To Thine Own Self Be True 

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You’ve probably heard the line “to thine own self be true” even if you’re not familiar with the Shakespeare play in which it first appears. People are fond of spouting off antiquated-sounding quotations, especially since they can make them seem wiser than they really are! But that’s not including everyone else who uses this for tattoos and other decorations. 

In this post, we hope to shed some light into this oft-quoted line, so that you understand it, at least better than the average person! 

What does it mean to say to thine own self be true? 

At its very essence, to say “to thine own self be true” means you should stay true to your principles and beliefs, and be who you truly are. It involves not pretending to be something you’re not, and not trying to please other people by acting in the way that they would like us to when it’s contrary to what you really believe in. 

People have used this line to encourage others not to worry about what other people think, or not be pressured into living according to other people’s standards. 

Sounds like good advice, doesn’t it? After all, nothing could be better than living a life that’s in line with your own principles and morals, and never go against them. Isn’t that the best way to live a life that helps other people as well? 

Who originally said to thine own self be true? 

Of course, in order to understand what something means originally, it’s always best to check the context. In this case, the line first appears in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3. The king’s advisor, Polonius, gives this now-famous line. 

First, let’s take a look at Polonius as a character: he’s actually a scheming and backstabbing hypocrite who loves to eavesdrop. “To thine own self be true” appears inside of a monologue where he gives his son important advice, this one included. Take a look at where it occurs in the excerpt below: 

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.
Farewell. My blessing season this in thee.

Ironically, Polonius himself is hardly ever true to himself, so it shows us plainly that even in giving this advice, his double-faced personality is still making itself known! 

To make it even more complicated, Polonius’s advice to his son goes further: he tells him it’s crucial to be true to other people as well, in this line “Thou canst not then be false to any man.”—something that Polonius himself obviously doesn’t do! Throughout the play, we see him conniving, lying, manipulating, and eavesdropping on other people. 

Perhaps the contrast of Polonius’s character with the wisdom of this line is intentional: in fact, it wasn’t just Polonius in this particular play that showed this character flaw. Hamlet himself was not true to himself: for example, he spends much of the time pretending he was “mad.” He also lies and manipulates people in order to get information and take his revenge on his Uncle Claudius. 

Is To Thine Own Self Be True Good Advice? 

To some extent, yes: we believe that encouraging someone to stay true to his principles regardless of the pressures around can be good advice. 

Don’t worry, you’re not defined by other people’s definition of success. Just stay true to yourself, who you really are on the inside, that’s all that matters. 

However, it can come with an opposite extreme: some people can use it as an excuse to stay within their comfort zones, when what they might really need is a push to try something new or to adapt to a needed change. 

For example, what if someone can’t get along with a roommate? Should he just think, “Naah, that’s not my problem; this is who I am, he’ll just have to take it or leave it!” Or is it a case where a bit of adjustment is necessary? In this case, the quote becomes a reason for complacency and laziness, instead of fueling resolve and courage to adapt. 

People can easily lean on it as a reason to be disagreeable with society, or to think of yourself as a victim against the world, a self-professed iconoclast whom the world is not treating fairly. Who says we need to conform to the world? If you don’t like who I am, that’s your problem! I don’t need to adjust to your preferences! 

Can you see how this kind of thinking can be a bit problematic? 

Granted, some people really are iconoclasts who are standing for their principles against the pressures of the world: but how about the rest who are simply refusing to acknowledge their own failures by thinking, they just needed to be true to themselves? 

Taking this into consideration, it appears that this line has been quoted and misquoted times beyond number. Perhaps taking a closer look at Shakespeare’s original intent can be more helpful, as we become aware of our tendencies towards pretense and hypocrisy, and find ways to stop this destructive behavior? 

Does the Bible say to thine own self be true? 

The Bible does not include this line, but taken in an overall sense, the Bible does teach that we each have been created with specific gifts, talents, and destinies before the foundation of the world. But it also offers a bit of caution in telling us that in our natural state, our hearts can be highly deceitful, and should therefore be submitted and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ to reach our full potential. 

Using To Thine Own Self Be True 

With that said, it seems that “to thine own self be true” is good advice as long as it’s used in staying true to ourselves for the good of others. Once we use it as an excuse to stay hurtful or negligent of other people’s legitimate needs, it can be a source of conflict and tension. 

We encourage you to look into the origins of phrases and lines before you use them, just so you understand the original intent of the writer! 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

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