---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But rather reason thus with reason…"
description: "\"“But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is good but given unsought is better.”\" — William Shakespeare"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg"
---

#  But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is…

![“But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is good but given unsought is better.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg)

> ““But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is good but given unsought is better.””

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## About This Quote

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

Reason can bind love; unasked love is preferable to forced affection.

**In simple terms:** Love given without being asked is better.

Key Takeaway

Value sincere love.

Themes

love reason authenticity

Mood

thoughtful romantic

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- relationships
- courtship
- personal boundaries

Key Concepts

Consent natural affection

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prefer love that chooses you?
- How does reason affect affection?

A Different Perspective

Love can be coerced by logic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fetter Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fetter-love-5946459/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Fetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-fetter-5946458/) [Reason Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-reason/) [Unsought Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsought-better-410538/)

## Related quotes

> [Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-sought-is-good-but-given-unsought-is-better/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love sought is good, but giv'n unsought is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-sought-is-good-but-giv-n-unsought-is-better/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love sought is good, but givn unsought is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaboo/love-sought-is-good-but-givn-unsought-is-better/)

[Bhaboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaboo/)

> [Love's reason's without reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-reason-s-without-reason/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [The heart knows reason which reason does not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/the-heart-knows-reason-which-reason-does-not-know/)

[Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/)

> [“The heart has reason that reason doesn't know of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-jace/the-heart-has-reason-that-reason-doesn-t-know-of/)

[Cameron Jace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-jace/)

> [“But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education sucks, and it’s the same reason that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/but-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason-for-this-there/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [I'll not listen to reason... reason always means what someone else has got to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/i-ll-not-listen-to-reason-reason-always-means-what-someone-else-has/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“What I believe is that when it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-i-believe-is-that-when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [You can smile for no reason , but you can't cry for no reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvija/you-can-smile-for-no-reason-but-you-can-t-cry-for-no-reason/)

[Silvija](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvija/)

> [If someone hates you for no reason, GIVE them a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-sayward/if-someone-hates-you-for-no-reason-give-them-a-reason/)

[Zoe Sayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-sayward/)

> [I am here for a reason and my reason is you nikki :\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan/i-am-here-for-a-reason-and-my-reason-is-you-nikki/)

[Ayaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan/)

> [Why you need a reason for everything? Reason is something people say to make sense of things that don't make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-olsen/why-you-need-a-reason-for-everything-reason-is-something-people-say/)

[Gregg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-olsen/)

> [Now it is characteristic of play that one plays without reason and there must be no reason for it. Play is its own good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/now-it-is-characteristic-of-play-that-one-plays-without-reason-and/)

[Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/)

> [There are many reason why I can't be with you, but there is still one reason why I can't let you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhay-babista/there-are-many-reason-why-i-can-t-be-with-you-but-there-is-still-one/)

[Jhay Babista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhay-babista/)

## More by William Shakespeare

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Life is full of change. 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/)

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [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/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [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/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is good but given unsought is better.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fetter-love-sough-is-good-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fetter-love-sough-is-good-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/william-shakespeare-4_love_but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fette_2389379.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But rather reason thus with reason fetter: Love sough is good but given unsought is better.” — William Shakespeare",
                "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": "William Shakespeare",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But rather reason thus with reason...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fetter-love-sough-is-good-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-rather-reason-thus-with-reason-fetter-love-sough-is-good-but/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
