Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act I.iii ·Polonius
"To thine own self be true."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"To thine own self be true."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"This above all: to thine own self be true." Polonius — Hamlet, Act I.iii
Why it matters
Polonius is giving advice to his son Laertes. "This above all" frames the line as the culmination of a list of fatherly dos and don'ts — all of it generic.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.