Quote by William Shakespeare
If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottage princes' palaces.
Summary
This quote, spoken by the character Portia in Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice," highlights the notion that knowing what is right or moral doesn't necessarily translate into action. It suggests that if doing good things were as straightforward as understanding or recognizing what is good, then chapels or places of worship would be holy and revered structures, and even the simplest of dwellings would be opulent palaces fit for royalty. In essence, the quote points out the contrast between mere knowledge and the difficulty of translating that knowledge into meaningful action in the world.