William Shakespeare Quotes About Virtue

• So may the outward shows be least themselves: The world is still deceived with ornament. In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, But, being seasoned with a gracious voice, Obscures the show of evil? In religion, What damned error, but some sober brow Will bless it and approve it with a text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament? There is no vice so simple but assumes Some mark of virtue on his outward parts.

  William Shakespeare

  Simple, Errors, Law

  'The Merchant of Venice' (1596-8) act 3, sc. 2, l. 73

• Assume a virtue if you have it not.

  William Shakespeare

  Memorable, Assuming, Assumption

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 3, sc. 4, l. 160

• Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water.

  William Shakespeare

  Writing, Men, Evil

  'Henry VIII' (1613) act 4, sc. 2, l. 45

• I love him for his sake;
  And yet I know him a notorious liar,
  Think him a great way fool, solely a coward;
  Yet these fix'd evils sit so fit in him
  That they take place when virtue's steely bones
  Looks bleak i' th' cold wind; withal, full oft we see
  Cold wisdom waiting on superfluous folly.

  William Shakespeare

  Liars, I Love Him, Thinking

  William Shakespeare, Thomas Bowdler (1850). “The Family Shakspeare, in One Volume: In which Nothing is Added to the Original Text, But Those Words and Expressions are Omitted which Cannot with Propriety be Read in a Family”, p.217

• Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful.

  William Shakespeare

  Risk, Bold Actions, Virtue

  'Measure for Measure' (1604) act 3, sc. 1, l. [214]

• Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.

  William Shakespeare

  Fall, Memorable, Sin

  1603 Escalus. Measure for Measure, act 2, sc.1, l.38.

• Ambition, the soldier's virtue.

  William Shakespeare

  Military, Ambition, Soldier

  William Shakespeare, David Bevington (1990). “Antony and Cleopatra”, p.153, Cambridge University Press

• Your "if" is the only peacemaker; much virtue in "if.

  William Shakespeare

  Virtue, You Like It, Negotiation

  'As You Like It' (1599) act 5, sc. 4, l. [108]

• As there comes light from heaven and words from breath, As there is sense in truth and truth in virtue

  William Shakespeare

  Truth, Light, Heaven

  William Shakespeare (2013). “Making Sense of Measure for Measure! a Students Guide to Shakespeare's Play (Includes Study Guide, Biography, and Modern Retelli”, p.221, BookCaps Study Guides

• Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate, Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful loving.

  William Shakespeare

  Hate, Love Is, Sin

  William Shakespeare (1804). “Poems by William Shakespeare”, p.226

• Thyself and thy belongings
  Are not thine own so proper, as to waste
  Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.
  Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
  Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues
  Did not go forth of us 't were all alike
  As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd
  But to fine issues; nor Nature never lends
  The smallest scruple of her excellence,
  But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines
  Herself the glory of a creditor -
  Both thanks and use.

  William Shakespeare

  Light, Issues, Heaven

  William Shakespeare (1842). “The Comedies, Histories, Tragedies, and Poems of William Shakspere: Merry wives of Windsor. Twelfth night. As you like it. Measure for measure”, p.383

• 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.

  William Shakespeare

  Happiness, Wise, Eye

  'Richard II' (1595) act 1, sc. 3, l. 275

• Virtue is chok'd with foul ambition

  William Shakespeare

  Ambition, Virtue, Foul

  William Shakespeare (1833). “The plays and poems of William Shakspeare”, p.474

• Press not a falling man too far; 'tis virtue:
  His faults lie open to the laws; let them,
  Not you, correct him.

  William Shakespeare

  Lying, Fall, Men

  William Shakespeare (1833). “The plays and poems of William Shakspeare”, p.564

• Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content!
  Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars
  That make ambition virtue.

  William Shakespeare

  War, Farewell, Ambition

  'Othello' (1602-4) act 3, sc. 3, l. 346

• He lives in fame that died in virtue's cause.

  William Shakespeare

  Causes, Reputation, Fame

  William Shakespeare, Thomas Dolby (1832). “The Shakespearian Dictionary, Forming a General Index to All the Popular Expressions, and Most Striking Passages in the Works of Shakespeare, from a Few Words to Fifty Or More Lines ... By T. Dolby”, p.104

• There is no vice so simple but assumes some mark of virtue on his outward parts.

  William Shakespeare

  Simple, Venice, Shylock

  'The Merchant of Venice' (1596-8) act 3, sc. 2, l. 73

• The hand that hath made you fair hath made you good.
  Pity is the virtue of the law, and none but tyrants use it cruelly.

  William Shakespeare

  Memorable, Hands, Law

• No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow, But no man's virtue nor sufficiency To be so moral when he shall endure The like himself. Therefore give me no counsel: My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

  William Shakespeare

  Grief, Men, Office

  William Shakespeare (1833). “The plays and poems of William Shakspeare”, p.120

• Assume a virtue, if you have it not. That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat; Of habits devil, is angel yet in this.

  William Shakespeare

  Angel, Devil, Monsters

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 3, sc. 4, l. 160

• The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: our virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair if they were not cherished by our own virtues.

  William Shakespeare

  Life, Yarn, Despair

  'All's Well that Ends Well' (1603-4) act 4, sc. 3, l. [83]

• Her virtues, graced with external gifts, Do breed love's settled passions in my heart; And like as rigour of tempestuous gusts Provokes the mightiest hulk against the tide, So am I driven by breath of her renown Either to suffer shipwreck or arrive Where I may have fruition of her love.

  William Shakespeare

  Passion, Heart, Suffering

  William Shakespeare (1823). “The plays of William Shakspeare, pr. from the text of the corrected copies left by G. Steevens and E. Malone, with a selection of notes from the most eminent commentors by A. Chalmers”, p.343

• 'Tis not to make me jealous
  To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company,
  Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well;
  Where virtue is, these are more virtuous.

  William Shakespeare

  Jealous, Play, Wife

  William Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson (1766). “THE PLAYS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.: CONTAINING, ROMEO and JULIET. HAMLET, PRINCE of DENMARK. OTHELLO, the MOOR of VENICE. VOLUME the TENTH”, p.361

• Withal I did infer your lineaments,
  Being the right idea of your father,
  Both in your form and nobleness of mind;
  Laid open all your victories in Scotland,
  Your discipline in war, wisdom in peace,
  Your bounty, virtue, fair humility;
  Indeed, left nothing fitting for your purpose
  Untouch'd or slightly handled in discourse.

  William Shakespeare

  Father, War, Humility

  William Shakespeare, Janis Lull (2009). “King Richard III”, p.152, Cambridge University Press

• If you did wed my sister for her wealth,
  Then for her wealth's sake use her with more kindness;
  Or, if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth;
  Muffle your false love with some show of blindness;
  Let not my sister read it in your eye;
  Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator;
  Look sweet, speak fair, become disloyalty;
  Apparel vice like virtue's harbinger;
  Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted;
  Teach sin the carriage of a holy saint;
  Be secret-false.

  William Shakespeare

  Sweet, Kindness, Eye

  William Shakespeare (1857). “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Dramatic and Poetic”, p.287

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