Talk:to thine own self be true

A cliché? Says who? Sounds a bit biased to me. Tooironic 02:36, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

RFV
"The easiest person to deceive is oneself." That is not what it means, surely. Equinox ◑ 16:36, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * From what I remember of the Polonius speech to his son from which this comes (in Hamlet) it was just a load of truisms and empty waffle that didn't actually mean anything of substance. It could well be an RfD. SemperBlotto (talk) 16:44, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * This may be hard to cite. Most hits on Google Books that isn't about Shakespeare uses it as a title, either for a book or a chapter. Here's one use, which suggests it means "Do what you feel is right". This book about film criticism suggests the same (though it's a mention, not a use), as does the Lifeseeker song "Gone Guru]":
 * You've got to shine, to thine own self be true.
 * They can't tell you what to do when you've gone guru."
 * None of the hits I found seemed to be about lying to oneself. Smurrayinchester (talk) 21:53, 20 May 2012 (UTC)


 * The current definition is definitely off base. I think a more accurate definition of this phrase's modern usage would be "do not engage in self-deception"/"be yourself."
 * 1977, The Psychological and Social Impact of Physical Disability (eds. Robert P Marinelli and Arthur E. Dell Orto), Springer Publishing Co. (1977), ISBN 9780826122100, page 306:
 * "To thine own self be true," I saw, was what produced vitality, confidence, and genuine expression in one's interpersonal relations.
 * 1986, Gary Diedrichs, "Bewitched", Orange Coast, August 1986:
 * Know thyself. To thine own self be true. For the man or woman who can confront the demon within, there is a hopeful prognosis.
 * 1995, Paula C. Rust, Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution, New York University Press (1995), ISBN 081477444X, page 51:
 * Several of these women said simply, "to each her own," while others like Sue were only slighty more verbose: "Each of us has a right and a responsibility 'to thine own self be true.' Another person's sexual preference is not my business or concern."
 * 2004, James M. Morris & Andrea L. Kross, Historical Dictionary of Utopianism, Scarecrow Press (2004), ISBN 0810849127, page 262:
 * "To thine own self be true" whatever the consequences was taken as the principle of true freedom and humanity by the romantics.
 * 2012, Mark D. White, "The Sound and the Fury Behind 'One More Day'", in Spider-Man and Philosophy: The Web of Inquiry (ed. Jonathan J. Sanford), John Wiley & Sons (2012), ISBN 9780470575604, page 241:
 * As Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true," at least according to what kind of person you believe yourself to be.
 * Astral (talk) 23:06, 20 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Reworded and kept per Astral. Thank you for doing the legwork, Astral! - -sche (discuss) 04:06, 12 October 2012 (UTC)