---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in…"
description: "\"Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where cold and unhonour'd his relics are laid\" — Charles Lamb"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg"
---

#  Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where…

![“Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where cold and unhonour'd his relics are laid” quote by Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg)

> “Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where cold and unhonour'd his relics are laid”

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker urges silence about a name, suggesting that keeping it hidden preserves its sanctity and prevents dishonor.

**In simple terms:** Keep a name hidden to protect its dignity.

Key Takeaway

Respect the power of names by not speaking them lightly.

Themes

silence respect honor memory

Mood

thoughtful somber contemplative

Type

literary ethical

When to use this quote

- family secrets
- historical figures
- personal grudges
- cultural taboos

Key Concepts

ethics literature social convention

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it right to speak a name?
- What are the consequences of keeping secrets?

A Different Perspective

Silencing may also erase important truths.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Breathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold Unhonour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-unhonour-4715803/) [Let Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-sleep/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Relics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relics/) [Relics Laid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relics-laid-4715801/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Shade Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade-cold-4715800/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Unhonour Relics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhonour-relics-4715802/)

## Related quotes

> [“Creativity is like a snoring husband, it won't let you sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-alfaro/creativity-is-like-a-snoring-husband-it-won-t-let-you-sleep/)

[Barbara Alfaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-alfaro/)

> [Death is like a cold night in summer, that let's you sleep well after a long, hard day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-like-a-cold-night-in-summer-that-let-s-you-sleep-well-after/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Dreams are those that don't let you sleep at night,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akhil-kumar/dreams-are-those-that-don-t-let-you-sleep-at-night/)

[Akhil Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akhil-kumar/)

> [You and I belong, good friends, to a group that gets up early. We get up early because we don't sleep much. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/you-and-i-belong-good-friends-to-a-group-that-gets-up-early-we-get-up/)

[Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/)

> [“dream is not what you see when you sleep at night,but dream is something which does not let you sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam-3/dream-is-not-what-you-see-when-you-sleep-at-night-but-dream-is/)

[A P J Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam-3/)

> [“Dreams are not which comes to sleep.Dreams are those who don't let you sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-sharma/dreams-are-not-which-comes-to-sleep-dreams-are-those-who-don-t-let/)

[Priyanka Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-sharma/)

> [Enough people like me. Enough to let me sleep at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/enough-people-like-me-enough-to-let-me-sleep-at-night/)

[Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/)

> [Bitch let me sleep in peace!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal/bitch-let-me-sleep-in-peace/)

[Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal/)

> [But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/but-let-them-sleep-lord-and-me-mourn-a-space/)

[John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/)

> [“She reached out and stroked my hair just as she had when I was a child. I closed my eyes and let sleep take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-reached-out-and-stroked-my-hair-just-as-she-had-when-i-was-a/)

[Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/)

> [Leave me in peace, let me sleep once at least without my pillow being wet with tears, my eyes burning and my head throbbing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/leave-me-in-peace-let-me-sleep-once-at-least-without-my-pillow-being/)

[Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/)

> [“Those who don't feel this Love pulling them like a river, those who don't drink dawn like a cup of spring water or take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/those-who-don-t-feel-this-love-pulling-them-like-a-river-those-who/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Those who don't want to change, let them sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/those-who-don-t-want-to-change-let-them-sleep/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [So let us sleep outside tonight, Lay down in our mother's arms, for here we can rest safely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/so-let-us-sleep-outside-tonight-lay-down-in-our-mother-s-arms-for/)

[Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/)

> [Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dream-is-not-that-which-you-see-while-sleeping-it-is-something-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Charles Lamb

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [In the indications of female poverty there can be no disguise. No woman dresses below herself from caprice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/in-the-indications-of-female-poverty-there-can-be-no-disguise-no/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [“I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When I am not walking, I am reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/i-love-to-lose-myself-in-other-men-s-minds-when-i-am-not-walking-i-am/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [While childhood, and while dreams, producing childhood, shall be left, imagination shall not have spread her holy wings totally to fly the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/while-childhood-and-while-dreams-producing-childhood-shall-be-left/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Man, while he loves, is never quite depraved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/man-while-he-loves-is-never-quite-depraved/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Summer, as my friend Coleridge waggishly writes, has set in with its usual severity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/summer-as-my-friend-coleridge-waggishly-writes-has-set-in-with-its/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/here-cometh-april-again-and-as-far-as-i-can-see-the-world-hath-more/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [A presentation copy...is a copy of a book whoch does not sell, sent you by the author, with his foolish autograph at the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/a-presentation-copy-is-a-copy-of-a-book-whoch-does-not-sell-sent-you/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I counsel thee, shut not thy heart, nor thy library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/i-counsel-thee-shut-not-thy-heart-nor-thy-library/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Nothing to me is more distasteful than that entire complacency and satisfaction which beam in the countenances of a new married couple; in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/nothing-to-me-is-more-distasteful-than-that-entire-complacency-and/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [My theory is to enjoy life, but the practice is against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/my-theory-is-to-enjoy-life-but-the-practice-is-against-it/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/all-all-are-gone-the-old-familiar-faces/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Those evening bells! those evening bells! How many a tale their music tells Of youth and home, and that sweet time When last I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/those-evening-bells-those-evening-bells-how-many-a-tale-their-music/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [Beholding heaven, and feeling hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/beholding-heaven-and-feeling-hell/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

[Explore all 283 Charles Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

## More Breathe quotes

> [“Well come and stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. You'll ever know what hit you when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savage-garden/well-come-and-stand-a-little-bit-closer-breathe-in-and-get-a-bit/)

[Savage Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savage-garden/)

> [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/)

[Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/)

> [“Live your dreams. Breathe your dreams. Never give up on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/live-your-dreams-breathe-your-dreams-never-give-up-on-your-dreams/)

[Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/)

> [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/)

[Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/)

[Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/)

> [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/)

[Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/)

> [Manchester United breathe football. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/manchester-united-breathe-football-when-i-have-to-make-hard-decisions/)

[Robin van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/)

> [I drink to feel / I smoke to breathe / Just look what love / Has done to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/i-drink-to-feel-i-smoke-to-breathe-just-look-what-love-has-done-to-me/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/)

[Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/)

> [In some ways, what I learned is that you can take a character and breathe with them, and its up to the audience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aden-young/in-some-ways-what-i-learned-is-that-you-can-take-a-character-and/)

[Aden Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aden-young/)

[Browse all 2,793 Breathe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where cold and unhonour'd his relics are laid",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Lamb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in-the-shade-where-cold-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breathe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in-the-shade-where-cold-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/charles-lamb-1144_breathe_oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in_1370040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Oh, breathe not his name! let it sleep in the shade, Where cold and unhonour'd his relics are laid” — Charles Lamb",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Lamb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Oh, breathe not his name! let...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in-the-shade-where-cold-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/oh-breathe-not-his-name-let-it-sleep-in-the-shade-where-cold-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
