---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O, reason not the need! Our basest…"
description: "\"“O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life is cheap as beast..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg"
---

#  O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the…

![“O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life is cheap as beast's. Thou art a lady: If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for…” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg)

> ““O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life is cheap as beast's. Thou art a lady: If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need- You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need!””

[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.

True need is minimal; excess is unnecessary, and patience is essential for enduring hardship.

**In simple terms:** Need is basic; patience vital.

Key Takeaway

Embrace simplicity and cultivate patience.

Themes

minimalism patience human nature

Mood

reflective contemplative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- budgeting
- resource management
- personal endurance
- stress coping

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What truly essential do you lack?
- How can patience transform your challenges?

A Different Perspective

Patience alone may not solve systemic scarcity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Man's Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mans-life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/)

## Related quotes

> [Allow not nature more than nature needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/allow-not-nature-more-than-nature-needs/)

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

> [O, reason not the need!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-reason-not-the-need/)

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

> [Consider when thou art much vexed or grieved, that man's life is only a moment, and after a short time we are all laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/consider-when-thou-art-much-vexed-or-grieved-that-man-s-life-is-only/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [We need nature more than nature needs us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-sadruddin-aga-khan/we-need-nature-more-than-nature-needs-us/)

[Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-sadruddin-aga-khan/)

> [“Let nature take its course. By letting each thing act in accordance with its own nature, everything that needs to be done gets done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/let-nature-take-its-course-by-letting-each-thing-act-in-accordance/)

[Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/)

> [A healthy nature needs no God or immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-healthy-nature-needs-no-god-or-immortality/)

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

> [No other life forms know they are alive, and neither do they know they will die. This is our curse alone. Without this hex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/no-other-life-forms-know-they-are-alive-and-neither-do-they-know-they/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [The thing that nature needs the most from us humans is space. We need to distance ourselves for a while so that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pranitha-subhash/the-thing-that-nature-needs-the-most-from-us-humans-is-space-we-need/)

[Pranitha Subhash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pranitha-subhash/)

> [Although Nature needs thousands or millions of years to create a new species, man needs only a few dozen years to destroy one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-blanchard-scheffer/although-nature-needs-thousands-or-millions-of-years-to-create-a-new/)

Victor Blanchard Scheffer

> [Nature needs no help, just no interference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-palmer/nature-needs-no-help-just-no-interference/)

[B. J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-palmer/)

> [“We have long since been denizens of the natural world. Everywhere around us are natural habitats, but within us is the shiver of startling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/we-have-long-since-been-denizens-of-the-natural-world-everywhere/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [“Nature needs nothing from us except the humility to live in harmony with its rhythms, understanding that our existence is woven into the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/nature-needs-nothing-from-us-except-the-humility-to-live-in-harmony/)

[Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/)

> [“Whether people need nature or not, it was clear that nature needed people. But perhaps nature needs us like a hostage needs her captors:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leach/whether-people-need-nature-or-not-it-was-clear-that-nature-needed/)

[Amy Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leach/)

> [It is as though nature must needs make men narrow in order to give them force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-as-though-nature-must-needs-make-men-narrow-in-order-to-give/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [ “\[We\] all need more than anything else to know human nature, to know the needs of the human soul; and they will find this… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/we-all-need-more-than-anything-else-to-know-human-nature-to-know-the/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

## 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 Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [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/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life is cheap as beast's. Thou art a lady: If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need- You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars-are-in-the-poorest-thing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars-are-in-the-poorest-thing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb6/william-shakespeare-4_life_o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars_362370.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than…” — 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": "“O, reason not the need! Our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars-are-in-the-poorest-thing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-reason-not-the-need-our-basest-beggars-are-in-the-poorest-thing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
