To Thine Ownself Be True

To Thine Ownself Be True

I was first introduced to this classic line from Shakespeare's Hamlet when I was in the 7th or 8th grade at Audubon Junior High School. Our English teacher had written the phrase across the chalkboard for the day's lesson. 

Taken from the play "Hamlet", Polonius is saying farewell to his son, Laertes, who is leaving to go to Paris, and he offers his son a lecture as a parting farewell. How fitting, as Polonius was a man of many lectures and advice throughout the play.

This father's "farewell" to his son, was so much more than this one famous quote, it was actually an entire paragraph of "words to live by", and the phrase "...to thine ownself be true..." was the final and most important part of the advice Polonius offered. He is clearly taking a parental tone in this scene, and not too far off from the advice we would give our own children today.

Excerpts from Hamlet, Act I, Scene III

"Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act"

- I always like to say, "Everything that pops in your head don't have to pop out of your mouth". The latter half of this line, in my opinion, simply means you should weigh the worthiness and consequences of your actions before executing them.

"Give every man your ear, but few thy voice" 

- Listen more than you speak so that you can learn something sometime. You don't have to share your opinion on everything with everyone, every time.

"Take every man's censure, but reserve thy judgment"

- Accept all criticisms with an open mind, and close your mouth with regard to passing judgment on others.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry."

- Never borrow anything, and pay cash for everything, it's cheaper that way. And, never loan out money or possessions that you are not prepared to give as a gift, you may never get them back, and money, nor any worldly possession, is worth losing friends over.

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

- Be a leader and not a follower; be honest with yourself first, and surely you will be more honest with others; don't lie to yourself and always speak the truth to others.

I was fifteen years old the first time I read Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and I am looking forward to reading it again.