Are you searching for the perfect Shakespeare quote to add a touch of wisdom or charm to your day? Look no further!
This article is your one-stop guide to the most famous and meaningful quotes from William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of all time. Whether you need a line for a speech, a card, or just to feel inspired, we’ve got you covered.
As soon as you dive into this article, your search is over—here are the best Shakespeare quotes, organized simply and clearly, so even an 8-year-old can understand and share them with family!
Love Quotes to Warm Your Heart
Shakespeare wrote some of the most beautiful words about love. These quotes capture the joy, passion, and sometimes the pain of loving someone. They’re perfect for sharing with someone special or just enjoying on your own.
- Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite. (Romeo and Juliet)
- Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love. (Hamlet)
- Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds. (Sonnet 116)
- If music be the food of love, play on. (Twelfth Night)
- The course of true love never did run smooth. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Speak low, if you speak love. (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Love sought is good, but given unsought is better. (Twelfth Night)
- Who ever loved that loved not at first sight? (As You Like It)
- Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. (Romeo and Juliet)
- I love you more than words can wield the matter. (King Lear)
- Hear my soul speak: The very instant that I saw you, did My heart fly to your service. (The Tempest)
- Love comforteth like sunshine after rain. (Venus and Adonis)
- One half of me is yours, the other half yours—Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, And so all yours. (The Merchant of Venice)
- They do not love that do not show their love. (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
Life Lessons to Guide You
Shakespeare’s words about life are like little nuggets of wisdom. They teach us how to live bravely, think deeply, and stay true to ourselves. These quotes are easy to understand and great for anyone looking for guidance.
- All the world’s a stage, And all the merely players. (As You Like It)
- To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. (Hamlet)
- We know what we are, but know not what we may be. (Hamlet)
- Brevity is the soul of wit. (Hamlet)
- The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together. (All’s Well That Ends Well)
- Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. (Hamlet)
- There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. (Hamlet)
- Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt. (Measure for Measure)
- Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. (Macbeth)
- The life so short, the craft so long to learn. (Hippolyta)
- What’s done cannot be undone. (Macbeth)
- This above all: to thine own self be true. (Hamlet)
- The better part of valour is discretion. (Henry IV, Part 1)
- We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. (The Tempest)
- In time we hate that which we often fear. (Antony and Cleopatra)
Friendship Quotes to Cherish
Shakespeare knew the value of good friends. These quotes celebrate the trust, loyalty, and fun that come with true friendship. Share them with your best buddy or keep them close to your heart.
- A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow. (Henry VIII)
- Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find. (The Passionate Pilgrim)
- I count myself in nothing else so happy As in a soul remembering my good friends. (Richard II)
- Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. (All’s Well That Ends Well)
- A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities. (Julius Caesar)
- The band that seems to tie their friendship together will be the very strangler of their amity. (Antony and Cleopatra)
- I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends. (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
- True friends are like diamonds—bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style. (The Winter’s Tale)
- Friendship is constant in all other things Save in the office and affairs of love. (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Keep thy friend Under thy own life’s key. (All’s Well That Ends Well)
- Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly. (As You Like It)
- I am not of that feather to shake off My friend when he must need me. (Timon of Athens)
- A friend i’ the court is better than a penny in purse. (Henry IV, Part 2)
- Thy friendship makes us fresh. (Henry VI, Part 1)
- What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Courage and Strength Quotes to Empower You
Shakespeare’s characters often faced big challenges, and their words can inspire us to be brave and strong. These quotes are perfect for when you need a boost to face your fears.
- Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. (Julius Caesar)
- But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail. (Macbeth)
- A lion among men is no more than a mouse among lions. (Henry V)
- Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me. (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven. (All’s Well That Ends Well)
- Fight till the last gasp. (Henry VI, Part 1)
- Fortune and I are friends: I do enjoy At ample point all that I did possess. (Troilus and Cressida)
- I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. (Macbeth)
- The attempt and not the deed Confounds us. (Macbeth)
- Boldness be my friend! (Cymbeline)
- Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing. (Troilus and Cressida)
- Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. (Henry IV, Part 1)
- The prince of darkness is a gentleman. (King Lear)
- Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods. (Julius Caesar)
- Men at some time are masters of their fates. (Julius Caesar)
Funny Quotes to Make You Smile
Shakespeare wasn’t just serious—he could be hilarious too! These quotes are full of wit and humor, perfect for a good laugh or to share with friends who love a joke.
- Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage. (Twelfth Night)
- Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. (Twelfth Night)
- I do desire we may be better strangers. (As You Like It)
- Lord, what fools these mortals be! (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- He that is proud eats up himself. (Troilus and Cressida)
- I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men. (Henry IV, Part 2)
- The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. (As You Like It)
- When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married. (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Though she be but little, she is fierce! (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. (Twelfth Night)
- Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. (The Tempest)
- My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break. (The Taming of the Shrew)
- If I be waspish, best beware my sting. (The Taming of the Shrew)
- I’ll not budge an inch. (The Taming of the Shrew)
- There’s many a man hath more hair than wit. (The Comedy of Errors)
Inspirational Quotes for Dreamers
Shakespeare’s words can light a spark in anyone with big dreams. These quotes encourage you to chase your goals, stay hopeful, and believe in yourself.
- We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. (The Tempest)
- The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings. (Julius Caesar)
- What need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure. (Macbeth)
- The miserable have no other medicine But only hope. (Measure for Measure)
- The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. (Julius Caesar)
- What’s past is prologue. (The Tempest)
- To climb steep hills Requires slow pace at first. (Henry VIII)
- Our wills and fates do so contrary run That our devices still are overthrown. (Hamlet)
- The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. (Hamlet)
- Be not afraid of greatness. (Twelfth Night)
- The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. (Paradise Lost, inspired by Shakespeare)
- Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have Immortal longings in me. (Antony and Cleopatra)
- Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t. (Hamlet)
- I bear a charmed life. (Macbeth)
- Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. (King Lear)
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s words are like treasures that never grow old. From love and friendship to courage and dreams, his quotes touch every part of life.
This article brings you of his best lines, organized into simple categories, so you can find the perfect quote for any moment. Whether you’re looking to laugh, love, or chase your dreams,
Shakespeare has something for you. Keep these quotes close—they’re sure to inspire you and everyone you share them with
