Inspiring Shakespeare quotes

Fans of Shakespeare will love these inspirational quotes which teach lessons on stealing, honesty and wisdom.

William Shakespeare Says Steal Something Back

“The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. – William Shakespeare Those that rob you of things, be they material items, love or kindness, expect chaos to consume you; they expect you to be upset and they don’t often care. Though if you are robbed of anything, smile and go about your life as normally as you can. This way you are not letting the thief steal your happiness as well.

William Shakespeare on Honesty

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” – William Shakespeare

The best legacy to leave your children and your family is one of living an honest life. This means being truthful with your feelings and being truthful with your facts. Living transparently and honestly is one of the most rewarding things you can teach others by example.

William Shakespeare on Wisdom and Fools

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William Shakespeare

Foolish people think they know everything, but those who know a lot know that they could always learn more. This quote may help put into perspective that humility is a good trait to have no matter how successful or smart you might be.

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Lessons We Learned From Re-reading Hamlet

Although it was required reading back in our school days, odds are most of us haven’t picked up a copy of Hamlet or headed out to see it performed in quite some time. We thought that was a situation we should remedy, and here’s what we learned from re-reading Hamlet:

We’re all taking “To thine own self be true” the wrong way. Although it’s a phrase often used in a positive light, Shakespeare intended it to be anything but. In fact, the bard placed those words in the mouth of Polonius, a self-serving windbag, and the phrase was intended to be ironic.

Hamlet had some serious commitment issues. Poor Ophelia. Hamlet’s young, naive, and ever faithful one-time flame didn’t deserve the horrendous treatment she received, and had Hamlet been able to make up his mind about his feelings for her she could have been spared from a whole world of hurt.

Sometimes you can’t count on your friends. You may think they’re always there for you, but once in a while your friends may have some ulterior motives in mind, and those motives may not work out so well for you. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to mind…

Women deserve a heck of a lot more respect. Poor Ophelia, again. Polonius more or less treated his daughter like property to be sold off in the marriage market. Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon theme in many of Shakespeare’s plays.

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