April 23 is the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. In his plays and sonnets, surprisingly he had a lot to say about business.
In remembrance of his words of wisdom, here are some of his famous quotations about business or relevant to it:
“To business that we love we rise betime,
And go to’t with delight.” Antony and Cleopatra
“No profit grows where is no pleasure taken;
In brief, sir, study what most affect.” Taming of the Shrew
“Strong reasons make strong actions.” King John
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” Hamlet
“My dear dear lord,
The purest treasure mortal times afford
Is spotless reputation—that away,
Men are but gilded loam, or painted clay.” Richard II
“And oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.” King John
“There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.” Julius Caesar
“How poor are they that have not patience? What would did ever heal but by degrees?” Othello
“Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch
Against whose charms faith melteth in blood.” Much Ado About Nothing
“Wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.” Henry VI
“Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush, stumble and fall.” Romeo and Juliet
“Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing.” Troilus and Cressida
“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve, greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Twelfth Night
