--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare…" description: "\"I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as obscure as life is.\" — Matthew Arnold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg" --- # I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as… ![“I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as obscure as life is.” quote by Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg) > “I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as obscure as life is.” [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## 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 complexity mirrors life's mystery, making him both profound and elusive. **In simple terms:** Shakespeare is as mysterious and deep as life itself. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity rather than seeking simple explanations. Themes literature existentialism complexity Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - literary criticism - philosophical discussions - education curricula Key Concepts interpretive analysis cultural impact artistic depth Questions to Reflect On - Why does Shakespeare feel obscure to you? - What can mystery teach us about understanding art? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on mystery may discourage deeper study. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Obscure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscure/) [Obscure Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscure-life-1445559/) [Saying Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-shakespeare-1445558/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Obscure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-obscure-1445557/) [Shakespeare Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-shakespeare-963791/) ## Related quotes > [I try to imagine someone saying to Shakespeare, 'Relax!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/i-try-to-imagine-someone-saying-to-shakespeare-relax/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [In Shakespeare the birds sing, the bushes are clothed with green, hearts love, souls suffer, the cloud wanders, it is hot, it is cold,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-shakespeare-the-birds-sing-the-bushes-are-clothed-with-green/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/was-an-english-poet-and-playwright-widely-regarded-as-the-greatest/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I wouldn't call myself a modern Shakespeare, but Shakespeare was probably to his generation what I am to mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-wouldn-t-call-myself-a-modern-shakespeare-but-shakespeare-was/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [The Shakespeare that Shakespeare became is the name that's attached to these astonishing objects that he left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/the-shakespeare-that-shakespeare-became-is-the-name-that-s-attached/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [I love Shakespeare. In Shakespeare, tragedy is not just something that's bad. 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If so, the less Shakespeare he!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/with-this-same-key-shakespeare-unlocked-his-heart-once-more-did/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [I'd love to do more Shakespeare but Shakespeare didn't write parts for older women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-james/i-d-love-to-do-more-shakespeare-but-shakespeare-didn-t-write-parts/) [Geraldine James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-james/) > [I want to be known as 'The Big Shakespeare.' It was Shakespeare that said, 'Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, some have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-want-to-be-known-as-the-big-shakespeare-it-was-shakespeare-that/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Shakespeare is still Shakespeare because story rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bischoff/shakespeare-is-still-shakespeare-because-story-rules/) [Eric Bischoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bischoff/) > [Below the surface stream, shallow and light, Of what we say and feel below the stream, As light, of what we think we feel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/below-the-surface-stream-shallow-and-light-of-what-we-say-and-feel/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [In 2008, Bitcoin was mysteriously introduced to the world in an obscure, technical paper written under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. By late 2013, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/in-2008-bitcoin-was-mysteriously-introduced-to-the-world-in-an/) [Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/) > [“Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you high. People who are gentle, humble and able always have a great ending no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/humble-yourself-before-the-lord-and-he-will-lift-you-high-people-who/) [israelmore ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Matthew Arnold > [Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-looks-beyond-machinery-culture-hates-hatred-culture-has-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [We must hold fast to the austere but true doctrine as to what really governs politics and saves or destroys states. Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Culture is the endeavour to know the best and to make this knowledge prevail for the good of all humankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-the-endeavour-to-know-the-best-and-to-make-this-knowledge/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-the-acquainting-ourselves-with-the-best-that-has-been-known/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Strew on her roses, roses, And never a spray of yew! 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“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/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as obscure as life is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Arnold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-you-are-as-obscure-as-life-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-you-are-as-obscure-as-life-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/matthew-arnold-1235_life_i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-yo_923330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you are as obscure as life is.” — Matthew Arnold", "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": "Matthew Arnold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I keep saying, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-you-are-as-obscure-as-life-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/i-keep-saying-shakespeare-shakespeare-you-are-as-obscure-as-life-is/#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 } } ] } ```