Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. William Shakespeare
About This Quote

When William Shakespeare wrote, “These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air. And the life of man, with his form and faculties, is a thing that doth fade like a shadow?” , he was speaking about the impermanence of our lives. He was describing the illusionary nature of human beings in a way that contrasted with the ideas of immortality in Western religion. In this poem, Shakespeare shows how nothing lasts forever.

The very things we love (temples and palaces) are not long-lasting because they fade like shadows. We are all impermanent; we are only "such stuff as dreams are made on." And even though we may appear to be solid, we can also disappear like shadows at any point.

Source: The Tempest

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe
  2. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey
  3. This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like... - Marilyn Monroe
  4. When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable. - Jess C. Scott
  5. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears." After all this time?"" Always, " said Snape. - J.k. Rowling
More Quotes By William Shakespeare
  1. Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
  2. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
  3. This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.
  4. The course of true love never did run smooth.
  5. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father refuse thy name, thou art thyself thou not a montegue, what is montegue? tis nor hand nor foot nor any other part belonging to a man What is in a name? That which we call...
Related Topics