William Shakespeare Quotes: 22 Lines From His Plays To Celebrate The Great Writer’s 451st Anniversary

April 23 marks the day that William Shakespeare’s devotees have adopted as the writer’s birthday. And this year he would’ve turned 451. No one knows for sure the exact date of Shakespeare’s birth, but records of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, mark his baptism on April 26, 1864. It is generally thought that the religious celebration took place three days after his birth, since back in the day, newborn babies often died in the first days of their lives. Although April 23 might or might not be the date of his birth, it is for sure the date of his death, in 1616. Here are some of his famous quotes from his plays to remember him by.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question." -- "Hamlet"

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." -- "Hamlet"

"This above all: to thine own self be true." -- "Hamlet"

"I will speak daggers to her, but use none." -- "Hamlet"

"When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff." -- "Julius Caesar"

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." -- "Julius Caesar"

"Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer." -- "The Merchant of Venice"

"All that glisters is not gold." -- "The Merchant of Venice"

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." -- "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"

"The course of true love never did run smooth." -- "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." -- "Romeo and Juliet"

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" -- "King Lear"

"Have more than thou showest, speak less than thou knowest, lend less than thou owest." -- "King Lear"

"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." -- "Macbeth"

"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't." -- "Macbeth"

"I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at." -- "Othello"

"It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock." -- "Othello"

"These words are razors to my wounded heart." -- "Titus Andronicus"

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." -- "The Tempest"

"So wise so young, they say, do never live long." -- "Richard III"

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe." -- "Richard III"

"There’s beggary in the love that can be reckon’d." -- "Antony and Cleopatra"