---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What, keep a week away? Seven days and…"
description: "\"What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights, Eightscore-eight hours, and lovers' absent hours More tedious than the dial eightscore times! O weary re..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg"
---

#  What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights…

![“What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights, Eightscore-eight hours, and lovers' absent hours More tedious than the dial eightscore times! O weary reckoning!” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg)

> “What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights, Eightscore-eight hours, and lovers' absent hours More tedious than the dial eightscore times! O weary reckoning!”

[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.

The speaker laments the tediousness of waiting and the passing of time.

**In simple terms:** Waiting feels endless and tiresome.

Key Takeaway

Find ways to make waiting purposeful.

Themes

time patience frustration

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- commuting
- medical appointments
- long queues

Key Concepts

existentialism temporal perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you use idle moments productively?
- What rituals ease the strain of waiting?

A Different Perspective

Waiting can be unavoidable; focus on what you can control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absent/) [Day and night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-and-night/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Eightscore Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eightscore-hours-3714848/) [Eightscore Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eightscore-times-3714850/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Hours Tedious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-tedious-3714851/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Nights Eightscore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights-eightscore-3714849/) [Reckoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckoning/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Seven days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven-days/) [Tedious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tedious/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Weary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weary/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/)

## Related quotes

> [When a man's verses cannot be understood, nor a man's good wit seconded with the forward child understanding, it strikes a man more dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/when-a-man-s-verses-cannot-be-understood-nor-a-man-s-good-wit/)

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

> [No reckoning made, but sent to my account with all my imperfections on my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/no-reckoning-made-but-sent-to-my-account-with-all-my-imperfections-on/)

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

> [Truth is truth to the end of reckoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-is-truth-to-the-end-of-reckoning/)

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

> [What is honour? a word. What is in that word honour? what is that honour? air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? he that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-is-honour-a-word-what-is-in-that-word-honour-what-is-that-honour/)

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

> [There's nothing in this world can make me joy: Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-can-make-me-joy-life-is-as-tedious-as-a/)

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

> [You are a tedious fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/you-are-a-tedious-fool/)

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

> [I am in blood Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-in-blood-stepp-d-in-so-far-that-should-i-wade-no-more-returning/)

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

> [Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/life-is-as-tedious-as-twice-told-tale-vexing-the-dull-ear-of-a-drowsy/)

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

> [If all the year were playing holidays; To sport would be as tedious as to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-all-the-year-were-playing-holidays-to-sport-would-be-as-tedious-as/)

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

> [“I am in blood so deep that to wade no further is as tedious as to go over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-in-blood-so-deep-that-to-wade-no-further-is-as-tedious-as-to-go/)

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

> [To be in love- where scorn is bought with groans, Coy looks with heart-sore sighs, one fading moment's mirth With twenty watchful, weary, tedious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/to-be-in-love-where-scorn-is-bought-with-groans-coy-looks-with-heart-2/)

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

> [I see a man's life is a tedious one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-see-a-man-s-life-is-a-tedious-one/)

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

> [My brain more busy than the labouring spider Weaves tedious snares to trap mine enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-brain-more-busy-than-the-labouring-spider-weaves-tedious-snares-to/)

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

> [Speak on, but be not over-tedious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/speak-on-but-be-not-over-tedious/)

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

> [In winter's tedious nights sit by the fire With good old folks, and let them tell thee tales Of woeful ages, long ago betid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-winter-s-tedious-nights-sit-by-the-fire-with-good-old-folks-and/)

[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 Absence quotes

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/)

[William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/)

[Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/)

> [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

[Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights, Eightscore-eight hours, and lovers' absent hours More tedious than the dial eightscore times! O weary reckoning!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nights-eightscore-eight-hours/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nights-eightscore-eight-hours/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/william-shakespeare-4_absence_what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nig_2028824.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights, Eightscore-eight hours, and lovers' absent hours More tedious…” — 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": "What, keep a week away? Seven...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nights-eightscore-eight-hours/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-keep-a-week-away-seven-days-and-nights-eightscore-eight-hours/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
