--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it not strange that desire should so…" description: "\"Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg" --- # Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive… ![“Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg) > “Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?” [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. Desire can persist long after the original goal is achieved, outlasting the performance itself. **In simple terms:** Desire often outlives its original purpose. Key Takeaway Recognize when desire becomes detached from reality. Themes human nature time longing Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - career ambition - relationship expectations - artistic pursuits - personal goals Key Concepts psychology of desire temporal dissonance motivation Questions to Reflect On - Is your desire still relevant? - What fuels desire beyond achievement? A Different Perspective Desire may become misguided without purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-years-3380239/) [Outlive Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlive-performance-3380241/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-desire-1157093/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Outlive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-outlive-3380240/) ## Related quotes > [It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-strange-what-desire-will-make-foolish-people-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ["What can I offer you that will make you happier about how you should feel about who Angelina Jolie is?" I think that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/what-can-i-offer-you-that-will-make-you-happier-about-how-you-should/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [“I had the strange desire for a giant butterfly net to catch whatever was out there, as if it could be captured so easily.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-king-walker/i-had-the-strange-desire-for-a-giant-butterfly-net-to-catch-whatever/) [Courtney King Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-king-walker/) > [It is a strange desire, to seek power, and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-is-a-strange-desire-to-seek-power-and-to-lose-liberty-or-to-seek/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Strange, the desire for certain pleasures is a part of my pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/strange-the-desire-for-certain-pleasures-is-a-part-of-my-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we kiss my heart's on fire, burning with a strange desire. And I know that every time I kiss you, that your heart's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/when-we-kiss-my-heart-s-on-fire-burning-with-a-strange-desire-and-i/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [Last scene of all that ends this strange, eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion. I am sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/last-scene-of-all-that-ends-this-strange-eventful-history-is-second/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O, grief hath changed me since you saw me last, And careful hours with Time's deformed hand Have written strange defeatures in my face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-grief-hath-changed-me-since-you-saw-me-last-and-careful-hours-with/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [As love is full of unbefitting strains, All wanton as a child, skipping and vain, Form'd by the eye and therefore, like the eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/as-love-is-full-of-unbefitting-strains-all-wanton-as-a-child-skipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange and unnatural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/murder-most-foul-as-in-the-best-it-is-but-this-most-foul-strange-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/i-am-dragged-along-by-a-strange-new-force-desire-and-reason-are/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [How are we to account for the strange human craving for the pleasure of feeling afraid which is so much involved in our love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-are-we-to-account-for-the-strange-human-craving-for-the-pleasure/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“How strange tonight, this city. As if something trembled below its surface, waiting to burst through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/how-strange-tonight-this-city-as-if-something-trembled-below-its/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) ## 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 Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so-many-years-outlive-performance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so-many-years-outlive-performance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/william-shakespeare-4_desire_is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so_2791152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?” — 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": "Is it not strange that desire...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so-many-years-outlive-performance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-it-not-strange-that-desire-should-so-many-years-outlive-performance/#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 } } ] } ```