--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he…" description: "\"Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The less you speak of your greatness, the more shall I think of it.\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg" --- # Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The… ![“Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The less you speak of your greatness, the more shall I think of it.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg) > “Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The less you speak of your greatness, the more shall I think of it.” [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. Boasting reduces credibility; humility makes greatness more believable. **In simple terms:** Talk less, let actions speak. Key Takeaway Practice modesty in achievements. Themes humility reputation communication Mood reflective advice Type ethical social When to use this quote - career advancement - public speaking - team dynamics Key Concepts social perception ego credibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you convey confidence without bragging? - When is humility most effective? A Different Perspective Modesty may be misread as lack of confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Lord bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord-bacon/) [Modesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modesty/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [ The only sure way of avoiding these evils \[vanity and boasting\] is never to speak of yourself at all. But when, historically, youare obliged… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-only-sure-way-of-avoiding-these-evils-vanity-and-boasting-is/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“suppose, that all the historians who treat of England, should agree, that, on the first of January 1600, Queen Elizabeth died; that both before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-that-all-the-historians-who-treat-of-england-should-agree/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Revenge, as Lord Bacon tells is, is a kind of wild justice; and the desire for it has had a very poor press over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/revenge-as-lord-bacon-tells-is-is-a-kind-of-wild-justice-and-the/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Lord Bacon makes beauty to consist of grace and motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/lord-bacon-makes-beauty-to-consist-of-grace-and-motion/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [Lord Bacon has compared those who move in higher spheres to those heavenly bodies in the firmament, which have much admiration, but little rest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/lord-bacon-has-compared-those-who-move-in-higher-spheres-to-those/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [History without the history of science, to alter slightly an apothegm of Lord Bacon, resembles a statue of Polyphemus without his eye-that very feature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-bernard-cohen/history-without-the-history-of-science-to-alter-slightly-an-apothegm/) [I. Bernard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-bernard-cohen/) > [“Conventions, that all the champions of our sex feel the same way. Well, since I must come to an end somewhere, let it be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/conventions-that-all-the-champions-of-our-sex-feel-the-same-way-well/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [“tainted by the heaps of pestilent offal it must sweep away. As Lord Bacon says (in that play falsely attributed to Shakespeare)—"Ay, there's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/tainted-by-the-heaps-of-pestilent-offal-it-must-sweep-away-as-lord/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [Books, says Lord Bacon, can never teach us the use of books; the student must learn by commerce with mankind to reduce his speculations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/books-says-lord-bacon-can-never-teach-us-the-use-of-books-the-student/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Mere negation, mere Epicurean infidelity, as Lord Bacon most justly observes, has never disturbed the peace of the world. It furnishes no motive for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/mere-negation-mere-epicurean-infidelity-as-lord-bacon-most-justly/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Lord Bacon could as easily have created the planets as he could have written Hamlet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/lord-bacon-could-as-easily-have-created-the-planets-as-he-could-have/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [The mere power of saving what is already in our hands must be of easy acquisition to every mind; and as the example of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-mere-power-of-saving-what-is-already-in-our-hands-must-be-of-easy/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [“A session of boasting won't attract any real friends.  It will set you up on a pedestal, however, making you a clearer target.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-session-of-boasting-won-t-attract-any-real-friends-it-will-set-you/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) ## 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 Boast quotes > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/) [Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/) > [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The less you speak of your greatness, the more shall I think of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he-was-boasting-the-less-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he-was-boasting-the-less-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/william-shakespeare-4_boast_lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he_1333392.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke when he was boasting, The less you speak of your greatness, the more shall I…” — 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": "Lord Bacon told Sir Edward Coke...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he-was-boasting-the-less-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lord-bacon-told-sir-edward-coke-when-he-was-boasting-the-less-you/#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 } } ] } ```