourself as the body at an Irish wake,’ he said. ‘They need you in order to have the party, but nobody expects you to say very much.’” (Chicago Tribune 12/31/1995) Now that’s an accomplice if I ever met one!
And finally, a word of advice from William Edward Norris:
“If your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care.
To whom you speak, of whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where.”
It gives me pleasure to take these bits and pieces from my treasure box and to reflect on their relevance in the 21st century. The times they are certainly changing!
Genius abounds. Today we are surrounded by “Infant Einsteins” learning to read before they can speak. No longer rare, indeed, genius will become commonplace when genetic engineering enables parents to select high IQs for not yet born offspring. The older set can also partake in genius that is so loosely awarded to mediocre performance in aid of raising self-esteem. Make no one feel bad, award the laurels of creative excellence all-round. Standards be damned.
Making has fallen by the wayside. We don’t seem to make anything anymore so primacy is claimed by knowing. Orphaned making, with understanding and wisdom, a-begging go. More and more factoids—out of context—represent “knowledge.” It is questionable how much thinking is involved. Speech reveals all thoughts, however trite. Our exactitude rests on a foundation of texts, talk, hypertext links, and tweets. Truth becomes relative while, conversely, the relativity of social networking pushes a reality that conforms only to “what’s hot”. He who knows not, but cares not, is connected—“friend him.”
Timely advice validates both seeker and sage. Each accomplice IMs opinion for our delectation, flourishing emoticons all the while LOL. No matter the subject, there are experts sans portfolio who are eager “to share” how it should be done. Our wise advisors care not to whom or of whom, but only by whom.
These are my colored rags. I will confess that I, too, am guilty of 21st century frippery. I hoard my treasures long stored out of context, fully read once upon a time. Yet I urge you to reflect on what crumbs this messy mind has salvaged from her sea of memory.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Who Said That?
Time for another quiz; the following quotes represent some of my favorites. The meanings inherent in these statements provide me with a source of ideas, questions, self-reflection and balance. Hopefully you too will find one or two special enough to ponder and make your own. Match the quotation with the person who wrote or spoke it.
1. “Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.”
2. “There are some things that are so serious that you can only joke about them.”
3. “Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.”
4. “Education allows us to acquire contexts and perspectives so that we know what we need to look for and how we might go about looking.”
5. “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small parcel.”
6. “Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.”
7. “There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”
8. “The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.”
9. “Good lives are made so by discipline.”
10. “Everything great comes from neurotics.”
11. “Self interest is the greatest monarch on earth.”
12. “One has to be grown up enough to realize that life is not fair. You just have to do the best you can in the situation you are in.”
13. “Life is short and virtue rare. It is better to love than to hate, to live fully if imperfectly.”
14. “The love of knowledge is a kind of madness.”
15. “Speech was given to man so that he might hide his thoughts.”
A) Marcel Proust B) Stephen Hawkings C) Albert Einstein D) George Santayana E) Stendhal F) Francis Bacon G) H. L. Mencken H) Montesquieu I) John Ruskin J) C. S. Lewis K) Carl Van Doren L) Sophocles M) Sven Birketts N) Niels Bohr O) Benjamin Franklin
Answers: 1-F, 2-N, 3-C, 4-M, 5-I, 6-O, 7-D, 8-G, 9-L, 10-A, 11-H, 12-B, 13-K, 14-J, 15-E.
1. “Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.”
2. “There are some things that are so serious that you can only joke about them.”
3. “Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.”
4. “Education allows us to acquire contexts and perspectives so that we know what we need to look for and how we might go about looking.”
5. “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small parcel.”
6. “Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.”
7. “There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”
8. “The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.”
9. “Good lives are made so by discipline.”
10. “Everything great comes from neurotics.”
11. “Self interest is the greatest monarch on earth.”
12. “One has to be grown up enough to realize that life is not fair. You just have to do the best you can in the situation you are in.”
13. “Life is short and virtue rare. It is better to love than to hate, to live fully if imperfectly.”
14. “The love of knowledge is a kind of madness.”
15. “Speech was given to man so that he might hide his thoughts.”
A) Marcel Proust B) Stephen Hawkings C) Albert Einstein D) George Santayana E) Stendhal F) Francis Bacon G) H. L. Mencken H) Montesquieu I) John Ruskin J) C. S. Lewis K) Carl Van Doren L) Sophocles M) Sven Birketts N) Niels Bohr O) Benjamin Franklin
Answers: 1-F, 2-N, 3-C, 4-M, 5-I, 6-O, 7-D, 8-G, 9-L, 10-A, 11-H, 12-B, 13-K, 14-J, 15-E.
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