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William Shakespeare’s literary reputation!

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Shakespeare aphoristic wisdom

Carl William Brown — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 10:18:07 +0000

Aphoristic wisdom

Shakespeare aphoristic wisdom a short essay from William Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary a great book by Carl William Brown of 600 pages, 8 essays, more than 3,000 quotes, 200 quotations by great authors through the centuries on Shakespeare and much more.

Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile; filths savour but themselves.
William Shakespeare

I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.
Francis Bacon

Wisdom cries out in the streets, and no man regards it.
William Shakespeare

It is not enough to love wisdom, knowledge or learning, you also have to make others fall in love.
Carl William Brown

Meditation on wisdom is always praiseworthy, regardless of the results.
Seneca

Passions make man live, wisdom only makes him live longer.
Nicolas de Chamfort

Why, but scholars should have some privilege of pre-eminence. So have they: they only are worthy translators.
John Florio

Love is a sickness full of woes, All remedies refusing; A plant that with most cutting grows, Most barren with best using.
Samuel Daniel

A good life is a main argument, but a good book is a miracle.
Ben Jonson

Man is a Creature of a wilful Head, And hardly driven is, but eas’ly led.
Samuel Daniel

Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them… I know they are as lively and as vigorously productive as those fabulous dragon’s teeth and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men.
John Milton

To the reader, we offer this collection as both a mirror of human nature and a guide to noble living. Let these aphorisms, stamped with Shakespeare’s acute genius, store the mind with precepts that fortify the heart against folly and inspire actions that reflect divine wisdom and goodness.

In an age craving clarity amidst confusion, Shakespeare’s aphorisms – simple, profound, and true – remain an inexhaustible source of instruction, urging us toward benevolence, piety, and the pursuit of a higher moral order. The works of William Shakespeare, a poet and dramatist without equal, have long served as a treasury of human wisdom, illuminating the complexities of the heart and the principles that govern virtuous conduct. Within the rich tapestry of his plays and sonnets lie pearls of insight-brief, pointed, and profound-worthy of being gathered and presented for the contemplation of all who seek to refine their understanding and elevate their character.

The dramatic genius of William Shakespeare, unmatched in its poetic splendor, shines most brightly in its embodiment of good sense, moral wisdom, and a vivid perception of the duties and affections that govern human life. If these qualities form the soul of great dramatic writing, none has certainly surpassed Shakespeare, whose works overflow with truths that illuminate the path to virtue and prudence. As Horace, adapted to Shakespeare, declares: “Good sense and moral wisdom are the source / Whence the true drama gains its purest force.”

This collection therefore, gathers the poet’s most concise and weighty sayings-maxims drawn from the mouths of kings, fools, lovers or soldiers-that distill the moral and prudential essence of his plays and sonnets into propositions of enduring truth, crafted to instruct, elevate, and inspire readers of every age, since they transcend the context of their dramatic origins to speak universally to the human condition.

They teach us to discern virtue from vice, to navigate the tempests of passion with reason, and to uphold integrity amidst the frailties of life. For instance, when Polonius advises, “This above all: to thine own self be true,” we are reminded of the paramount duty of self-honesty, a cornerstone of moral rectitude. Likewise, the poignant reflection, “All the world’s a stage,” invites us to consider the transient roles we play and the eternal values that should guide our actions.

The aphoristic form, dignified by antiquity, finds its zenith in Shakespeare. From the maxims of Pythagoras to the precepts of Euripides, Seneca, and Plautus, and from the Psalms and Proverbs to the sayings of Confucius and Zoroaster, this mode has long conveyed moral instruction through maxims that encapsulate practical wisdom, and timeless lessons for the betterment of the soul and society.

Modern masters like Bacon, Milton, Montesquieu or Pascal have employed this literary genre to convey wisdom with force and brevity, yet Shakespeare, rivaling the best of Greek and Roman antiquity, surpasses them in vividness and universality. His aphorisms, as Quintilian advocated for moral verses, are fit to be memorized by youth, fortifying the heart against human mental instability, making his aphorisms a beacon for personal and civic virtue.

Shakespeare’s aphorisms, like those of the ancients, are the fruit of a mind deeply attuned to the human condition. Drawing from his modest yet sufficient learning-Latin, some Greek, French, and Italian, alongside the chronicles of his country and the Scriptures-and enriched by converse with wise contemporaries such as Jonson, Essex, and Southampton, Shakespeare wove his observations into sayings that breathe with the grace of truth.

As a matter of fact his aphorisms reflect the duties owed to country, friends, parents, and kin; the sanctity of wedded love; and the roles of speare. From the maxims of Pythagoras to the precepts of Euripides, Seneca, and Plautus, and from the Psalms and Proverbs to the sayings of Confucius and Zoroaster, this mode has long conveyed moral instruction through maxims that encapsulate practical wisdom, and timeless lessons for the betterment of the soul and society.

As a matter of fact his aphorisms reflect the duties owed to country, friends, parents, and kin; the sanctity of wedded love; and the roles of judges, senators, and warriors. They teach us to navigate the complexities of life with a kind of intellectual and pragmatic integrity of mind. That’s why we insist once again that the inner goal of this volume is not merely to adorn the mind with eloquent phrases but to furnish it with precepts for virtuous living.

Each aphorism, in its original form, has been carefully selected for its didactic power, offering guidance to the young, consolation to the weary, and admonition to the wayward. In an age where madness often masquerades as wisdom, Shakespeare’s maxims serve as beacons, illuminating the path to prudence, justice, and compassion. They are not abstract philosophies but practical counsels, forged in the crucible of human experience and polished by the poet’s art.

From Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary a book of 600 pages by Carl William Brown. It includes 8 essays, 562 entry words, more than 3,000 quotes and 200 value judgments by great authors and scholars to fully appreciate the real greatness of the most famous literary genius of all time.

William Shakespeare great quotes

The Greatness of William Shakespeare

Thoughts and literary quotes on Shakespeare

Aforismi geniali di William Shakespeare by C.W. Brown

English, Greek and Latin, the revival of learning

The English Renaissance, a golden age

William Shakespeare’s literary reputation!

News and events

The post Shakespeare aphoristic wisdom first appeared on The World of English.

Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary

Carl William Brown — Wed, 07 May 2025 13:19:04 +0000

William Shakespeare Aphoristic dictionary

Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary is a book of 600 pages. It includes 8 essays, 562 entry words, more than 3,000 quotes and 200 value judgments by great authors and scholars to fully appreciate the real greatness of the most famous literary genius of all time.

What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty!
William Shakespeare

Since Shakespeare had a like for revolutionary rhetoric, let’s all cry: “Peace, freedom, and kindness.” So now we can start the play!
Carl William Brown

And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe, and then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot; and thereby hangs a tale.
William Shakespeare

If you really want to change something, you have to start by changing yourself, going against yourself to the very end. The greatest civil commitment is self-contestation.
Carmelo Bene

The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact and they have such shaping fantasies that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary is a great book of 600 pages. It includes 8 essays, with hundreds of quotes, a rich preface to explain Shakespeare, his work, his talent and his time; 200 opinions and value judgments on Shakespeare by great authors and scholars; 562 entry words with more than 3,000 aphorisms; 90 famous texts and soliloquies of Shakespeare, extrapolated from the entire corpus of the Bard and a detailed commented biography.

As a matter of fact we have, a dedication, a preface, an introduction, the following essays; aphoristic wisdom, Shakespeare time, Shakespeare greatness, Shakespeare reputation, English Renaissance, Shakespeare identity, Shakespeare sources; then we have the Aphoristic dictionary and Shakespeare famous texts, a conclusion text, plus the bibliography, the list of entry words and the Index of contents.

All this to reiterate and help spreading, in a period of poor predisposition to reading, the importance of aphoristic literature and the fundamental thoughts of classical culture, both from a philosophical and psychological point of view, and from an aesthetic and sociological one.

In this “Aphoristic dictionary”, all the best aphorisms of the great playwright magically follow one another as if the author himself were compiling a real rhetorical glossary for his own use and consumption, to underline as always the literary, historical, linguistic and scientific importance of the aphoristic expression. I believe this is an elegant and direct approach because it will allow the aphorisms to speak for themselves, much like a pure collection of wisdom. The dictionary format will also make it easy for readers to explore specific themes at a glance.

I have voluntarily chosen to leave the quotes without any comment or reference to the works, precisely because the value of the aphorisms, as linguistic expressions in themselves, without the citation of the source of the work or the character, express the true essence of the language and communication, and contain the true message that one wants to communicate, beyond the name of the author or the other who wrote them, after all what is in a name, a rose would not be such, if only it were called by another term.

Let’s take for example the aphorism “War kills more cuckolds than peace breeds men.” Certainly, if we consider that it is Timon who expresses it in a certain context of the drama, we could also say that it is not the true thought of Shakespeare, or of whoever wrote or reworked the text for him, but if we analyze it without any reference to the work from which it was extrapolated, we have the distillation of the profound idea expressed by the phrase, which could be the thought of more than one character or author, it is a general idea that does not allow itself to be imprisoned by the surroundings and travels freely in the minds of more people.

This collection therefore, gathers the poet’s most concise and weighty sayings-maxims drawn from the mouths of kings, fools, actors, lovers or soldiers that distill the moral and prudential essence of his plays and sonnets into propositions of enduring truth, crafted to instruct, elevate, and inspire readers of every age, since they transcend the context of their dramatic origins to speak universally to the human condition.

What to say today about Shakespeare and his relevance, if not for example to quote Matthew Arnold who states: “The dialogue of the mind with itself has begun; modern problems have presented themselves; we already hear the doubts, we see the discouragement of Hamlet and Faust.” and thus realize that the work of this great genius is timeless, immortal, and best represents the restlessness, ambiguity and unhappiness of modern man in all its nuances, and just as in his sonnets good mixes with evil, beauty with deformity, desire with repulsion, passion with shame.

More than 400 years after his death, the cult of our universal bard shows no signs of fading. Indeed, Shakespeare is now a brand, an industry, “Shakespeare Inc.” as Time called it, titling the cover “Will Power.” Everything is sold in his name: from T-shirts to mugs, from mouse pads to corkscrews. Not to mention Shakespearean tourism, which brings in significant revenue to the coffers of the United Kingdom. The new Globe in London, modeled on “his” seventeenth-century theater, is always sold out. “But this global market does not in the least affect his greatness, does not diminish the ever-new charm, the magic – we would say with Prospero in The Tempest – that the words of his texts evoke, a true universe of words.”

To conclude this brief description I want to say, paraphrasing Martin Amis, that while we write, or read, someone watches over us: the mother, the teacher, Shakespeare, God.

William Shakespeare great quotes

The Greatness of William Shakespeare

Thoughts and literary quotes on Shakespeare

Aforismi geniali di William Shakespeare by C.W. Brown

English, Greek and Latin, the revival of learning

The English Renaissance, a golden age

Latin influence in the English language

News and events

The post Shakespeare Aphoristic Dictionary first appeared on The World of English.

Latin and English

Carl William Brown — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 14:18:52 +0000

Latin and English language

Latin and English. Latin words, phrases, sentences, quotes, or abbreviations still used in the English language with a comparison between the two languages, some useful links to other posts and resources.

Latin and English often differ in that the former is more concise, preferring meaningful words that avoid redundancies.
Carl William Brown

English is a Germanic language, with a grammar and a core vocabulary inherited from Proto-Germanic. However, a significant portion of the English vocabulary comes from Romance and Latinate sources. A portion of these borrowings come directly from Latin, or through one of the Romance languages, particularly Anglo-Norman and French, but some also from Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; or from other languages (such as Gothic, Frankish or Greek) into Latin and then into English. The influence of Latin in English, therefore, is primarily lexical in nature, being confined mainly to words derived from Latin roots.

Many English speakers may not realize how often English words are actually taken, verbatim, from both ancient and modern languages. Latin, in particular, has been extremely influential not only on the romance languages, such as French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, but also on today’s English. It may come as a surprise to learn that English speakers use common Latin phrases every day, most recognizably in the sciences.

A Latinism therefore (from Medieval Latin: Latinismus) is a word, idiom, or structure in a language other than Latin that is derived from, or suggestive of, the Latin language. The Term Latinism refers to those loan words that are borrowed into another language directly from Latin (especially frequent among inkhorn terms); English has many of these, as well. There are many Latinisms in English, and other (especially European) languages.

As a matter of fact many words that we still use nowadays comes from the latin language; let’s take VIRUS for example, it was used in the 18th and early 19th centuries for “any agent that causes infectious disease.” The word originally derived from the Greek, ios. As well as meaning a poisonous secretion by snakes, it was also used in Latin to mean a poisonous emanation from a plant, a poisonous fluid, a nasty manner of speech or disposition, an acrid juice or a magic potion.

From figurative senses of VIRUS in the old “poison” meaning we get words like VIRULENT and VIRULENCE. These were used earlier in medicine, in reference to wounds or ulcers that were “full of corrupt or poisonous matter.” The figurative senses seem to date from c. 1600.

VIRAL is a 20th century word, originally “of the nature of, or caused by, a virus.” The internet sense of “become suddenly widely popular through sharing” seems to be from the 1990s, originally in the jargon of marketing, and is based on the spread of a computer virus.

CORONA is the Latin word for “a crown, a garland,” in ancient Rome especially “a crown or garland bestowed for distinguished military service.” Our English CROWN is just the same Latin word passed through French, which beat a few sounds out of it.

Latin phrases still used in English

Since it left Latin it has acquired many extended senses in botany, anatomy, cigars, beers, etc. A CORONAVIRUS is so called for the spikes that protrude from its membranes and resemble the tines of a crown or the corona of the sun. When I wrote that entry probably very few people had seen a representation of one. Now, probably, all of you have.

HOSPITAL is the same word as HOTEL (and HOSTEL, and, partly, HOSPICE), and is related to both GUEST and HOST, and to HOSPITALITY and HOSTILITY. It’s one of the word-groups that takes you into the deepest trenches of language history and gives you a whiff of the ancestral homelands.

HOSPITAL – mid-13c., “shelter for the needy,” from Old French hospital, ospital “hostel, shelter, lodging” (Modern French hôpital), from Late Latin hospitale “guest-house, inn,” noun use of neuter of Latin adjective hospitalis “of a guest or host” (as a noun, “a guest; the duties of hospitality”), from hospes (genitive hospitis) “guest; host.”

INOCULATION and VACCINATION now are generally used interchangeably for “artificial induction of immunity against various infectious diseases.” There’s a difference, but it’s mostly historical.

INOCULATION describes the older form of the process that was used to protect against smallpox. Another word for it in 18th century English was VARIOLATION, from VARIOLA, the medical Latin word for “smallpox,” which is a diminutive of Latin varius “changing, various,” in this case “speckled, spotted” (related to VARY and VARIOUS).

Other famous words that come from Latin are the following ones:

acumen = ability to make good judgments
agenda = list of things to be done
altruism = selfless concern for others
ambiguous = having a double meaning
aplomb (Fr.) = self-confidence
atrocity = cruel act
avarice = greed
bibulous = excessively fond of drinking alcohol
camp = a place where tents, huts, or other temporary shelters are set up, as by soldiers, nomads, or travelers.
celibate = abstaining from sex or marriage
certain = determined, fixed from Certus, determined
chivalrous (Fr.) = gallant
condign = worthy, appropriate
conglomerate = parts put together to form a unit while remaining separate identities
corona = a faintly colored luminous ring or halo appearing to surround a celestial body
crepuscular = pertaining to twilight
cull = select from a variety of sources
debilitate = weaken

Latin Abbreviations used in English

dirigible = capable of being guided
facsimile = exact copy
ferrous = made of iron
flux = in the process of flowing
fort = a fortified place occupied by troops; an army post.
futile = in vain
garrulity = loquaciousness
hospital = A facility that provides emergency, inpatient, and usually outpatient medical care for sick or injured people.
interred = placed or buried in the earth
hotel = An establishment that provides lodging and usually meals and other services for travelers and other paying guests.
hospice = A shelter or lodging for travelers, pilgrims, foundlings, or the destitute, especially one maintained by a monastic order.
hospitality = Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.
hostile = warlike, aggressive: a hostile takeover; adverse, contrary, unsympathetic: a hostile response
impecunious = poor
incalculable = too great to be counted
incommunicado (Sp.) = not in communication with others
indefatigability = tireless
inoculation = The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease.
inocultate = to introduce a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into a body
insipid = lacking flavor
introspection = looking within at one’s mental or emotional state
languid = slow, relaxed
latinism = a mode of expression derived from or imitative of Latin.
lucubration = meditation
malfeasance (Fr.) = wrongdoing
medicine = from Latin medicina, the healing art, medicine; a remedy,” also used figuratively.
Mediterranean = a sea in the midde of two lands
modicum = small amount
moribund = near death
mundane = worldly as opposed to spiritual
naive = exhibiting lack of experience
obeisance = respect
obvious = clear (from the Latin for “in the way”)
parvenu = celebrity from obscure origins
perpetuate = preserve
perturb = make anxious
plausible = probable
precarious = uncertain
puerile = childishly silly
pulchritude = beauty
pusillanimity = showing a lack of courage

Latin Europe and the English language

quarantine = A condition, period of time, or place in which a person, animal, plant, vehicle, or amount of material suspected of carrying an infectious agent is kept in confinement or isolated in an effort to prevent disease from spreading
rapport = close relationship
rapprochement (Fr.) = establishment of a harmonious relationship
recalcitrant = obstinate
renegade = a rebellious person
reprisal = retaliation
sacrosanct = very important or holy and not to be messed with
sane = Of sound mind; mentally healthy.
sanity = The quality or condition of being sane; soundness of mind.
simulacrum = image
stipend = fixed allowance
stultify = make appear foolish, cause to loose enthusiasm
succumb = fail to resist
taunt (Fr.) = provoke
tentative = provisional
terrace = flat earth with sloping sides
Terrier = a breed et dog that burrows into the earth for game
turpitude = depravity
ubiquity = found everywhere
vaccination = Inoculation with a vaccine in order to protect against a particular disease.
vaccine = a preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen
virulent = Characterized by, causing, or promoting the rapid onset of severe illness.viral = Of, relating to, or caused by a virus
virus = any of various submicroscopic agents that infect living organisms

Did you know when you say this, it’s Latin?

Common Latin roots and its derived English words.

LATIN ROOT	MEANING	EXAMPLES
-dict	to say	contradict, dictate, diction, edict, predict
-duc	to lead, to bring, to take	deduce, produce, reduce
-gress	to walk	digress, progress, transgress
-ject	to throw	eject, inject, interject, project, reject, subject
-pel	to drive	compel, dispel, impel, repel
-pend	to hang	append, depend, impend, pendant, pendulum
-port	to carry	comport, deport, export, import, report, support
-scrib -script	to write	describe, description, prescribe, prescription, subscribe, subscription, transcribe, transcription
-tract	to pull, to drag, to draw	attract, contract, detract, extract, protract, retract, traction
-vert	to turn	convert, divert, invert, revert
LATIN PREFIX	MEANING	EXAMPLES
co-	together	coauthor, coedit
de-	away, off; in English, generally indicates “reversal” or “removal”	deactivate, debone, defrost, decompress, deplane
dis-	no, not any	disbelief, discomfort, discredit, disrepair, disrespect
inter-	between, among	international, interfaith, intertwine, intercellular, interject
non-	not	nonessential, nonresident, nonviolence, nonskid, nonstop
post-	after	postdate, postwar, postnasal, postnatal
pre-	before	preconceive, preexist, premeditate, predispose
re-	again; back, backward	rearrange, rebuild, recall, remake, rerun, rewrite
sub-	under	submarine, subsoil, subway, subhuman, substandard
trans-	across, beyond, through	transatlantic, transpolar
LATIN SUFFIX	FUNCTION	EXAMPLES
-able, -ible	forms adjective and means “capable or worthy of”	likable, flexible, unbelievable, unable,
-ation	forms nouns from verbs	creation, civilization, automation, speculation
-fy, -ify	forms verbs and means “to make or cause to become”	purify, acidify, humidify
-men	forms nouns from verbs	entertainment, amazement, statement, banishment
-ty, -it	forms nouns from adjectives	subtlety, certainty, cruelty, loyalty, eccentricity, electricity, similarity, technicality

You can also read:

English, Greek and Latin

Latin and the English language

Latin phrases in English

Learn more visiting these useful websites:

https://www.latin-english.com Latin English Dictionary

https://www.etymonline.com Online Etymology Dictionary

You can download the following books on Latin at this page:

Latin Language: Bennett, Charles E.: New Latin Grammar;
D’Oogle, Benjamin L.: Latin for beginners;
Wine, women and songs. Medieval Latin Student’s Songs, including translation and commentary by John Addington Symonds.

C.W. Brown Italian Website

The post Latin and English first appeared on The World of English.

Carl William Brown Quotes (Part 5)

Carl William Brown — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 18:24:56 +0000

Carl William Brown quotations and aphorisms

Carl William Brown Quotes Part 5, various quotes, ideas, opinions, thoughts, aphorisms and wits, by Carl William Brown, the Daimon Club literary avenger, founder of the Daimonology new didactic philosophy.

Whoever can’t recognize stupidity at a glance is stupid, and a stupid can’t fight stupidity.
Carl William Brown

Stupidity is the only art that permanently truly exists.
Carl William Brown

Our little planet earth is nothing else but an intergalactic school of stupidity. Anyway if you want to choose the best University for a master or a PhD come to Italy.
Carl William Brown

A true, brave and honest fighter must principally know that the first enemy is his best friend, what’s more he is the same person, that is himself.
Carl William Brown

Practicing a Martial Art is a supreme form of art and it can keep our soul clean from the world pollution!
Carl William Brown

You can’t be sure about life in death, so at least be satisfied with death in life.
Carl William Brown

Good literature must first teach you to die and then to live on afterwards.
Carl William Brown

Literature is nothing but the feed of your memories.
Carl William Brown

Universal galaxies are not interested in your science! So why should I?
Carl William Brown

Could you imagine how much the universe is interested in all your mathematical, physical and scientific knowledge?
Carl William Brown

Since I am a writer it’s more than obvious that I like people that read!
Carl William Brown

Daimonology tends above all to disseminate, share and communicate knowledge in such a way that it is possible to pursue criticism and the improvement of awareness, responsibility, and fulfillment of individuals.
Carl William Brown

Since I am a reader It’s more than obvious that I like people who write!
Carl William Brown

The same time I was born they sentenced me to death and condemned me to spend all my life in prison.
Carl William Brown

Kiss passionately your charming prince and in the end you will get a toad.
Carl William Brown

Taxes must be paid and stupid politicians must be killed.
Carl William Brown

Since the birth my body was sentenced to death and my soul has been punished to spend all his life in prison.
Carl William Brown

The eternal convict. Since I was born my body has been sentenced to death and my soul punished to spend all his life in prison.
Carl William Brown

I have always tried to lead my existence so that I couldn’t live too long.
Carl William Brown

I have always lived in such a way to die soon, unfortunately I am still here.
Carl William Brown

I have always wanted to die young, so I can’t realize why I am still here?
Carl William Brown

A photograph of my mother as a young woman, recovered after her death at ninety, takes me back to a time I have no memory of, I imagine myself as a child in her arms without sad memories, without abstruse thoughts, without intricate reasoning, without fears of the future and regrets of the past, and I feel an atrocious, spasmodic and desolate depersonalization, aware now of vegetating in a desolate land without any comfort.
Carl William Brown

Even the most beautiful, serene and smiling photographs of my mother unfortunately remind me that she is no longer here, and therefore generate in me a great nostalgia and deep tragic emotions.
Carl William Brown

The whole world is a small place and has always been a big mess, so be prepared.
Carl William Brown

Carl William Brown Quotes

C.W. Brown reflections