--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rightly to be great Is not to stir…" description: "\"“Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then, That ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg" --- # Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument… ![“Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep—while, to my shame, I see The imminent death of…” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg) > ““Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep—while, to my shame, I see The imminent death of twenty thousand men, That for a fantasy and trick of fame Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, Which is not tomb enough and continent To hide the slain? Oh, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”” [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. Greatness requires confronting conflict with honor, not avoiding it; even amid personal loss, one must act decisively. **In simple terms:** Face conflict honorably, even when grieving. Key Takeaway Act with honor despite hardship. Themes honor conflict leadership Mood reflective dramatic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military decision - political debate - personal crisis - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts moral courage personal sacrifice Questions to Reflect On - What does true honor look like in modern life? - How can leaders balance personal grief with duty? A Different Perspective Idealized heroism may ignore human frailty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument Greatly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-greatly-806471/) [Great Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-argument-806472/) [Greatly Quarrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatly-quarrel-806470/) [Imminent death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imminent-death/) [Quarrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quarrel/) [Thoughts Bloody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-bloody-1262589/) ## Related quotes > [Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honour's at the stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-from-this-time-forth-my-thoughts-be-bloody-or-be-nothing-worth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Hamlet promised himself he’d throw down afterward, but I think perhaps when he said, “From this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/hamlet-promised-himself-he-d-throw-down-afterward-but-i-think-perhaps/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Why did John Wilkes Booth do it? In My Thoughts Be Bloody young historian Nora Titone is one of the few to have genuinely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-winik/why-did-john-wilkes-booth-do-it-in-my-thoughts-be-bloody-young/) [Jay Winik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-winik/) > [What in me is dark, Illumine, what is low raise and support, That to the height of this great argument I may assert eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/what-in-me-is-dark-illumine-what-is-low-raise-and-support-that-to-the-2/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Myself when young did eagerly frequent doctor and saint, and heard great argument about it and about: but evermore came out by the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/myself-when-young-did-eagerly-frequent-doctor-and-saint-and-heard/) [Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [“What in me is dark Illumine, what is low raise and support; That to the highth of this great Argument I may assert th’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/what-in-me-is-dark-illumine-what-is-low-raise-and-support-that-to-the/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [The great argument used now against any theological proposition is not, that it is untrue, or unthinkable, or unedifying, or unscriptural, or unorthodox, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-knox/the-great-argument-used-now-against-any-theological-proposition-is/) [Ronald Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-knox/) > [In a false quarrel there is no true valor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-a-false-quarrel-there-is-no-true-valor/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in, bear t that th' opposed may beware of thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beware-of-entrance-to-a-quarrel-but-being-in-bear-t-that-th-opposed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Beware Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in, Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee. Give every man thy ear, but few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beware-of-entrance-to-a-quarrel-but-being-in-bear-t-that-the-opposed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“By my head, here come the Capulets." Mercutio- "By my heel, I care not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/by-my-head-here-come-the-capulets-mercutio-by-my-heel-i-care-not/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Thrice is he arm'd that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though lock'd up in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thrice-is-he-arm-d-that-hath-his-quarrel-just-and-he-but-naked-though/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Beware Of entrance to a quarrel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beware-of-entrance-to-a-quarrel/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In a false quarrel there is no true valour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-a-false-quarrel-there-is-no-true-valour/) [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 Imminent death quotes > [In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-a-last-violent-protest-against-the-hopelessness-of-imminent-death/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“To be a warrior a man has to be, first of all, and rightfully so, keenly aware of his own death. But to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/to-be-a-warrior-a-man-has-to-be-first-of-all-and-rightfully-so-keenly/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“Blitz and Hearth were almost at the shore when Alex stopped abruptly. I didn't have any energy left either, but I thought I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/blitz-and-hearth-were-almost-at-the-shore-when-alex-stopped-abruptly/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“There's something about imminent death that makes all the threads weave into a picture...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/there-s-something-about-imminent-death-that-makes-all-the-threads/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“An Italian text from 1490 shows how spontaneous and natural was the clear recognition of imminent death, and how fundamentally alien to the miraculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/an-italian-text-from-1490-shows-how-spontaneous-and-natural-was-the/) [Philippe Ariès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [“But as he stands before imminent death, he grasps its nature also, and the cosmic import of the step to come. His creative imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/but-as-he-stands-before-imminent-death-he-grasps-its-nature-also-and/) [Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/) > [“Imminent death is a fact of life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentine-adams/imminent-death-is-a-fact-of-life/) [Valentine Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentine-adams/) > [If I can't joke about imminent death, then I might as well just resign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-owen/if-i-can-t-joke-about-imminent-death-then-i-might-as-well-just-resign/) [James A. Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-owen/) > [“Lok’tar ogar!” The daemon holding me pulled my head back, exposing my throat. “Victory or death,” I retorted at my captor hoarsely. “For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pang/lok-tar-ogar-the-daemon-holding-me-pulled-my-head-back-exposing-my/) [Allison Pang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pang/) > [There's a lot of Hollywood bullshit about flying. I mean, look at the movies about test pilots or fighter pilots who face imminent death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-olds/there-s-a-lot-of-hollywood-bullshit-about-flying-i-mean-look-at-the/) [Robin Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-olds/) > [“It’s said people can sense their imminent death. Maybe they hear death’s song in the wind. Or the earth stops turning for a second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayde-scott/it-s-said-people-can-sense-their-imminent-death-maybe-they-hear-death/) [Jayde Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayde-scott/) > [“He recounted how, after the last of Charlemagne's forty-seven victorious campaigns, when he was returning from Saxony, a comet flashed across the sky and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-ravenscroft/he-recounted-how-after-the-last-of-charlemagne-s-forty-seven/) [Trevor Ravenscroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-ravenscroft/) > [“Keeda had survived the death of her Titan, murdered by a Lysander Reaver in black and white that killed them without looking twice. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dembski-bowden/keeda-had-survived-the-death-of-her-titan-murdered-by-a-lysander/) [Aaron Dembski-Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dembski-bowden/) > [The human condition is what it is. We can see beauty and wonder in the world, but we also face imminent death and uncertainty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-adams/the-human-condition-is-what-it-is-we-can-see-beauty-and-wonder-in-the/) [Justin Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-adams/) > [ “\[A\] person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:             (1) He or she reasonably… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-bloom/a-person-is-justified-in-the-use-of-deadly-force-and-does-not-have-a/) [Lisa Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-bloom/) [Browse all 35 Imminent death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imminent-death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep—while, to my shame, I see The imminent death of twenty thousand men, That for a fantasy and trick of fame Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, Which is not tomb enough and continent To hide the slain? Oh, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imminent death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/william-shakespeare-4_quote_rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-witho_1236657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When…” — 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": "“Rightly to be great Is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly-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 } } ] } ```