--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know what we are, but know now what we…" description: "\"We know what we are, but know now what we may be.\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg" --- # We know what we are, but know now what we may be. ![“We know what we are, but know now what we may be.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg) > “We know what we are, but know now what we may be.” [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. We understand our current identity, yet remain uncertain about our future potential. **In simple terms:** We know who we are, not who we may become. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty to grow. Themes identity potential uncertainty Mood thoughtful inspirational Type theatrical philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - creative writing Key Concepts self‑discovery future possibilities Questions to Reflect On - What future self do you envision? - How can you explore unknown possibilities? A Different Perspective Fear of the unknown can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [If I could know me, I could know the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/if-i-could-know-me-i-could-know-the-universe/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [You know who you are, but know not who you could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/you-know-who-you-are-but-know-not-who-you-could-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Too much to know is to know naught but fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/too-much-to-know-is-to-know-naught-but-fame/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“We know what we are, but know not what we might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-not-what-we-might-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lord-we-know-what-we-are-but-know-not-what-we-may-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Demand me nothing: what you know, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/demand-me-nothing-what-you-know-you-know/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“We know what we are, but know not what what we may be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-not-what-what-we-may-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/without-self-knowledge-without-understanding-the-working-and-2/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [When your up, your friends know who you are. When you're down, you know who your friends are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/when-your-up-your-friends-know-who-you-are-when-you-re-down-you-know/) [Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/) > [“She wanted to know about them, not to know them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-g-robinson/she-wanted-to-know-about-them-not-to-know-them/) [Joan G. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-g-robinson/) > [As a young kid, you only know what you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/as-a-young-kid-you-only-know-what-you-know/) [Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/) > [“I know I know nothing, but I know more than some people...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mckendry/i-know-i-know-nothing-but-i-know-more-than-some-people/) Jessica McKendry > [I already know that u know that I like u, the question is Wat r u going to do with that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-already-know-that-u-know-that-i-like-u-the-question-is-wat-r-u/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I know who I am. I know what I represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cora/i-know-who-i-am-i-know-what-i-represent/) [Alex Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cora/) > [“More we know, more we come know that how less we know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souvik-khamrui/more-we-know-more-we-come-know-that-how-less-we-know/) Souvik Khamrui ## 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 Know quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“To know someone, to be known. That matters more than he'd ever thought it would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/to-know-someone-to-be-known-that-matters-more-than-he-d-ever-thought/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [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/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) Robert Preston > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) Browse all 22,299 Know quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We know what we are, but know now what we may be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we-may-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Know" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we-may-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/william-shakespeare-4_know_we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we_2642254.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We know what we are, but know now what we may be.” — 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": "We know what we are, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we-may-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-know-what-we-are-but-know-now-what-we-may-be/#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 } } ] } ```