---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and…"
description: "\"Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our soft conditions and our hearts Should well agree with our external parts?\" — William Shakesp..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg"
---

#  Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our…

![“Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our soft conditions and our hearts Should well agree with our external parts?” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg)

> “Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our soft conditions and our hearts Should well agree with our external parts?”

[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 questions why the body’s softness and weakness should match the heart’s condition, suggesting a mismatch between external frailty and internal strength.

**In simple terms:** Why do our bodies feel weak while our hearts may be strong?

Key Takeaway

Recognize inner resilience despite physical frailty.

Themes

human nature body‑mind vulnerability

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- health counseling
- psychotherapy
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

philosophy existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we nurture inner strength when we feel physically weak?
- What does “softness” symbolize in our lives?

A Different Perspective

Physical weakness does not dictate emotional or moral strength.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) [Bodies Soft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodies-soft-5407030/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Smooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth/) [Smooth Soft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth-soft-5407032/) [Soft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft/) [Soft Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft-conditions-5407031/) [Soft Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft-weak-560022/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [“Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/therefore-the-place-of-what-is-firm-and-strong-is-below-and-that-of/)

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

> [People are born soft and weak. They die hard and stiff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/people-are-born-soft-and-weak-they-die-hard-and-stiff/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [The rigid and big belong below. The soft and weak belong above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-rigid-and-big-belong-below-the-soft-and-weak-belong-above/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Where pity is, for pity makes the world Soft to the weak and noble for the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/where-pity-is-for-pity-makes-the-world-soft-to-the-weak-and-noble-for/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [“There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-more-soft-and-weak-than-water-and-yet/)

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

> [The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-soft-and-weak-overcome-the-hard-and-strong/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Pity makes the world soft to the weak and noble to the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/pity-makes-the-world-soft-to-the-weak-and-noble-to-the-strong/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [“Being relaxed does not mean being soft and weak Slobodan Boban Manic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-boban-manic/being-relaxed-does-not-mean-being-soft-and-weak-slobodan-boban-manic/)

[Slobodan Boban Manic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-boban-manic/)

> [The soft and weak can overcome the hard and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-soft-and-weak-can-overcome-the-hard-and-strong/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [If there be light, then there is darkness; if cold, heat; if height, depth; if solid, fluid; if hard, soft; if rough, smooth; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/if-there-be-light-then-there-is-darkness-if-cold-heat-if-height-depth/)

[Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/)

> [“But, soft! methinks I do digress too much,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-soft-methinks-i-do-digress-too-much/)

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

> [“Soft you; a word or two before you go. I have done the state some service, and they know't.— No more of that.—I pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/soft-you-a-word-or-two-before-you-go-i-have-done-the-state-some/)

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

> [A good soft pillow for that good white head Were better than a churlish turf of France.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-good-soft-pillow-for-that-good-white-head-were-better-than-a/)

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

> [Cordelia! stay a little. Ha! What is't thou say'st? Her voice was ever soft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cordelia-stay-a-little-ha-what-is-t-thou-say-st-her-voice-was-ever/)

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

> [Ay me! for aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ay-me-for-aught-that-i-could-ever-read-could-ever-hear-by-tale-or/)

[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 Agree quotes

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/)

[Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/)

> [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/)

[Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

[Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our soft conditions and our hearts Should well agree with our external parts?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smooth-but-that-our-soft/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agree"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smooth-but-that-our-soft/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/william-shakespeare-4_agree_why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smo_683967.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth But that our soft conditions and our hearts Should well agree…” — 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": "Why are our bodies soft, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smooth-but-that-our-soft/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-are-our-bodies-soft-and-weak-and-smooth-but-that-our-soft/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
