Do you know the origins of this quote?
“To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
This simple yet profound statement comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It has resonated with people for centuries because it has layers of leadership and life lessons. Here are five that can change the way you live and lead.
Five Leadership and Life Lessons
This beautifully phrased maxim invokes simple ideas that resonate with how we’d all like to be described: truthful, honest, having integrity, authentic, and self-aware. While we’d like to embody these attributes and be described this way, it’s not always easy. Where do you start? This quote guides use towards five practices that can help us out:
- Self-Awareness: Know your values, principles, beliefs, and strengths.
- Authenticity: Be true to those values, principles, and beliefs, even if it’s difficult.
- Courage: Stand up for what you believe in, even when it’s not popular.
- Integrity: Act with honor and integrity always, in all situations. Be true.
- Loyalty and empathy: Be respectful of, loyal to, empathetic with, and honest with other people; be true to them, as you are true to yourself.
In short, integrity, honesty, and awareness start and come from within. Then, we can practice them with other people. Said another way, if you are true to yourself, it naturally follows you’ll be true to others as well; and, dishonest behavior doesn’t only hurt other people, it also hurts you yourself.
Shakespeare's Bonus Life Lesson
Shakespeare taught a bonus “life lesson” when the context of the quote is considered. Here’s the background: this quote comes from a councilor to the King, Polonius, in Act one. Polonius is bidding farewell to his son, Laertes, who’s leaving Denmark for France. He’s a concerned parent, sharing words of wisdom, much as a modern day parent might before a child leaves the house for college:
“Give every man thy ear, but few they voice;
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment….
Neither a borrower nor a lender be
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
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.”
It is considered an irony of Hamlet that while Polonius shares great life adages, he does not live by them. He proves a hypocrite by using his daughter Ophelia to gain information about Hamlet’s state of mind and later conceals himself behind a tapestry to eavesdrop on the king. Hamlet, thinking it’s Claudius behind the tapestry, stabs and kills him.
There is a lesson here: words don’t matter if we choose not to live by them. When it comes to character, honesty, and integrity, our actions need to reflect our intentions, values, and beliefs. That is what it means to have character, honor, and integrity.
Wrapping Up
So, know your values, beliefs, and principles. Be true to the principles that make you who you are, even when it’s difficult, in private and in public. Have the courage to stand up for what’s right. Exercise integrity always, with yourself and others. And, be true to others — loyal, kind, respectful, and empathetic — as you are true to yourself. That’s becoming your best!
“The liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe any one else.“ – George Bernard Shaw
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