Quote by William Shakespeare

So may the outward shows be least themselves:The world is still deceived with ornament.In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt,But, being seasoned with a gracious voice,Obscures the show of evil? In religion,What damned error, but some sober browWill bless it and approve it with a text,Hiding the grossness with fair ornament?There is no vice so simple but assumesSome mark of virtue on his outward parts.

So may the outward shows be least themselves:The world is st

Summary

This quote, from William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," highlights the deceptive nature of appearances. It suggests that outward veneers can mask true intentions and evil actions. The world is easily deceived by surface-level beauty or charm, be it in matters of law or religion. A pleasing voice or a sober demeanor can cover up corruption or falsehood. It underscores the idea that even the simplest of vices can wear a disguise of virtue on the outside.

Topics

Religion Law Virtue Vice Appearances Falsehood Ornament Pretense

By William Shakespeare

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

As an African American actress, there are people who have be

As an African American actress, there are people who have been staples in my life that opened a door that I can walk through. I hope that I can have that impact.

Monique Coleman

Life People Door Africanamerican

Maybe our young people are not as vacuous as we would like t

Maybe our young people are not as vacuous as we would like to lead ourselves to believe - that all they're interested in is hairdos and looking at other beautiful people. Maybe they're interested in learning something.

David James Elliott

I was one those kids who had books on them. Before weddings,

I was one those kids who had books on them. Before weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, funerals and anything else where you're actually meant to not be reading, my family would frisk me and take the book away. If they didn't find it by this point in the procedure, I would be sitting over in that corner completely unnoticed just reading my book.

The personal appropriation of clich?s is a condition for the

The personal appropriation of clich?s is a condition for the spread of cultural tourism.

No one can believe how powerful prayer is and what it can ef

No one can believe how powerful prayer is and what it can effect, except those who have learned it by experience. Whenever I have prayed earnestly, I have been heard and have obtained more than I prayed for. God sometimes delays, but He always comes.

Martin Luther King Jr.

My dad liked a lot of Motown, but I didn't listen to it unti

My dad liked a lot of Motown, but I didn't listen to it until my teenage years.

I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution

I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise.

Benjamin Franklin

O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from t

O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

Accept fate, and move on. Don't yield to the seductive pull

Accept fate, and move on. Don't yield to the seductive pull of self-pity. Acting like a victim threatens your future.

I've been in a car three or four times when it filled with w

I've been in a car three or four times when it filled with water and it's not a comfortable feeling.

Richard Hammond

You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandes

You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization.

Poetry is the special medium of spiritual crazy wisdom, the

Poetry is the special medium of spiritual crazy wisdom, the form of expression that comes closest to creating a bridge between words and what is wordless.

Wes ''Scoop'' Nisker