readings, tips and American culture
"To thine own self be true."
My mind is still on Shakespeare and another piece of wisdom he offers in his play, Hamlet. To thine own self be true is an Old English way of saying trust yourself and be true to yourself.
It’s the best advice, no matter how you say it.
"This above all: to thine own self be true,
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is considered the world’s most famous English poet and playwright (a person who writes plays). Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth are among his well-known plays.
I have a hard time understanding Shakespeare. He used complex sentence structures and words that are obsolete (no longer used ; out of date) so his works aren’t easy to read for most people. He, however, contributed more phrases and sayings (expressions that contains advice or wisdom) to the English language than any other individual, and most of them are still in daily use. Once understood, his famous lines are like little lessons of life.
One of my favorite Shakespearean sayings is, “All that glitters is not gold.” which means, a showy article may not necessarily be valuable; not everything that looks precious is of great value.
It’s a line from The Merchant of Venice (1596) and I think it’s a great piece of wisdom for many situations in life.