---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sorry,\" [Hamlet] said, rubbing his…"
description: "\"Sorry,\" [Hamlet] said, rubbing his temples. \"I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this overwhelming desire to talk for a very long tim..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg"
---

#  Sorry," \[Hamlet\] said, rubbing his temples. "I don't know…

![“Sorry,&quot; &#91;Hamlet&#93; said, rubbing his temples. &quot;I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this overwhelming desire to talk for a very long time without actually doing anything.” quote by Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg)

> “Sorry," \[Hamlet\] said, rubbing his temples. "I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this overwhelming desire to talk for a very long time without actually doing anything.”

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

## About This Quote

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

Hamlet feels an unexpected urge to speak at length without taking action.

**In simple terms:** Sudden desire to talk without doing.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when talk replaces action.

Themes

indecision overthinking expression

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

literary advice

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- public speaking
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

speech impulse analysis paralysis

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you sometimes talk instead of acting?
- How can you turn talk into action?

A Different Perspective

Talk can become an avoidance of doing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Overwhelming desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelming-desire/) [Temples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temples/)

## Related quotes

> [Darkdoom? Darkdoom did this?" Nero was visibly surprised. He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples. "Oh, why is it always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walden/darkdoom-darkdoom-did-this-nero-was-visibly-surprised-he-placed-a/)

[Mark Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walden/)

> [“As Hamlet said to Ophelia, ”God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." The battle between these two halves of identity...Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/as-hamlet-said-to-ophelia-god-has-given-you-one-face-and-you-make/)

[Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/)

> [And sometimes it hits me out of nowhere, all of a sudden, this overwhelming sadness rushes over me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-sometimes-it-hits-me-out-of-nowhere-all-of-a-sudden-this-2/)

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

> [She had an overwhelming desire to tell him, like the most banal of women. Don't let me go, hold me tight, make me your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/she-had-an-overwhelming-desire-to-tell-him-like-the-most-banal-of/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [But what's true about comedians is that we've all got a huge hole in our personality. In a room of 3,000 people, we're the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/but-what-s-true-about-comedians-is-that-we-ve-all-got-a-huge-hole-in/)

[Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/)

> [God created us with an overwhelming desire to soar. Our desire to develop and use every ounce of potential He's placed in us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-kent/god-created-us-with-an-overwhelming-desire-to-soar-our-desire-to/)

[Carol Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-kent/)

> [This overwhelming desire to be close to you directly conflicts with my intense fear of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/this-overwhelming-desire-to-be-close-to-you-directly-conflicts-with/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [The American people are not uniquely, but characteristically the most spontaneously generous in the world and you're seeing that all over this country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-norton-smith/the-american-people-are-not-uniquely-but-characteristically-the-most/)

Richard Norton Smith

> [The thing that I'm always left with is this overwhelming desire for people to be rooted and the only way that they feel rooted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/the-thing-that-i-m-always-left-with-is-this-overwhelming-desire-for/)

[John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/)

> [Suddenly I've got an overwhelming desire to surround myself with the aura of classical and Romantic art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/suddenly-i-ve-got-an-overwhelming-desire-to-surround-myself-with-the/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [To be with God is really to be involved in some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/to-be-with-god-is-really-to-be-involved-in-some-enormous-overwhelming/)

[James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/)

> [“I choose you ," he said very softly, " Max ." Then his hard, rough hand tenderly cuppoed my chin, and suddenly his mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-choose-you-he-said-very-softly-max-then-his-hard-rough-hand/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [“I wanted so badly to believe, but the fear felt as great and overwhelming as the desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-wanted-so-badly-to-believe-but-the-fear-felt-as-great-and/)

[Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/)

> [“I sit back on my heels watching him, falling in love with my son all over again. His mind is more curious than mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/i-sit-back-on-my-heels-watching-him-falling-in-love-with-my-son-all/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [My theory is that humans aren't really bad; we all do bad things, but being bad is not our natural state. You're acting out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/my-theory-is-that-humans-aren-t-really-bad-we-all-do-bad-things-but/)

[Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/)

## More by Jasper Fforde

> [Palindrome as well. My sister's name is Hannah. Father liked word games. He was fourteen times World Scrabble Champion. When he died, we buried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/palindrome-as-well-my-sister-s-name-is-hannah-father-liked-word-games/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Agents and publishers only want one thing - good writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/agents-and-publishers-only-want-one-thing-good-writing/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Take no heed of her… She reads a lot of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/take-no-heed-of-her-she-reads-a-lot-of-books/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“Our own dimension was coded ID-11 and was the only League member with diphtheria, David Hasselhoff and the French, which amused the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/our-own-dimension-was-coded-id-11-and-was-the-only-league-member-with/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Don't ever call me mad, Mycroft. I'm not mad. I'm just ... well, differently moraled, that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/don-t-ever-call-me-mad-mycroft-i-m-not-mad-i-m-just-well-differently/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“They had just digested a recent meal of prepositions and were happily farting out apostrophes and ampersands; the air was heav'y with th'em&amp;.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-had-just-digested-a-recent-meal-of-prepositions-and-were-happily/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/after-all-reading-is-arguably-a-far-more-creative-and-imaginative/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“Whoever controls the supply of metaphor controls fiction! . . . Metaphor should be controlled. A glut on the market would make fiction overtly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/whoever-controls-the-supply-of-metaphor-controls-fiction-metaphor/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“A sloppy half-Windsor is the first symptom of serial indolence' she replied in the patronizing voice that Yellows reserved for Rule-breakers, 'and ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/a-sloppy-half-windsor-is-the-first-symptom-of-serial-indolence-she/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [The universe always moves from an ordered state to a disordered one; that a glass may fall to the ground and shatter yet you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-universe-always-moves-from-an-ordered-state-to-a-disordered-one/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [To espresso or to latte, that is the question...whether 'tis tastier on the palate to choose white mocha over plain...or to take a cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/to-espresso-or-to-latte-that-is-the-question-whether-tis-tastier-on/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [I've got six months to sort out the hackers, get the Japanese knotweed under control and find an acceptable form of narcissus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/i-ve-got-six-months-to-sort-out-the-hackers-get-the-japanese-knotweed/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [“They keep an eye on forgery, illegal dealing and overtly free thespian interpretations. The actor in with them was Graham Huxtable. He was putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-keep-an-eye-on-forgery-illegal-dealing-and-overtly-free-thespian/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

[Explore all 356 Jasper Fforde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Sorry,\" [Hamlet] said, rubbing his temples. \"I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this overwhelming desire to talk for a very long time without actually doing anything.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jasper Fforde"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i-don-t-know-what-came-over-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i-don-t-know-what-came-over-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/jasper-fforde-797_desire_sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i_2134251.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sorry,\" [Hamlet] said, rubbing his temples. \"I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this…” — Jasper Fforde",
                "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": "Jasper Fforde",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sorry,\" [Hamlet] said, rubbing his temples....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i-don-t-know-what-came-over-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sorry-hamlet-said-rubbing-his-temples-i-don-t-know-what-came-over-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
