--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented…" description: "\"Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented was to equal Lincoln's invention of himself and, in the process, us.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/gore-vidal-466_equal_nothing-that-shakespeare-ever-invented-w_1462341.jpg" --- # Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented was to equal… ![“Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented was to equal Lincoln's invention of himself and, in the process, us.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/gore-vidal-466_equal_nothing-that-shakespeare-ever-invented-w_1462341.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/gore-vidal-466_equal_nothing-that-shakespeare-ever-invented-w_1462341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/gore-vidal-466_equal_nothing-that-shakespeare-ever-invented-w_1462341.jpg) > “Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented was to equal Lincoln's invention of himself and, in the process, us.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shakespeare’s creative genius is eclipsed by Lincoln’s self-fashioned identity, which also reshapes society. **In simple terms:** Lincoln’s self-invention surpasses Shakespeare’s inventions. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of personal reinvention. Themes history leadership identity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political speeches - personal branding - historical analysis Key Concepts self-creation cultural impact Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your identity are self-made? - Can society change individual self-construction? A Different Perspective Self-invention can be limited by external circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-lincoln-5285747/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Invented Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-equal-5285748/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Lincoln Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln-invention-5285746/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Invented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-invented-1087201/) ## Related quotes > [“Did you know that the author William Shakespeare invented more than seventeen hundred words, including ‘assassination’ and ‘bump’?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenore-look/did-you-know-that-the-author-william-shakespeare-invented-more-than/) [Lenore Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenore-look/) > [ I won't say he \[Shakespeare\] 'invented' us, because journalists perpetually misunderstand me on that. I'll put it more simply: he contains us. Our ways… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-won-t-say-he-shakespeare-invented-us-because-journalists/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“Shakespeare invented the Knock Knock joke, with the first one appearing in his play Macbeth. Here it is (and prepare yourself, it’s a cracker)...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/shakespeare-invented-the-knock-knock-joke-with-the-first-one/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“They say Shakespeare invented the internal monologue." Oh, I am very familiar with the internal monologue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/they-say-shakespeare-invented-the-internal-monologue-oh-i-am-very/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Personality, in our sense, is a Shakespearean invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/personality-in-our-sense-is-a-shakespearean-invention/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/each-writer-is-born-with-a-repertory-company-in-his-head-shakespeare/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“Nernst was a great admirer of Shakespeare, and it is said that in a conference concerned with naming units after appropriate persons, he proposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-partington/nernst-was-a-great-admirer-of-shakespeare-and-it-is-said-that-in-a/) [J.R. Partington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-partington/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/shakespeare-s-hamlet-there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinking/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“It was wonderful flirting with him, all the razor-edged literary banter, like Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. A battle of wit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/it-was-wonderful-flirting-with-him-all-the-razor-edged-literary/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“This was going to be worse than the time I table danced in the diner in high school!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/this-was-going-to-be-worse-than-the-time-i-table-danced-in-the-diner/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. 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