William Shakespeare Wise Quotations

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise.

Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.

Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.

It is a wise father that knows his own child.

Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, A choking gall, and a preserving sweet. *Here’s what love is: a smoke made out of lovers' sighs. When the smoke clears, love is a fire burning in your lover’s eyes. If you frustrate love, you get an ocean made out of lovers' tears. What else is love? It’s a wise form of madness. It’s a sweet lozenge that you choke on.*

This fellow is wise enough to play the fool; And to do that well craves a kind of wit: He must observe their mood on whom he jests, The quality of persons, and the time, And, like the haggard, check at every feather That comes before his eye. This is a practise As full of labour as a wise man's art For folly that he wisely shows is fit; But wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit.

I do profess to be no less than I seem; to serve him truly that will put me in trust: to love him that is honest; to converse with him that is wise, and says little; to fear judgment; to fight when I cannot choose; and to eat no fish.

Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful

For to be wise and love exceeds man's might.

The why is plain as way to parish church: He that a fool doth very wisely hit Doth very foolishly, although he smart, Not to seem senseless of the bob; if not, The wise man's folly is anatomiz'd Even by the squand'ring glances of the fool.

She marking them begins a wailing note And sings extemporally a woeful ditty How love makes young men thrall and old men dote How love is wise in folly, foolish-witty Her heavy anthem still concludes in woe, And still the choir of echoes answer so.

Wise men never sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.

All places that the eye of heaven visits Are to a wise man ports and happy havens. Teach thy necessity to reason thus; There is no virtue like necessity.

Even so; an't please your worship, Brakenbury, You may partake of any thing we say: We speak no treason, man; we say the King Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous; We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot, A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue; And that the Queen's kindred are made gentlefolks.

Who is Silvia What is she, That all our swains commend her Holy, fair, and wise is she.

Holy, fair, and wise is she; The heaven such grace did lend her, That she might admired be.

If she be fair and wise, fairness and wit, The one's for use, the other useth it.

Of all knowledge the wise and good seek most to know themselves.

One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well; but till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace.

I do know of these That therefore only are reputed wise For saying nothing.

When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again.

Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man.

Who is Silvia? What is she, / That all our swains commend her? / Holy, fair, and wise is she.

To be wise and love exceeds man's might.

Wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes

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.

O Mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear; your true love's coming, That can sing both high and low: Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers meeting, Every wise man's son doth know. What is love? 'Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What's to come is still unsure: In delay there lies not plenty; Then, come kiss me, sweet and twenty, Youth's a stuff will not endure.

The small amount of foolery wise men have makes a great show.

Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

Thus we play the fool with the time and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us.

The wound of peace is surety, Surety secure; but modest doubt is called The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches To th' bottom of the worst.

When clouds are seen wise men put on their cloaks; When great leaves fall then winter is at hand.

The Foole doth thinke he is wise, but the wiseman knowes himselfe to be a Foole.

As you are old and reverend, you should be wise.

See first that the design is wise and just: that ascertained, pursue it resolutely; do not for one repulse forego the purpose that you resolved to effect.

There is not one wise man in twenty that will praise himself.

But till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that's certain; wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, and excellent musician and her hair shall be of what colour it shall please God.

All that glitters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life has sold But my outside to behold: Gilded tombs do worms enfold Had you been as wise as bold, Your in limbs, in judgment old, Your answer had not been in'scroll'd Fare you well: your suit is cold.' Cold, indeed, and labour lost: Then, farewell, heat and welcome, frost!

So wise so young, they say, do never live long.

The more pity, that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly.

Love is your master, for he masters you; And he that is so yoked by a fool Methinks should not be chronicled for wise.

Full of wise saws and modern instances.

Therefore it is most expedient for the wise, if Don Worm (his conscience) find no impediment to the contrary, to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself.

Wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes, but presently prevent the ways to wail.

Be wise as thou art cruel, do not press My tongue-tied patience with too much disdain: Lest sorrow lend me words and words express, The manner of my pity-wanting pain...

It is certain that either wise bearing or ignorant carriage is caught as men take diseases, one of another.

Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.

There's not one wise man among twenty will praise himself.

This fellow is wise enough to play the fool; And to do that well craves a kind of wit

This fellow's wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well craves a kind of wit.

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.