--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's…" description: "\"It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest and true, It 's guid to support Caledonia's cause, And bide by the buff and the blue.\" — Rober..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png" --- # It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest… ![“It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest and true, It 's guid to support Caledonia's cause, And bide by the buff and the blue.” quote by Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png) > “It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest and true, It 's guid to support Caledonia's cause, And bide by the buff and the blue.” [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being merry, wise, honest, and supportive of one's nation, while staying true to its colors, is virtuous. **In simple terms:** Joy, wisdom, honesty, patriotism are virtues. Key Takeaway Live with joy, truth, and loyalty. Themes joy wisdom honesty patriotism Mood hopeful proud Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - celebrations - community service - political activism Key Concepts moral virtue national identity Questions to Reflect On - How do you express patriotism? - Can merriment coexist with seriousness? A Different Perspective Balancing joy and duty can be hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Merry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry/) [Scotland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scotland/) [Scottish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scottish/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [I'll be merry and free, I'll be sad for nae-body; If nae-body cares for me, I'll care for nae-body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/i-ll-be-merry-and-free-i-ll-be-sad-for-nae-body-if-nae-body-cares-for/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Without marriage there will be no renunciation, Buddha would not have left the world - for what? His wife, Yashodhara, must have created the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/without-marriage-there-will-be-no-renunciation-buddha-would-not-have/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love to go and mingle with the young In the gay festal room--when every heart Is beating faster than the merry tune, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-parker-willis/i-love-to-go-and-mingle-with-the-young-in-the-gay-festal-room-when/) [Nathaniel Parker Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-parker-willis/) > [Heaven give you many, many merry days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/heaven-give-you-many-many-merry-days/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I guess you will have to go to jail. If that is the result of not understanding the Income Tax Law, I will meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/i-guess-you-will-have-to-go-to-jail-if-that-is-the-result-of-not/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster. Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride! I always wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lowell-ganz/you-know-when-i-was-nineteen-grandpa-took-me-on-a-roller-coaster-up/) Lowell Ganz > [I would much rather have been merry than wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-would-much-rather-have-been-merry-than-wise/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Kate Bernheimer's fiction offers a unique and delicate gift, the tempting mirage of a grace that constantly escapes. The Complete Tales of Merry Gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/kate-bernheimer-s-fiction-offers-a-unique-and-delicate-gift-the/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [“For the good are always the merry, Save by an evil chance, And the merry love the fiddle, And the merry love to dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/for-the-good-are-always-the-merry-save-by-an-evil-chance-and-the/) [W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/) > [I have always considered The Merry Wives one of the worst plays, if not altogether the worst, that Shakespeare has left us. The wit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/i-have-always-considered-the-merry-wives-one-of-the-worst-plays-if/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [French wines may be said but to pickle meat in the stomach, but this is the wine that digests, and doth not only breed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/french-wines-may-be-said-but-to-pickle-meat-in-the-stomach-but-this/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Middle-aged life is merry, and I love to lead it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/middle-aged-life-is-merry-and-i-love-to-lead-it/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The merry cuckow, messenger of Spring, His trumpet shrill hath thrice already sounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-merry-cuckow-messenger-of-spring-his-trumpet-shrill-hath-thrice/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) ## More by Robert Burns > [Some wee short hour ayont the twal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/some-wee-short-hour-ayont-the-twal/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [The snowdrop and primrose our woodlands adorn, and violets bathe in the wet o' the morn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-snowdrop-and-primrose-our-woodlands-adorn-and-violets-bathe-in/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Oh my luve's like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June; Oh my luve's like the melodie That's sweetly played in tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/oh-my-luve-s-like-a-red-red-rose-that-s-newly-sprung-in-june-oh-my/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Again rejoicing Nature sees Her robe assume its vernal hues Her leafy locks wave in the breeze, All freshly steep'd in the morning dews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/again-rejoicing-nature-sees-her-robe-assume-its-vernal-hues-her-leafy/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Gin a body meet a body Coming thro' the rye, Gin a body kiss a body— Need a body cry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/gin-a-body-meet-a-body-coming-thro-the-rye-gin-a-body-kiss-a-body/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [“O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/o-wad-some-power-the-giftie-gie-us-to-see-oursels-as-ithers-see-us/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/liberty-s-in-every-blow-let-us-do-or-die/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Dare to be honest and fear no labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/dare-to-be-honest-and-fear-no-labor/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Look abroad through Nature's range, Nature's mighty law is change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/look-abroad-through-nature-s-range-nature-s-mighty-law-is-change/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [ “All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn, Led yellow Autumn, wreath'd with nodding corn." \[ Brigs of Ayr \]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/all-cheering-plenty-with-her-flowing-horn-led-yellow-autumn-wreath-d/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [To make three guineas do the work of five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/to-make-three-guineas-do-the-work-of-five/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Some books are lies frae end to end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/some-books-are-lies-frae-end-to-end/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Who made the heart, 'tis He alone Decidedly can try us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/who-made-the-heart-tis-he-alone-decidedly-can-try-us/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.--Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/nursing-her-wrath-to-keep-it-warm-robert-burns/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [It is cruelty to be humane to rebels, and humanity is cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-is-cruelty-to-be-humane-to-rebels-and-humanity-is-cruelty/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) [Explore all 233 Robert Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. 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That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest and true, It 's guid to support Caledonia's cause, And bide by the buff and the blue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Burns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid-to-be-honest-and-true-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid-to-be-honest-and-true-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/robert-burns-1511_being-honest_it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid_1572516.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It 's guid to be merry and wise, It 's guid to be honest and true, It 's guid to support Caledonia's cause…” — Robert Burns", "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": "Robert Burns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It 's guid to be merry...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid-to-be-honest-and-true-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/it-s-guid-to-be-merry-and-wise-it-s-guid-to-be-honest-and-true-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```