--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though you can guess what temperance…" description: "\"“Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is”\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg" --- # Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know… ![“Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg) > ““Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is”” [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. Highlights the difficulty of defining abstract virtues without experience. **In simple terms:** Knowing a virtue is harder than guessing it. Key Takeaway Seek experience to understand virtues. Themes virtue knowledge experience Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - education - personal growth - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts philosophy ethics epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What virtue have you struggled to define? - How does experience shape your moral view? A Different Perspective Abstract definitions can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guess/) [Guess Temperance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guess-temperance-2358388/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Temperance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperance/) [Temperance Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperance-know-2358387/) ## Related quotes > [I am sure, Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-sure-though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-should-be-you-know-not/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“But I have none: the king-becoming graces, As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude, I have no relish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-i-have-none-the-king-becoming-graces-as-justice-verity-temperance/) [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/) > [Make less thy body hence, and more thy grace. Leave gormandizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/make-less-thy-body-hence-and-more-thy-grace-leave-gormandizing/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-brain-may-devise-laws-for-the-blood-but-a-hot-temper-leaps-o-er-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Great men should drink with harness on their throats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/great-men-should-drink-with-harness-on-their-throats/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you-trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/speak-the-speech-i-pray-you-as-i-pronounced-it-to-you-trippingly-on-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/who-can-be-wise-amazed-temperate-and-furious-loyal-and-neutral-in-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I know when I'm not dancing, and I go home, I usually work with my dad, who's an electrician. So I do stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-macmanus/i-know-when-i-m-not-dancing-and-i-go-home-i-usually-work-with-my-dad/) [Tristan MacManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-macmanus/) > [There's always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-gillick/there-s-always-i-guess-a-philosophy-that-if-you-come-in-you-want-to/) [Pat Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-gillick/) > [There is no difference between knowledge and temperance; for he who knows what is good and embraces it, who knows what is bad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/there-is-no-difference-between-knowledge-and-temperance-for-he-who/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [You must teach yourself how to eat less, but with discernment, insofar as your work allows. The measure of temperance should be such that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/you-must-teach-yourself-how-to-eat-less-but-with-discernment-insofar/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [The Democratic party of Florida has put a temperance plank in its platform and the Republican party of every state would nail that plank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/the-democratic-party-of-florida-has-put-a-temperance-plank-in-its/) [Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/) ## 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 Guess quotes > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [Being me is no different than being most anyone else, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/being-me-is-no-different-than-being-most-anyone-else-i-guess/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I am an only child, and I guess was spoiled by my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-brown/i-am-an-only-child-and-i-guess-was-spoiled-by-my-parents/) [Mordecai Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-brown/) > [As a new mother, you're so vulnerable and make mistakes all the time. I guess there's more pressure when you're in the public eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marais/as-a-new-mother-you-re-so-vulnerable-and-make-mistakes-all-the-time-i/) [Jessica Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marais/) > [I've always been interested in socially political, or overtly political, comedy. And I guess I've always liked to channel some kind of personal element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-socially-political-or-overtly/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I guess a lot of times pressure is put on something after it becomes big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-guess-a-lot-of-times-pressure-is-put-on-something-after-it-becomes/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Football is my life. I guess I can't live without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berti-vogts/football-is-my-life-i-guess-i-can-t-live-without-it/) [Berti Vogts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berti-vogts/) > [There's always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-gillick/there-s-always-i-guess-a-philosophy-that-if-you-come-in-you-want-to/) [Pat Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-gillick/) > [I know when I'm not dancing, and I go home, I usually work with my dad, who's an electrician. So I do stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-macmanus/i-know-when-i-m-not-dancing-and-i-go-home-i-usually-work-with-my-dad/) [Tristan MacManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-macmanus/) > [It's kind of hard to spend long hours trying to help people and then find out that the favorite game of the columnist is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/it-s-kind-of-hard-to-spend-long-hours-trying-to-help-people-and-then/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I'm not in the movie business anymore, and hardly any 70 year olds are. 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Success would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/there-s-a-spectrum-of-those-moments-of-connection-and-the-moments-we/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) [Browse all 1,368 Guess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-should-be-you-know-not-what-it-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Guess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-should-be-you-know-not-what-it-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-shakespeare-4_quote_though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-sho_1031413.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is” — 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": "“Though you can guess what temperance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-should-be-you-know-not-what-it-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-you-can-guess-what-temperance-should-be-you-know-not-what-it-is/#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 } } ] } ```