William Shakespeare Quotes About Conscience

• I feel within me a peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience.

  William Shakespeare

  Peace, Memorable, Dignity

  'Henry VIII' (1613) act 3, sc. 2, l. 380

• A wicked conscience mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy thoughts.

  William Shakespeare

  Wicked, Guilt, Goblin

  William Shakespeare, Thomas Price (1839). “The Wisdom and Genius of Shakespeare: Comprising Moral Philosophy, Delineations of Character, Paintings of Nature and the Passions, Seven Hundred Aphorisms, and Miscellaneous Pieces : with Select and Original Notes, and Scriptural References ...”, p.30

• Conscience doth make cowards of us all.

  William Shakespeare

  Truth, Honesty, Creativity

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 3, sc. 1, l. 56

• Love is too young to know what conscience is.

  William Shakespeare

  Love, Young, Knows

  William Shakespeare, Gwynne Blakemore Evans, Anthony Hecht (1996). “The Sonnets”, p.19, Cambridge University Press

• Don't judge a man's conscience by looking at his face cause he may have a bad heart.

  William Shakespeare

  Heart, Men, Judging

• Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe

  William Shakespeare

  Strong, Coward, Use

  'Richard III' (1591) act 5, sc. 3, l. 310

• Better be with the dead,
  Whom we to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
  Than on the torture of the mind to lie
  In restless ecstasy.

  William Shakespeare

  Lying, Anxiety, Mind

  'Macbeth' (1606) act 3, sc. 2, l. 11

• O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!

  William Shakespeare

  Coward, Conscience

  'Richard III' (1591) act 5, sc. 3, l. 178

• Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is slicked o'er with the pale cast of thought

  William Shakespeare

  Coward, Doe, Hue

• The Play's the Thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.

  William Shakespeare

  Kings, Play, Acting

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 2, sc. 2, l. [641]

• Every subject's duty is the King's; but every subject's soul is his own. Therefore, should every soldier in the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every mote out of his conscience; and dying so, death is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained; and in him that escapes, it were no sin to think that, making God so free an offer, He let him outlive the day to see His greatness and to teach others how they should prepare.

  William Shakespeare

  Kings, War, Greatness

  William Shakespeare (2012). “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare”, p.2393, Graphic Arts Books

• My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, And every tongue brings in a several tale, And every tale condemns me for a villain. Perjury, perjury, in the high'st degree; Murder, stern murder in the dir'st degree, Throng to the bar, crying all, 'Guilty!, guilty!

  William Shakespeare

  Degrees, Bars, Tongue

  'Richard III' (1591) act 5, sc. 3, l. 194

• Men must learn now with pity to dispense; For policy sits above conscience.

  William Shakespeare

  Men, Pity, Policy

  1605 First Stranger.Timon of Athens, act 3, sc.2, l.87-8.

• Conscience is a thousand swords.

  William Shakespeare

  Thousand, Conscience

  William Shakespeare, James Boswell, Edward Capell, Alexander Pope, George Steevens (1821). “The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare”, p.207

• Our enemies are our outward consciences.

  William Shakespeare

  Enemy, Conscience

• Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls;
  Conscience is but a work that cowards use,
  Devised at first to keep the strong in awe:
  Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law!

  William Shakespeare

  Dream, Strong, Law

  William Shakespeare (2007). “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare”, p.137, Wordsworth Editions

• To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil!
  Conscience, and grace, to the profoundest pit!
  I dare damnation: To this point I stand,--
  That both the worlds I give to negligence,
  Let come what comes; only I'll be reveng'd.

  William Shakespeare

  Revenge, Giving, Grace

  William Shakespeare, James Boswell, Alexander Pope, Richard Farmer, Samuel Johnson (1821). “The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare”, p.435

• Conscience is a blushing, shamefaced spirit than mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills one full of obstacles.

  William Shakespeare

  Men, Mutiny, Spirit

• 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.

  William Shakespeare

  Wise, Virtue, Trumpets

  William Shakespeare (2013). “Much Ado About Nothing Simplified!: Includes Study Guide, Biography, and Modern Retelling”, p.263, BookCaps Study Guides

• The color of the king doth come and go,
  Between his purpose and his conscience,
  Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set:
  His passion is so ripe, it needs must break.

  William Shakespeare

  Kings, Passion, Color

  William Shakespeare, Joseph Dennie, Isaac Reed, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens (1806). “Macbeth. King John”, p.380

• Besides, they are our outward consciences,
  And preachers to us all, admonishing
  That we should drew us fairly for our end.

  William Shakespeare

  Ends, Should, Preacher

  William Shakespeare (1867). “The Pictorial edition of the works of Shakspere, ed. by C. Knight. [8 vols., including a vol. entitled William Shakspere, by C. Knight]. [8 vols. The vol. containing the biogr. is of the 3rd ed.].”, p.359

• Policy sits above conscience.

  William Shakespeare

  Expediency, Policy, Conscience

  1605 First Stranger.Timon of Athens, act 3, sc.2, l.87-8.

• Yet, for I know thou art religious
  And hast a thing within thee called conscience,
  With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies
  Which I have seen thee careful to observe,
  Therefore I urge thy oath; for that I know
  An idiot holds his bauble for a god
  And keeps the oath which by that god he swears,
  To that I'll urge him: therefore thou shalt vow
  By that same god, what god soe'er it be,
  That thou adorest and hast in reverence,
  To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up,
  Or else I will discover naught to thee.

  William Shakespeare

  Religious, Art, Boys

  William Shakespeare (1824). “The Dramatic Works, Printed from the Text of Samuel Johnson, George Steevens and Isaac Reed”, p.697

• Tis a blushing shame-faced spirit that mutinies in a man's bosom. It fills a man full of obstacles. It made me once restore a purse of gold that (by chance) I found. It beggars any man that keeps it.

  William Shakespeare

  Men, Gold, Mutiny

  William Shakespeare (2013). “First Tetralogy In Plain and Simple English: Includes Henry VI Parts 1 - 3 & Richard III”, p.760, BookCaps Study Guides

• Thrice is he arm'd that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though lock'd up in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.

  William Shakespeare

  Justice, Naked, Steel

  William Shakespeare (1833). “The plays and poems of William Shakspeare”, p.478

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