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I do believe you think what now you speak, but what we do…

“I do believe you think what now you speak, but what we do determine oft we break. Purpose is but the slave to memory, of violent birth, but poor validity, which now, like fruit unripe, sticks on the tree, but fall, unshaken, when they mellow be. Most unnecessary 'tis that we forget to pay…” quote by William Shakespeare
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““I do believe you think what now you speak, but what we do determine oft we break. Purpose is but the slave to memory, of violent birth, but poor validity, which now, like fruit unripe, sticks on the tree, but fall, unshaken, when they mellow be. Most unnecessary 'tis that we forget to pay ourselves what to ourselves is debt. What to ourselves in passion we propose, the passion ending, doth the purpose lose. The violence of either grief or joy their own enactures with themselves destroy. Where joy most revels, grief doth most lament. Grief joys, joy grieves on slender accident. This world is not for aye, nor 'tis not strange that even our loves should with our fortunes change. For 'tis a question left us yet to prove, whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love. The great man down, you mark his favorite flies. The poor advanced makes friends of enemies. And hitherto doth love on fortune tend, for who not needs shall never lack a friend, and who in want a hollow friend doth try, directly seasons him his enemy. But, orderly to end where I begun, our wills and fates do so contrary run that our devices still are overthrown. Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own. So think thou wilt no second husband wed, but die thy thoughts when thy first lord is dead.””

William Shakespeare

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage reflects on the fleeting nature of purpose, love, and fortune, suggesting that emotions and ambitions are intertwined and often subject to change

In simple terms: Purpose, love, and fate are unstable and linked to our emotions

Key Takeaway

Recognize the impermanence of goals and relationships

Themes

philosophy human nature fate emotion

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal growth
  • relationship counseling
  • creative writing
  • philosophical debate
  • mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

transience interdependence self‑reflection

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you maintain purpose amid changing emotions?
  • Can love truly influence destiny?
A Different Perspective

The language is obscure and may overcomplicate the core message

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