Books Quote by William Shakespeare
““Was ever book containing such vile matter so fairly bound? O that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous place!””
About This Quote
Source Play: The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 2
A beautiful exterior can hide corrupt or deceptive content, warning against judging by appearance alone.
In simple terms: Looks can be deceiving.
Key Takeaway
Look deeper before trusting.
Themes
appearance
deception
trust
beauty
corruption
Mood
cautious
skeptical
Type
literary
cautionary
When to use this quote
- Evaluating contracts
- Choosing books
- Assessing people
- Buying art
- Reading news
Key Concepts
Aesthetics
Moral judgment
Surface vs. depth
Questions to Reflect On
- What superficial allure have you ignored?
- How do you verify substance behind style?
A Different Perspective
Even a lovely cover may conceal harmful ideas.
![“Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari [living a worldly life] regardless of whether one is an ascetic or a family man. And where anger-pride-deceit-greed are absent, one is regarded as being asansaari…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7ec/dada-bhagwan-31_anger_where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-dece_5756.jpg)
