Best Lines by Shakespeare: Quotes on Life, Love and More

Shakespeare wrote some of the most quoted lines in the English language. Here you'll find a curated collection of his best, organised by theme so you can find exactly the right words, whether you need a wedding toast, a yearbook caption or a moment of quiet inspiration.

Famous Quotes

"To be, or not to be, that is the question."

Hamlet: Hamlet weighing whether it is better to endure life's suffering or to end it. The most famous question in English literature.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

As You Like It: Life is a performance, with each person playing different roles as they move through the stages of life.

"This above all: to thine own self be true."

Hamlet: Polonius's advice to his son Laertes: be honest with yourself, and you won't be able to deceive others.

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

A Midsummer Night's Dream: A celebration of strength, determination and spirit.

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

A Midsummer Night's Dream: An acknowledgment of the challenges inherent in love.

"Et tu, Brute?"

Julius Caesar: An expression of ultimate betrayal from a trusted friend.

More famous lines:

• "The better part of valour is discretion." (Henry IV, Part 1)
• "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" (Richard III)
• "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." (Twelfth Night)
• "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" (The Merchant of Venice)
• "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." (Julius Caesar)

Love Quotes

• "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
• "The course of true love never did run smooth." (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
• "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." (Sonnet 18)
• "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee." (Sonnet 18)
• "Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs." (Romeo and Juliet)
• "Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?" (As You Like It)

Life, Death and the Human Condition

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

The Tempest: Life is as brief and insubstantial as a dream. Prospero says this when he realises his magical show has ended.

"What's past is prologue."

The Tempest: Everything that has already happened is just the introduction to what comes next.

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven."

The Merchant of Venice: Portia's argument that mercy (choosing kindness over strict punishment) is a gift that benefits both the person who gives it and the person who receives it.

More lines on life:

• "All that glitters is not gold." (The Merchant of Venice)
• "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." (Julius Caesar)
• "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage." (Macbeth)
• "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." (Julius Caesar)

Inspiration and Motivation

• "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." (Measure for Measure)
• "Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open." (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
• "How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world." (The Merchant of Venice)
• "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." (Hamlet)
• "All's well that ends well." (All's Well That Ends Well)

Wedding Quotes

Shakespeare's wedding-ready lines are perfect for toasts, vows and invitations:

• "I do love nothing in the world so well as you." (Much Ado About Nothing)
• "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep." (Romeo and Juliet)
• "Hear my soul speak: the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service." (The Tempest)
• "I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest." (Much Ado About Nothing)

Banter with Friends

Perfect for playful teasing and light-hearted banter:

• "More of your conversation would infect my brain." (Coriolanus)
• "Thou art as fat as butter." (Henry IV, Part 1)

Daily Wisdom

• "Brevity is the soul of wit." (Hamlet)
• "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice." (Hamlet)
• "The empty vessel makes the greatest sound." (Henry V)
• "Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." (The Merry Wives of Windsor)

Quotes About Time

• "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." (Twelfth Night)
• "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day." (Macbeth)
• "What's past is prologue." (The Tempest)

Quotes About Friendship

• "Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find." (The Passionate Pilgrim)

Sources and Further Reading

• Folger Shakespeare Library: Full texts
• Royal Shakespeare Company: Famous quotes