To Thine Own Self Be True
Yet here, Laertes! Aboard, aboard for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for.
There ... my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in,
Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!
Commentary
The title has been given by one of my old English textbooks. Guess that’s not the title used anyplace else since I had a hard time finding the poem on the web. It’s basically Polonius’ advice to his son Laertes in “Hamlet”. [It seemed to me more appropriate than our usual convention of using the first line of the excerpt as the title, so I retained it - martin]
Well, not sure I think it’s the best advice anyone ever got but when I reread the poem all these years later, I realised its a whole list of platitudes :). Still sounds like mighty grand advice, doesnt it?
p.s. I dont think I need to add any biographical information for this one!
— Seema
Martin adds
The phrases “to thine own self be true” and “neither a borrower nor a lender be” have (deservedly) made their way into the language.
Another famous set of precepts cast into poetic form is Kipling’s “If”, Poem #271
And in a more humorous vein, Gilbert’s “Things are seldom what they seem” duet from “HMS Pinafore” is a magnificent send up of the genre, including the immortal line
Though I'm anything but clever
I could talk like that forever
– http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/pinafore/web_opera/pn14.html
— Martin
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From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.
mgtownsend · 20 March 2003
The most brilliant rendering of Polonius’ speech I have ever seen was by Hume Cronin, playing against Richard Burton’s Hamlet in the mid 60’s. Cronin brought out every ounce of doddery condescension; he was hilarious in a way that snuck up on you. All the funnier because you weren’t expecting it. Thank you for surfacing a delightful memory. Of all of WS’s tragedies, Hamlet has the most intentional humor. Much needed in the current pathos of the world.
Martin Townsend
Cincinnati, OH
A MARTIN · 25 March 2003
None of it was a platitude when Shakespeare wrote it!!
Tony Martin
Martin DeMello · 10 June 2003
“After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known quotations.” – Henry Louis Mencken on Shakespeare
Rbrt521 · 4 December 2003
My good friend, Miss Mary, read this today, and as always, enjoyed the robustness of To thine Own Self be True……..RAP, MBH
Patricia · 12 January 2004
This is the best piece of advice I ever had, from me Grandmother,who brought me up in my most formative years, I was an early reader , I also love John Donne’s “no man is an island….”
Wayne Champion · 14 February 2004
Thanks for having it available to read. I have been looking for the source of the statement: “To thine own self be true.” When I finished reading the poem in it’s entirety, it sounds as if Shakespear was requoting the first 14 verses of the 11th Proverb in the Holy Scriptures.
Carmen Vazquez · 22 March 2004
while it might be true that it seems as if Shakespeare put all kinds of sayings, proverbs, advice and whatnot together, i don’t think anyone could have done it as gracefully as he did. i for sure could not have done it, so ask yourself the same question.
Dan Hooker · 3 August 2004
Such a great piece of truth and advice to anyone in just about any situation, and applicable to just about any human endeavor. How much more meaningful can a theme be?
Dan Hooker
California
Thomas Adams · 18 September 2004
The older I get, the more I realize the importance of being honest with myself and the more I notice people who aren’t. I also enjoyed the line about listening more and speaking less.something I’ve heard in different ways over the years. The whole poem is proof positive that the truth remains the truth, no matter where or when it is spoken.
Thomas Adams
Mmartinmarie · 12 October 2004
This are sounds words of advise. Many of them based on the book of Judea/Christian proverbs.
Marie Martin
Hot Springs, AR
Jonh1Har · 26 January 2005
I have lived by this quote and Kiplings “If”. What else does one need? -John H.
Karl Sieg · 28 January 2005
Imagine yourself, as Dad, Polonius. You have accompanied your 18 year old son to the dock as he is about to board a ship to go to another country, and see the world, to seek his fortune.
You are making small talk with some other men as your son Laertes is too with some other young men, laughing and joking, oblivious to you, Dad, and the preparations being made by others for him. Suddenly you notice that the hands on deck are standing there, waiting for your son to board, so they can get going.
You yell over to your son:
“Yet here, Laertes! Aboard! Aboard! For shame! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, and thou art stayed for (people are waiting for you!)”
And then, as the reality of your son leaving is hitting home, you are struck with pain and sorrow.
Keeping your tears from falling, you feel that you must impart some final advice that you ask Laertes to remember:
“There … my blessing with thee! And these few precepts in thy memory look thou character.”
I know of no more profound and meaningful words from father to son (or daughter).
I printed out the passage, framed it, and gave it to my daughter for a wedding gift.
When our pastor burned out, and submitted his resignation from the church he started and grew from 7 families to over 10,000 people in 17 years, I sent him the last stanza with our love and best wishes: “And this above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Wsamuel842 · 9 February 2005
Thank you William for your kind words of wisdom. Beautine, to thine own self be true. Love ()
JFFox77777 · 27 December 2005
Fifty years ago, our Junior High School Science Teacher made us each buy a pencil, inscribed with:
“To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
While I never knew it’s source, I never forgot the lesson.
–jim
Bernie · 10 January 2006
It looks cool
Emily ()
smith · 30 August 2006
This is so moving and familiar because the TRUTH comes from One Source. That’s why it is truth; that’s why we can relate; and that’s why it become part of us. UNIVERSAL TRUTH is what made Shakespeare and every other amazing writer able to excite people for centuries. Their souls remember the truth, and they are here to remind the rest of us.
Michael Rooney · 13 October 2006
The advice Polonius gave Laertes is as true today as the day it was written.
John Wolfe · 14 December 2006
One other thing – the speakers of these lines is a man who pimps out his teenage daughter in order to spy on Hamlet and later dies because he’s hiding between an arras in the Queen’s bedroom.
I’m not sure that “canst not then be false to any man” is all so operative in his case.
John Wolfe · 14 December 2006
Arguably, the central problem of the play is that being true to thine ownself is far more problematic than the gasbag courtier Polonius suspects.
We are all not just one self; we’re multiple selves.
To be true to his identity as the Prince of Denmark and heir to the throne, Hamlet should kill Polonius.
To be true to his identity as a modern man and educated humanist, he hesitates and agonizes.
He can’t be true to one self without being false to the other.
I think that’s why these famous lines were put in the mouth of one of an idiot.
William Robinson · 5 August 2007
I dreamed this message. And all though I knew it was from Shakespeare. I have never read it. I am searching to find out what others think the dream was telling me.
The Hills · 25 February 2008
Thank you so much. My dear mother who knew numerous poems by heart would recite them to us quite frequently. When we were struggling with having to make a decision she often quoted this particular poem to urge us in the direction of making a proper choice.
Pam
Maine
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“Faith is like the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.” Tagore
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John Brown · 28 February 2008
I received my 6 month coin for sobiety at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting last night. On one side of the coin, the words” To thine own self be true” are written on it. I was just curious where the phrase came from. I hope I can keep on being sober, too.
Ted Grant · 28 February 2008
My mom although an uneducated lady of Wales knew these words. And she not likely knew what they meant. She knew them to be right.
So she taught me these words and brought me up to apply it to my life.
Thanks Mom.