--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any…" description: "\"“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; Those friends thou hast, and their adop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg" --- # Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned… ![“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel, But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatched unfledged comrade. Beware…” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg) > ““Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel, But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatched unfledged comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, Bear’t that th’opposèd may beware of thee. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement. Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man, And they in France of the best rank and station Are most select and generous, chief in that. Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”” [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. Advice to practice restraint in speech, friendships, and finances, and to stay true to oneself; avoid vanity, conflict, and overextension. **In simple terms:** Be cautious, honest, and self‑reliant. Key Takeaway Live authentically and wisely. Themes self‑discipline authenticity relationships finance conflict avoidance Mood thoughtful reflective Type moral philosophical advice When to use this quote - personal growth - career decisions - financial planning - conflict management - friendship building Key Concepts Stoicism human nature social etiquette Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance honesty with diplomacy? - When should you share your opinions? A Different Perspective May be overly idealistic for complex modern social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unproportioned-thought-his-act-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“And these few precepts in thy memory Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/and-these-few-precepts-in-thy-memory-look-thou-character-give-thy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Give thy thoughts no tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“I do believe you think what now you speak, but what we do determine oft we break. Purpose is but the slave to memory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-do-believe-you-think-what-now-you-speak-but-what-we-do-determine/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Who are you? Tell me for more certainty. Albeit, I'll swear that I do know your tongue. Lorenzo: Lorenzo, and thy love. Jessica: Lorenzo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/who-are-you-tell-me-for-more-certainty-albeit-i-ll-swear-that-i-do/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“My grief no heart, my thoughts no tongue can tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kyd/my-grief-no-heart-my-thoughts-no-tongue-can-tell/) [Thomas Kyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kyd/) > [“I knew I wasn't making sence, but I couldn't seem to connect my thoughts to my tongue. That feeling... How did you tell someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-knew-i-wasn-t-making-sence-but-i-couldn-t-seem-to-connect-my/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [So may heaven's grace clear away the foam from the conscience, that the river of thy thoughts may roll limpid thenceforth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/so-may-heaven-s-grace-clear-away-the-foam-from-the-conscience-that/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Alas! fond child, How are thy thoughts beguil'd To hope for honey from a nest of wasps? Thou may'st as well Go seek for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/alas-fond-child-how-are-thy-thoughts-beguil-d-to-hope-for-honey-from/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [I would not have thee believe in what I say nor trust in what I do — for my words are naught but thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil/i-would-not-have-thee-believe-in-what-i-say-nor-trust-in-what-i-do/) [Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil/) > [Always remember to bound thy thoughts to the present occasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/always-remember-to-bound-thy-thoughts-to-the-present-occasion/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Music, when soft voices die, Vibrates in the memory; Odours, when sweet violets sicken, Live within the sense they quicken. Rose leaves, when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/music-when-soft-voices-die-vibrates-in-the-memory-odours-when-sweet/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/how-precious-also-are-thy-thoughts-unto-me-o-god-how-great-is-the-sum/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [Turn thy thoughts now to the consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as a youth, thy manhood, thy old age, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/turn-thy-thoughts-now-to-the-consideration-of-thy-life-thy-life-as-a/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Govern thy life and thy thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/govern-thy-life-and-thy-thoughts-as-if-the-whole-world-were-to-see/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) ## 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 Every man quotes > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Every man has his secret sadness and sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-has-his-secret-sadness-and-sorrows-which-the-world-knows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-religions-must-be-tolerated-for-every-man-must-get-to-heaven-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“China reminds me most of America at its own moment of transformation—the period that Mark Twain and Charles Warner named the Gilded Age, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/china-reminds-me-most-of-america-at-its-own-moment-of-transformation/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/every-man-is-a-missionary-now-and-forever-for-good-or-for-evil/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [“John, let me make one thing clear,” Jim said, cutting me off in his most stern, evangelical voice. “Every man is blessed with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/john-let-me-make-one-thing-clear-jim-said-cutting-me-off-in-his-most/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe a final breath. And if what that man did in his life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-ultimate-warrior/every-man-s-heart-one-day-beats-its-final-beat-his-lungs-breathe-a/) [The Ultimate Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-ultimate-warrior/) Browse all 3,342 Every man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel, But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatched unfledged comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, Bear’t that th’opposèd may beware of thee. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement. Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man, And they in France of the best rank and station Are most select and generous, chief in that. Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unproportioned-thought-his-act-be-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unproportioned-thought-his-act-be-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/william-shakespeare-4_every-man_give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unpr_3001723.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means…” — 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": "“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unproportioned-thought-his-act-be-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-thy-thoughts-no-tongue-nor-any-unproportioned-thought-his-act-be-2/#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 } } ] } ```