--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor…" description: "\"Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad!\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg" --- # Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad! ![“Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad!” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg) > “Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad!” [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. He describes love as a mischievous force that drives people to irrational behavior. **In simple terms:** Love makes people act crazy. Key Takeaway Recognize love’s irrational power. Themes love irrationality human nature emotion Mood playful dramatic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - conflict Key Concepts masochism desire psychology Questions to Reflect On - What irrational actions does love inspire? - How can we balance love and reason? A Different Perspective Love’s chaos can cause harm if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cupid/) [Cupid Knavish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cupid-knavish-2185133/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Knavish Lad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knavish-lad-3177438/) [Lad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lad/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Mortals Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals-mad-3177437/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-mortals-348326/) ## Related quotes > [Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor-females-mad/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Yet but three come one more. Two of both kinds make up four. Ere she comes curst and sad. Cupid is a knavish lad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yet-but-three-come-one-more-two-of-both-kinds-make-up-four-ere-she/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O poor mortals, how ye make this earth bitter for each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/o-poor-mortals-how-ye-make-this-earth-bitter-for-each-other/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Most of those evils we poor mortals know From doctors and imagination flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/most-of-those-evils-we-poor-mortals-know-from-doctors-and-imagination/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Poor mortals we who crave to have it so - our grief to be deathless when we are dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perses-of-thebes/poor-mortals-we-who-crave-to-have-it-so-our-grief-to-be-deathless/) [Perses Of Thebes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perses-of-thebes/) > [Angels may be very excellent sort of folk in their way, but we, poor mortals, in our present state, would probably find them precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/angels-may-be-very-excellent-sort-of-folk-in-their-way-but-we-poor/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [We are poor mortals, but it dreams to us that we can fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-are-poor-mortals-but-it-dreams-to-us-that-we-can-fly/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“We poor mortals, we fellow sufferers, are such victims of biology that we fill our lives with guilt about natural acts…and that we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/we-poor-mortals-we-fellow-sufferers-are-such-victims-of-biology-that/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [I have never observed that the religious are more eager to die than the rest of us poor mortals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/i-have-never-observed-that-the-religious-are-more-eager-to-die-than/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [What greater restoratives have we poor mortals than a good meal taken in the company of loving friends?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-thompson/what-greater-restoratives-have-we-poor-mortals-than-a-good-meal-taken/) [Flora Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-thompson/) > [She believed not in divine salvation but in the proposition that we poor mortals are fully capable of saving ourselves, if conditions and inclinations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-believed-not-in-divine-salvation-but-in-the-proposition-that-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well, in that hit you miss. She'll not be hit With Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit, And, in strong proff of chastity well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/well-in-that-hit-you-miss-she-ll-not-be-hit-with-cupid-s-arrow-she/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love is blind and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit; For if they could, Cupid himself would blush To see me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-blind-and-lovers-cannot-see-the-pretty-follies-that/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love's heralds should be thoughts, Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams Driving back shadows over low'ring hills. Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-heralds-should-be-thoughts-which-ten-times-faster-glide-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Things base and vile, holding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/things-base-and-vile-holding-no-quantity-love-can-transpose-to-form/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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 Cupid quotes > [“Well, write me into the list of Those Who Don’t Mind a Bit,” said Cupid, eyeing his perfectly toned arms and chest. “My, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/well-write-me-into-the-list-of-those-who-don-t-mind-a-bit-said-cupid/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [True it is, as society is instituted, marriage becomes somewhat of a lottery, for all its votaries are either the victims of Cupid or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-frederick-saunders/true-it-is-as-society-is-instituted-marriage-becomes-somewhat-of-a/) [Arthur Frederick Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-frederick-saunders/) > [Poetical taste is the only magician whose wand is not broken. No hand, except its own, can dissolve the fabric of beauty in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/poetical-taste-is-the-only-magician-whose-wand-is-not-broken-no-hand/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [The man is always the last to know when Cupid has struck him -Anonymous, Memoirs of a Mistress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/the-man-is-always-the-last-to-know-when-cupid-has-struck-him/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [Things base and vile, holding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/things-base-and-vile-holding-no-quantity-love-can-transpose-to-form/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Remove but the temptations of leisure, and the bow of Cupid will lose its effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/remove-but-the-temptations-of-leisure-and-the-bow-of-cupid-will-lose/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Dear Cupid, next time hit us BOTH! Sincerely, Broken Hearted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fricca-joaquin/dear-cupid-next-time-hit-us-both-sincerely-broken-hearted/) [Fricca Joaquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fricca-joaquin/) > [You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-re-pretty-smug-lord-ares-for-a-guy-who-runs-from-cupid-statues/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“If lovers actually were brought together by some chubby, winged cupid shooting fiery arrows, then imagine if, after the fact, Cupid cared not one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanee-killen/if-lovers-actually-were-brought-together-by-some-chubby-winged-cupid/) [Stephanee Killen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanee-killen/) > [Cupid is naked and does not like artifices contrived by beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/propertius/cupid-is-naked-and-does-not-like-artifices-contrived-by-beauty/) [Propertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/propertius/) > [She's my mrs america now can I be her soldier please I'm fighting for this girl, on a battlefield of love. dont it look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/she-s-my-mrs-america-now-can-i-be-her-soldier-please-i-m-fighting-for/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [The muse is blind as Cupid and skittish as Diana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-muse-is-blind-as-cupid-and-skittish-as-diana/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“One-night stands are grand & all. But it hardly gives a man time to learn what a woman really likes.” I lower my voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-r-blair/one-night-stands-are-grand-all-but-it-hardly-gives-a-man-time-to/) [Heather R. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-r-blair/) > [Cupid is anything but cute. As for handing our hearts, he’s more likely to rip them out. (Julian) But he can make people fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/cupid-is-anything-but-cute-as-for-handing-our-hearts-he-s-more-likely/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Cupid you fat fucker with wings ... Can't you do anything right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cupid-you-fat-fucker-with-wings-can-t-you-do-anything-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 189 Cupid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cupid/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor-mortals-mad/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cupid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor-mortals-mad/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/william-shakespeare-4_cupid_cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor_1140573.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor mortals mad!” — 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": "Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor-mortals-mad/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cupid-is-a-knavish-lad-thus-to-make-poor-mortals-mad/#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 } } ] } ```