Give every man thine 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 stationAre 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.
William Shakespeare · Hamlet
Wisdom & life
“Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice:”
- Author
- William Shakespeare
- Work
- Hamlet
- Found in
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
- Year
- 1603
- Chapter / part
- Act I, Scene 3
- Length
- 82 words
- Source
- Project Gutenberg eBook #100
Public domain. This passage is in the public domain. William Shakespeare died in 1616, more than 70 years ago, and the work was first published in 1603. You can copy, print, read aloud or sell it without asking permission; a credit is kind but not required. The text is copied word for word from the Project Gutenberg edition linked here.
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