Everyone knows who William Shakespeare is because of his many famous plays. From these plays, we gather inspirational quotes to post in our Insta, Twitter, and Facebook bios. We use these quotes to get through our life in general. But why do Shakespeare's quotes resonate with us more than someone else's? Is it because his quotes are truly that inspiring? Or is it because Shakespeare was actually a millennial? Here are nine quotes that prove Shakespeare was way ahead of his time.
1. "Society is no comfort, to one not sociable."
I don't know about you, but this screams of angsty millennial teens everywhere. The teens who get invited to parties and realize they are introverts for a reason. The teens who stay home to watch Netflix and eat a whole bag of Doritos by themselves. The teens who purposely fake sickness in order to get out of doing anything to interact with another human being. For all we know, Shakespeare himself was the teen who refused to go to the Opera because there were people there. The teen who would rather write a play and eat olives than go to a party. The teen who faked the plague to get out of a dreadful family gathering. We feel you Will, we feel you.
2. "If music be the food of love, play on."
If there is anything millennials love more than social media, it's music and food. Sometimes we are scrolling with our thumbs, listening to music, and eating at the same time. Sweet blissfulness. Shakespeare knew what he was talking about when he put this outstanding quote in his play.
3. "Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting."
Had Shakespeare had a Twitter, he would've been a famous model with nothing but self-love for himself. Proudly telling all his naysayers that "at least he loves himself." That's some Shakespearean stuff right there. In fact, he probably would've loved himself more than Kayne West loves Kayne West. What a crazy world we would've lived in.
4. "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice."
Every millennial remembers watching the movie "Bambi," and relating to Thumper, Bambi's best bud. Thumper's best line is, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all." Shakespeare didn't have Bambi to show him manners, but he sure knew what Thumper was trying to get across long before he said it on the big screen.
5. "Only great minds can afford a simple style."
Oh William, please don't tell us again that you used to dress like that before it was cool. Shakespeare would've been the Instagramer that insisted that he liked the books, albums, and a certain fashion trend before it was cool. Shakespeare would then sulk about how everyone found out and ruined it. Deep down, I think we all know Shakespeare was the hipster trendsetter, and we love him all the more for it.
6. "Though she be but little, she is fierce."
Did someone say #Fierce?
7. "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."
If there is one thing millennials are not good at, it's making a decision -- which requires thinking, and a lot of it. Shakespeare understood the struggle of making decisions, so instead of thinking about it, he just tossed a coin.
8. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
*Cue Shakespeare fangirling from every direction when "The Fault In Our Stars" came out* Shakespeare would've been a die-hard John Green fan, and he would never let anyone forget it. Ever. And how dare someone speak negatively about John Green. He'll show them that they are wrong to the utmost degree.
9. "Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day."
A thought that races through every millennial's mind is what's the point? I might as well quit school and live my life in my parent's basement. At least I always have Netflix to comfort me. Shakespeare had a 'meh, whatever' attitude and stuck through it well enough to become one of the biggest writers the world has ever seen. No big deal or anything.
Whether you are college student surround by student loans, a famous Youtuber, or a teacher, we millennials have got to stick together to make our mark on the world just like our honorary millennial member, William Shakespeare.
