As You Like It

"I can suck melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs."

"Who doth ambition shun, And loves to live i’ the sun, Seeking the food he eats, And pleased with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, come hither: Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather."

"If it do come to pass That any man turn ass, Leaving his wealth and ease A stubborn will to please, Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame: Here shall he see Gross fools as he, An if he will come to me."

"Live a little; comfort a little; cheer thyself a little."

"A fool, a fool! I met a fool i’ the forest, A motley fool; a miserable world! As I do live by food, I met a fool; Who laid him down and bask’d him in the sun."

"And rail’d on Lady Fortune in good terms, In good set terms."

"And then he drew a dial from his poke, And, looking on it with lack-lustre eye, Says very wisely, ‘It is ten o’clock: Thus we may see,’ quoth he, ‘how the world wags.’"

"‘And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe, And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot; And thereby hangs a tale.’"

"My lungs began to crow like chanticleer, That fools should be so deep-contemplative; And I did laugh sans intermission An hour by his dial."

"O noble fool! A worthy fool! Motley’s the only wear."

"If ladies be but young and fair, They have the gift to know it."

"And in his brain, Which is as dry as the remainder biscuit After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm’d With observation, the which he vents In mangled forms."

"I am ambitious for a motley coat."

"I must have liberty Withal, as large a charter as the wind, To blow on whom I please."

"The ‘why’ is plain as way to parish church."

"Why, who cries out on pride, That can therein tax any private party? Doth it not flow as hugely as the sea."

"The thorny point Of bare distress hath ta’en from me the show Of smooth civility."

"Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table."

"Whate’er you are That in this desert inaccessible, Under the shade of melancholy boughs, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time; If ever you have look’d on better days, If ever been where bells have knoll’d to church, If ever sat at any good man’s feast, If ever from your eyelids wiped a tear And know what ’tis to pity and be pitied, Let gentleness my strong enforcement be."

"True is it that we have seen better days."

"And wiped our eyes Of drops that sacred pity hath engender’d."

"Oppress’d with two weak evils, age and hunger."

"This wide and universal theatre Presents more woeful pageants than the scene Wherein we play in."

"All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side, His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing."

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky That dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remember’d not. Heigh-ho! sing, &c."

"Sir, I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness, glad of other men’s good, content with my harm, and the greatest of my pride is to see my ewes graze and my lambs suck."

"Run, run, Orlando; carve on every tree The fair, the chaste and unexpressive she."

"It goes much against my stomach. Hast any philosophy in thee, shepherd?"

"He that wants money, means and content is without three good friends."

"Thou art in a parlous state, shepherd."

"Those that are good manners at the court are as ridiculous in the country as the behaviour of the country is most mockable at the court."

"I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness, glad of other men’s good, content with my harm."

"From the east to western Ind, No jewel is like Rosalind."

"Sweetest nut hath sourest rind, Such a nut is Rosalind."

"This is the very false gallop of verses."

"Why should this a desert be? For it is unpeopled? No; Tongues I’ll hang on every tree, That shall civil sayings show."

"Helen’s cheek, but not her heart, Cleopatra’s majesty, Atalanta’s better part, Sad Lucretia’s modesty."

"Let us make an honourable retreat; though not with bag and baggage, yet with scrip and scrippage."

"O, wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful wonderful! and yet again wonderful, and after that, out of all hooping."

"I prithee, take the cork out of thy mouth that I may drink thy tidings."

"Answer me in one word."

"It is as easy to count atomies as to resolve the propositions of a lover."

"Do you not know I am a woman? when I think, I must speak."

"I do desire we may be better strangers."

"You have a nimble wit: I think ’twas made of Atalanta’s heels."

"I will chide no breather in the world but myself, against whom I know most faults."

"Time travels in divers paces with divers persons. I’ll tell you who Time ambles withal, who Time trots withal, who Time gallops withal, and who he stands still withal."

"Every one fault seeming monstrous till his fellow-fault came to match it."

"Rosalind: But are you so much in love as your rhymes speak? Orlando: Neither rhyme nor reason can express how much."

"I would the gods had made thee poetical."