Shakespeare Knew What He Was Talking About

Posted on October 16, 2009
Filed Under Love Style | 2 Comments

I found this at a thrift store in Arlington last year.

It says: This above all, to thine ownself be true and it must follow, like the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

This frame, hidden among hundreds of other art pieces, found me at a time when I was seriously considering leaving my job. It also came at a time when I started to learn the Islamic virtues of being kind to others, holding your tongue, and avoiding any form of falsehood — even in the form of a joke.

I stood frozen in the aisle, clutching the frame, reading it over and over again. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was. I looked around waiting for another customer to come by and say, “Excuse me, that’s mine” but that never happened.

I took it home, and hung it on a wall just in front of the door so everyone who came in could see it the moment they entered. When The Boss and I moved to L.A., space restraints kept us from bringing this with us. But when we went home for my sister’s wedding, I knew that this had to find a place in our home here in L.A. It’s now hanging above the couch, and you can see it when you walk into our apartment.

It’s a beautiful reminder about remembering who you are, but never ever putting yourself above another person.

Brilliant.

Comments

2 Responses to “Shakespeare Knew What He Was Talking About”

fa on October 17th, 2009 2:18 am

what it means in plain english? lolllllllllllll
Slice of Lemon on October 20th, 2009 8:32 pm

Hi Fa. It basically means that you have to be true to yourself first. That’s the most important thing — to be able to live with yourself and your conscious. But once you’ve mastered being true to yourself, you can never do another person wrong. Essentially, it’s saying that you can’t just be good and honest to yourself, and then hurt others. You have to have to be a good person with yourself, AND with others.

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