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.
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
William Shakespeare
"To thine own self be true" is Polonius's last piece of advice to his son Laertes, who is in a hurry to get on the next boat to Paris, where he'll be safe from his father's long-winded speeches. Polonius has in mind something much more Elizabethan than the New Age self-knowledge that the phrase now suggests. As Polonius sees it, borrowing money, loaning money, carousing with women of dubious character, and other intemperate pursuits are "false" to the self. By "false" Polonius seems to mean "disadvantageous" or "detrimental to your image"; by "true" he means "loyal to your own best interests." Take care of yourself first, he counsels, and that way you'll be in a position to take care of others. There is wisdom in the old man's warnings, of course; but he repeats orthodox platitudes with unwonted self-satisfaction. Polonius, who is deeply impressed with his wordliness, has perfected the arts of protecting his interests and of projecting seeming virtues, his method of being "true" to others. Never mind that this includes spying on Hamlet for King Claudius. Never mind, as well, that many of Polonius's haughty, if not trite, kernels of wisdom are now taken as Shakespeare's own wise pronouncements on living a proper life.
(comments above from enotes.com)
It is easy to falsely attempt to take care of oneself by way of denying oneself. In many circles of religious fervor, self is seen as something evil, yet a true created being can only be in every good and bad way what they truly are. Some have mentioned that they enjoy being around me because now I seem to be more myself, who I supposedly truly am. I find this interesting. This perception implies that in someway I have not been myself all these years until now. We are not robotic, static, with the inability to evolve or change.
At what age do we arrive at being our true self? I believe at every age. What most people want and enjoy from each other are glimpses of authenticity, that which we may refer to as being “real.” I do believe that it is important for a person to be comfortable in their own skin, but even when they are not, they are still being their authentic self. People who like our company usually enjoy the current personfication of who we are (which is never the whole picture in light of personal change and transcendance). One can easily change their name and image if so desired. But one thing never changes. Deep within each of us are the fingerprints of our maker. The true self is ultimately a mere image, a glimpse, of our creator. You can see it in everyone if you look hard enough. I’ve witnessed this in people of all faiths and lifestyles. In light of Shakespeare’s quote, true responsibility begins by honestly viewing, accepting, loving, and caring for oneself…then viewing, accepting, loving, and caring for others naturally will flow. I've said it a lot in the past to so many people, "a distorted view of yourself will distort your view of everyone and everything else." Be kind to yourself. Don't ignore yourself. Feed yourself from a perspective of respect and value. Forgive yourself. Be patient with yourself. Be honest with yourself. Talk to yourself. Listen to yourself. Love yourself unconditionally. Other's will benefit from it hugely...
At what age do we arrive at being our true self? I believe at every age. What most people want and enjoy from each other are glimpses of authenticity, that which we may refer to as being “real.” I do believe that it is important for a person to be comfortable in their own skin, but even when they are not, they are still being their authentic self. People who like our company usually enjoy the current personfication of who we are (which is never the whole picture in light of personal change and transcendance). One can easily change their name and image if so desired. But one thing never changes. Deep within each of us are the fingerprints of our maker. The true self is ultimately a mere image, a glimpse, of our creator. You can see it in everyone if you look hard enough. I’ve witnessed this in people of all faiths and lifestyles. In light of Shakespeare’s quote, true responsibility begins by honestly viewing, accepting, loving, and caring for oneself…then viewing, accepting, loving, and caring for others naturally will flow. I've said it a lot in the past to so many people, "a distorted view of yourself will distort your view of everyone and everything else." Be kind to yourself. Don't ignore yourself. Feed yourself from a perspective of respect and value. Forgive yourself. Be patient with yourself. Be honest with yourself. Talk to yourself. Listen to yourself. Love yourself unconditionally. Other's will benefit from it hugely...
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