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, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man." Polonius — Hamlet, Act I.iii
Why it matters
The quoted fragment sounds profound. The full passage is Polonius — a character Shakespeare uses for pompous platitudes. Context inverts the meaning.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.