--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Were she better or you sicker, then the…" description: "\"“Were she better or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/john-green-12_nature_were-she-better-or-you-sicker-then-the-s_292765.jpg" --- # Were she better or you sicker, then the stars would not be… ![“Were she better or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves.' Easy enough to say when you're a Roman…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/john-green-12_nature_were-she-better-or-you-sicker-then-the-s_292765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/john-green-12_nature_were-she-better-or-you-sicker-then-the-s_292765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/john-green-12_nature_were-she-better-or-you-sicker-then-the-s_292765.jpg) > ““Were she better or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves.' Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!), but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges fatalism, asserting that personal responsibility, not destiny, shapes outcomes. **In simple terms:** We control our lives more than fate. Key Takeaway Take charge of your actions. Themes responsibility fate self‑determination Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - relationship choices - personal growth - overcoming adversity Key Concepts philosophy literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal agency with external constraints? - What role do societal factors play in your successes? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex systemic influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brutus Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutus-stars-747161/) [Cross Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross-shakespeare-1461343/) [Dear Brutus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dear-brutus-747160/) [Fault Dear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fault-dear-747162/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Shakespeare Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-wrong-1461342/) ## Related quotes > [“Everyone in this tale has a rock-solid hamartia: hers, that she is so sick; yours, that you are so well. Were she better or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/everyone-in-this-tale-has-a-rock-solid-hamartia-hers-that-she-is-so/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Everyone in this tale had a rock-solid hamartia: hers, that she is so sick; yours, that you are so well. Were she better or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/everyone-in-this-tale-had-a-rock-solid-hamartia-hers-that-she-is-so/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in our stars, that we are underlinings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-fault-dear-brutus-is-not-in-our-stars-but-in-our-stars-that-we/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.” Easy enough to say when you’re a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-fault-dear-brutus-is-not-in-our-stars-but-in-ourselves-easy/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-it-is-the-nature-of-stars-to-cross-and-never-was-shakespeare-more/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/were-she-better-or-you-sicker-then-the-stars-would-not-be-so-terribly-3/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“It is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, “The fault, dear Brutus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-is-the-nature-of-stars-to-cross-and-never-was-shakespeare-more/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fault-dear-brutus-is-not-in-our-stars-but-in-ourselves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-beaton/the-fault-dear-brutus-lies-not-in-our-stars-but-in-ourselves-that-we/) [M.C. Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-beaton/) > [Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/men-at-some-time-are-masters-of-their-fates-the-fault-dear-brutus-is/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Certainly in the case of 'Gnomeo & Juliet,' if it makes children or adults a little more interested in Shakespeare, there's nothing wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-asbury/certainly-in-the-case-of-gnomeo-juliet-if-it-makes-children-or-adults/) [Kelly Asbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-asbury/) > [Shakespeare would have it wrong these days. It's not the world that's the stage - it's social media, where you're trying to put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-beukes/shakespeare-would-have-it-wrong-these-days-it-s-not-the-world-that-s/) [Lauren Beukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-beukes/) > [The fault is in our stars, dear Brutus: not the glass screen through which we see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/the-fault-is-in-our-stars-dear-brutus-not-the-glass-screen-through/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [“So how do we get from there to a pattern of experience that can stand for the whole of postcolonial Latin America? Ah, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/so-how-do-we-get-from-there-to-a-pattern-of-experience-that-can-stand/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [To my mind, 'Dear Brutus' stands halfway between Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 'Into the Woods'. Like them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/to-my-mind-dear-brutus-stands-halfway-between-shakespeare-s-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. 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