We have all been given advice at one point in our lives. Most of the time it is given by our families, teachers, siblings, friends. In Act II, Polonius doles out lengthy advice to Laertes. From the list, which do you believe is the most valuable? Why?
What are some precepts or advice you have received? Did you follow it or find it valuable? Why or why not?
Respond by commenting on this post.
51 comments:
In my opinion, Polonius' advice "to thine own self be true" is the most valuable. Being true to yourself is the best advice that Polonius gave because when you are true to yourself you can face any obstacle. In my experiences, being true to yourself allows you to focus more on the situations you face and less on how other people think you would face them.
One piece of advice that I try to live my life by is one that my Dad gave me. He simply said "Don't react; Respond.". To me this would probably be the most helpful advice I have ever received. It can be applied to virtually any situation no matter what the content or nature of the issue is. He explained that you never know the motive behind a person’s words or actions. You have to put yourself in their position to have even a glimpse at what they are feeling, but you will never truly know exactly what they are experiencing. That's why it's important to respond to a situation after thought and consideration of all possibilities and not just react in an instant without any forethought. My father's piece of advice has helped me to better myself; it is the most valuable advice he has given me.
I agree with Courtney, that the best advice Polonius gave to Laertes was "to thine own self be true". Being true to yourself is the best advice anyone can give you because then people are going to see a side of you that isn't always you. You want to have friends that like you for who you are. An advice that I go by which my mom has given to me was to always be a truthful and honest person and you will feel better about yourself. A while back I was walking out of Rite Aid and there was an elderly woman infront of me and she dropped a twenty dollar bill and my instinct was to pick it up and to return it back to her. After I did that I felt better about myself, because I did the right thing.
Polonius tells Laertes in Act II to not judge others, which I believe is his best advice. This advice could save you from many fights or arguments. If you do not judge people then ideally the whole world would be peaceful, or at least empty of hate. In addition to this stereotypes would not exist along with racism. I also have been given advice to follow. That advice was to follow as you were told and to not talk back or ask questions. I do not follow this advice because if we just follow what we are told and don't question it what is there to gain from doing the action. For example if you are told to do something you are not comfortable in doing or jut can not handle shouldn't you question why you are doing it or even not do it at all. If you do just do as you are told the stress will just build up until it snaps and you completely break apart figuratively. This is why I do not follow what I am told all the time.
I agree with the previous comments that being true to yourself is one of the most important pieces of advice that Polonius gives Laertes. However, Polonius makes a great point when he tells Laertes, "take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment." Polonius means to listen to others' opinions, but do not include your judgements after hearing their opinion. You should not judge unless you are asked to do so. I find this piece of advice relevant to my life because I always notice people who say their opinions even before the other person begins their thoughts. My family also gives me this advice and I always try to stand by it. My aunt always advises me to do whatever I feel is right. Everyone goes through sticky situations where we cannot seem to make a decision. This advice helps me through my sticky situations in life because I take the time to separate what is best for my family and I. Although we may not the decision at the moment, at least we know that it is what would be best in the long run.
Great responses! So is it easy to be yourself? Courtney-I love the advice your dad gave you, although from experience, I can frankly say I react more than respond, perhaps my own downfall. Kevin- great job reading Ophelia today! I only hope your actions bring you great karma! Justin- absolutely agreed on questioning, always ask questions before blindly following! Sammy- look at you quating Shakespeare! I also believe everyone has their own opinion, but to keep that opinion to yourself, that is a difficult task for some! Great job on starting a very stimulating discussion!
I Completey agree with Courtney, on this. Of the list " to thine own self be true" is the most true, because if you can't be true to yourself, then who can you be true to? It's important to always self evaluate yourself and to know your weaknesses and to be able to recognize and be honest about them. Being blind or pretending to be blind to them will only hinder you in the future and will do more harm if anything than good.
The most valuable advice Polonius gave to Laertes was, “to thine own self be true.” I have also received this advice, multiple times from loved ones and find it to be greatly valuable advice. If I am not true to myself and my opinions, I would be approving of other peoples different ideas and beliefs of which I may not approve. I cherish and pursue this advice and it has helped me keep as well as support my own unique personality, avoiding me from becoming another society robot. This advice is valuable because it prevents people from ignoring their own character to follow societies or other influential images.
In my opinion, the most important advice Polonius had given Laertes was "Give every man thy ear but few thy voice./Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment." My Dad has given me this advice time and time again and has left it ringing in my ear. It simply states that listen to everyone's opinion and what they have to say but offer your own opinions to few. By doing this, you'll be able to take all the knowledge that others have to offer and gain some insight into their perspective on life while making sure to reserve your own. It offers you the advantage of understanding other people while only allowing those you trust to understand you, and it keeps you protected. After all knowledge is power and the knowledge people gain about you can be used against you, so its best that you make sure that that your private thoughts and opinions are only kept in the hands of the few people you can trust.
Although I do acknowledge that, in the play, "to thine own self be true", was the most important advice Polonius gave Laertes, I find that the one I mentioned was more applicable to me.
I think the most valuable advice that Polonius gives to Laertes is "to be true to thine self". I think this is the most useful advice because if you arent true to youself then you have no one. In this world you have to be true to youself becaus ein the end you only have yourself. I am glad the Polonius gave him this advice even though it dragged on forever. This advice is also advice that i recieved. I should be myself and not act like someone else because in the long run i know who is here for me and who my true friends are.
I believe that the most valuable advice is " to thine own self be true". This advice serves as a motto that everyone should live and abide by. If one is not true to themselves they they are holding themselves back and will not be able to reach their full potential. This is ironic because I was just at a concert where Sonny Rollins performed and he said at the very end to "be true to the man in the mirror." What he meant was not to be afraid of what anyone else says or does, but to keep moving forward to the light at the end of the tunnel. The combination of these two quotes really resonates with me because it is junior year and I'm starting to figure out who I am as a person. By not letting anyone tell me what to do or letting them discourage me, I am sure to succeed in what I want to do.
I agree with everyone here that the best advice is " to thine own self be true". Everyone has to believe in themselves, if you dont do that your going to question everything you do and second guess yourself all the time. If you arent true to yourself you aren't no one. If your not true to yourself your honestly nothing. My family talks to me about this all the time and at the end of the day we have the best option because we no everything thats happening and if your not true to yourself your nothing in my option.
What everyone said about that the best advice is be yourself and not someone your not and will never be. If anyone is not true to their self than their not sure who they really are or the might be hiding some thing or event from their past. It is really easy to be yourself so why be some one your not so stay the way you are.
I agree with everyone here, but I also believe that Polonius' advice to "Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement" is important, too. I have heard this a lot in my life from both my parents and my older brother. Polonius is saying that we should all listen to other people's advice, but don't forget our own judgement. In the end, no one can make you do anything. Everything is up to you. Someone can tell you some great advice, but it's not up to you to follow it. Everyone has their own way of thinking and their own way of believing how something will come out. It is good to have other's opinions, but make sure you think for yourself.
Personally, I too, believe that the best advice that Polonius gives is "to thine own self be true". No matter what you do in life or where you go, you should always remain true to who you are and never let the effect of a person or place change that. If all else changes in life, you yourself should always stay who you are.
Of all the advice Polonius gives Laertes, the most valuable advice would be "hold your tongue" or think before you speak. Often times, a person's mouth can get them into a lot of trouble. Thinking before you speak is a wise decision and will prevent a person from saying something he/she shouldn't have said out loud. Some of the best advice I have received has been from my mother. She has given me advice involving trusting friends plenty of times. I find this to be very valuable advice and unfortunately, I've had to learn the hard way by getting betrayed by friends that I've trusted. Although someone may seem like a great person or a best friend, it is possible that they will turn their backs on you. Maybe, if I listened to my mother's advice the first time, I wouldn't have put so much trust in these people I called my friends so easily.
In my opinion Polonius' best advice to Laertes, is "hold your tounge" because not many people think when they talk, they just talk and talk that could get a person in a lot of trouble, or lose a friendship. The best advie i have gotten was from my grandfater, he said only your true friends are always there for you, through thick and thin. I believe this is very true because when i need help i can always count of only a couple of my actual friends.
I believe the most valuable advice Polonius gave to Laertes was "to thine own self be true." I believe this advice is important because in a world with corruption and peer pressure, being true to yourself is key in developing the type of person you want to become. When you are true to yourself, that means you have self-respect. When you learn to respect yourself, respect from others will follow. Being true to yourself also means being able to choose what you think is right and wrong. You are able to stand up for yourself and your beliefs. Some advice that I found valuable was to never give up. Although vague, it basically applies to all situations. For example, school is very difficult because teachers are meant to challenge their students. However, it is important to never give up if grade expectations were not met.
In my opinion Polonius best advice is "hold your tounge" because people don't realize what they say after they said it and it could have been hurtful depending on the situation. You can lose a friend or a really close relationship with a family member. Think before you speak.
In my opinion the most valuable advice Polonius gave Laertes is "to thine own self true". I believe no matter what happens, where you go or what you do you should always remain true to who you are because in the end it is all that matters. If you do not stay true to yourself or what you believe then your nothing.
In my opinion, the best advice Polonius gave to Laertes is "to thine own self be true". I believe this is the most important and most valuable because no two people in this world are the same or can ever be the same. One should always make the decisions he or she wants to make and act the way he or she feels is appropriate. If you are true to yourself, it shows you have the sense between right and wrong. Doing what you want, leads to your own results. If falling into peer pressure and the outcome is different than what you want, you would be disappointed and hurt. If you do what you want to in the first place, you can take your decisions as a learning experience and truly understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Although all of the advice Polonius gave to Laertes is valuable, the most important aspect of his advice is "those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel". With this bit of advice, I feel as though most of the other advice Polonius gave is also covered. For example, Polonius says "to thine self be true", another very valuable statement, however if someone keeps their true friends close, being themselves will naturally ensue. In addition, true friends are the people who get someone through rough times and can really improve a lousy situation at hand. For these reasons, Polonius suggests that Laertes keeps these types of friends close, as the outcome of doing so will be positive and worth it.
The most valuable piece of advice that I have ever received in my life is "put yourself in someone's shoes." This advice was given to me when I was very young by my mother and I truly believe that it shaped most of my morals today. Every time I judge, form a negative opinion, or look down upon someone, I just put myself in their shoes and realize that there is always a reason for things. Maybe the old, rude lady who serves lunch is so cranky because her life was unfilled and she was neglected as a child. Whatever the reasoning may be, putting myself in someone's shoes helps me to help others and never judge anyone.
In my opinion, the most valuable advice Polonius gave to Laertes is to be true to yourself. Many people have given this advice to others. I believe this is great advice because no matter what happens in life you should always stay true to yourself because in the end of the day you are the only one that truely matters. One should always have their own opinion and not be influenced by any other person. Being true to yourself makes you your own person and unique personality. Be who you are. Have the courage to accept yourself as you really are and not as someone believes you should be. Do not take action or pretend to be someone for the sake of gaining acceptance.
I'm going to have to agree with the majority and say the greatest advice that Polonius gives Laertes is "to thine own self true". I was always taught to be myself which relates to the advice. Being true to yourself is one of the most important traits a person has. No matter what life throws at you, you believe and stay true. With everything I am faced with today, I use the advice one of my coaches gave me at a young age, "don't think, react." This is extremely helpful becuase your decisions start to become natural.
I agree with the majority of these comments. In my perspective, "to thine self be true" is the paramount advice that Polonius gives Laertes since no one in this world is exactly identical. Everyone has unique, individual characteristics. I feel if you stay true to yourself, you may realize your own unique qualities, which may repel the pressures of negative conformity.
For instance, if several people are trying to convince me to major in a subject that I know is far from my passion, I should decisively choose what I know is right for me. If I stay true to myself, I can further realize my true intentions and desires, which can save me from taking a wrong path.
Therefore, to me, staying true to yourself is the worthiest advice that Polonius gives Laertes since it ultimately can lead to a correct road in life.
Furthermore, my parents always stressed the value of humility. Throughout my life, I admired this quality since it parallels to staying true to yourself. To me, humbleness prevents an inflated ego.
I personally believe that the best advice that Laretes should retain is "hold your tongue". A lot of people speak with their emotions which can get them into a whole heap of trouble. Before arguing with someone you should think before speaking and ask is this worth it. If a person does not hold their tongue before speaking they may loose a friend or someone important. I follow this advice every time I argue with my parents, if I speak without thinking what I am going to say I know I will be in whole lot more trouble than before. That is the best advice Laretes could retain from his father.
The best advice that Polonius gives Laertes was "give thy thoughts no tongue." This piece of advice is especially useful to Laertes because in the time period of the play, people were often killed for reasons as miniscule as criticizing the King and Queen. This advice is also applicable in modern times because saying whatever you think can often hurt yourself or others. Another piece of advice I find useful is to never make assumptions. I follow this advice because knowing something for sure, is always better than hoping for the best and doing something wrong.
The best advice that Polonius gives Laertes is "to thine own self be true." Being someone who your not prevents people from getting to know you really are. People try to change who they are in order to fit in which causes discomfort to a person's conscience. I believe in loving yourself and not being afraid to show who you really are. Be true to yourself.
In my opinion the most noteworthy advice that Polonius gives Laertes is to keep trusted friends. I believe it is important to look for friends that I can keep personal information with. It is also important to make friends that I know will never betray my trust in them. One advice I have received in the past by my dad was to make friends with the right people. I have found this advice helpful through out the past couple of years because it taught me not to trust the wrong people.
I also agree with the majority of my classmates. The most valuable advice Polonius gives to Laertes is "to thine own self be true". Not only is this valuable advice, but it also highlights the main theme of the play. I think this quote reveals how people in life pretend to be someone they're not to please the society. Its urging us "to be true to our selves", which I take as being yourself at all times. In retrospect, Polonius is telling Laertes not to deceive himself, that he should be real,genuine, and know/believe in himself. I have been given advice quite similar to this. It motivates me to be proud of who I am.
Of the list " to thine own self be true" is the most valuable because you need to be true to you before anyone else. The advice i have received in my life was somewhat similar. It was be yourself. I follow it till this day because if someone does not like me for who I am why should they like me at all. Some people do not realize not being yourself hurts you and others because you lie to yourself. Plus you lie to others. I think everyone should be themselves and also true to themselves.
I think most people agreed that the best advice Polonius gave to Laertes was,"to thine own self be true."I believe,that when one completely expresses themselves to others, people will either love it or hate it. It takes plenty of courage to be yourself knowing that not everyone will accept it. If one is completely honest, inwardly, the deceptions of others will not totally break them. Within themselves, they will find the truth in who and what they are, despite the impaired judgements of others.
The best advice Polonius gave to Laertes was "to thine ownself be true." The one thing any person should always be is true to yourself. I completely agree with Christian Vega. I was always told by my family and close friends to be true and real with myself. If a person isn't real than all of his or her friends aren't real either. No matter what I end up doing in my life I want to make sure i'm being myself. I would never want anybody to like me for someone I'm not.
For me, the most valuable piece of advice Polonius gives is, like most of the others, "to thine own self be true". This advice, I find, has proven true at multiple times in my life, when I would act differently and like someone I wasn't, and listened to the musc and dressed however I believed would help fit in the most. Only in the past year have I really understood the meaning of this advice and followed it, realizing my true style and friends. Other words of advice Polonius shares with Laertes I too have received from my own parents, such as listening to others more than speaking. I follow what I have been told and it it valuable because not only has it come from my parents, but it seems logically wise from my point of view and has worked so far.
I feel Polonious best advice was "to thine ownb self be true". I think this is really important piece of advice because no matter what time you live in a poser will always exposed. Being true to yourself requires little effort and does not stress you out. It also helps you find true and meaningful relationships because people will love you for who you are instead of what you are trying to be.
I feel that "Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement" was the best advice Polonius gave to Laertes. Many a times, people who pass their judgement too quickly end up in a sticky situation. It could also lead to the lose of a friendship or a trust. Jumping to the wrong conclusion can be disastrous. The best advice I ever received was to constantly compete against myself. My dad told me not to worry about competing with others but to focus on surpassing my ability and potential. I took this advice as a message to constantly work to get better and better at anything and everything.
"Give thy thoughts no tongue" is the best advice that Polonius can give Laertes. Before Laertes says anything and could potentially harm him or anyone else, he should think about what he's going to say. I have recieved the same advise (not in the same language of course) on several different occasions. I follow it and find it valuable because it saves me from potential drama, trouble, and losing a limb to someone.
The most important quote Polonius said to Laeters is “to thine own self be true.” It is important to be unique and not follow what other people say. This goes perfectly in high school where very few people stand out. It is important to develop your own personality and style as a person so people can get to know the real you and not just a person you are pretending to be.
From the list I feel that "to thine ownself be true" is the best advice Polonius gave Laertes. This advice is very true because I feel that no matter what you should always be true to yourself. You should never feel that you should try to be or act like something or someone that you are not. It is not good to follow other people and to do what they do and say what they say or act how they act. People should just be themselves. I was always told to be true to myself from my parents and from friends and that is the best advice I have received from anyone. When you are true to yourself you start to build your true personality and it is very important to build that around yourself and not build a personality based on someone else. Everyone has unique characteristics and they should not hide them because they are trying to mirror someone else. Everyone should just be true to themselves.
I agree with everyone with the quote "to thine own self be true", each and every one of us should be on their own ways and should not think about what people say to them whether behind their backs or in front of them. I think that everyone has their own way on delivering themselves to the society. People may judge you but who cares you just need to be true to yourself and believe what is right. With that, it can get you to a successful path. In Polonius's part, he is a walking contradiction and he just cannot shut up.
The best advice given to Laertes by Polonius is "Give thy thoughts no tongue" which is basically to hold his toungue . Often times people believe that they must speak their minds at all times no matter the situation , but that's not always smart. In most situations holding your toungue is the right thing to do. If more people followed this advice their lives might be a little easier with less arguements. By not holding your toungue and always saying what is on your mind you often times hurt others deeply and also ruin relationships important to you. Although you may be able to apologize for something said it does not erase what was said and the feelings that were felt because of those words . I think many people would benefit from this advice because if more people knew how to hold their toungue and not say something rude or mean when not needed so many predicaments could be prevented.
I think the most important advice that Polonius gave laertes is to be truthful to yourself because with like everyone else is say if you're not truthful to yourself who can you be truthful to. Another one I also think is good is when he says to think before you speak and take other people's advice, but don't forget what you've been tought I think all the advice was good! Then again being truthful to yourself can take a long way. I've been given advice that help and advice that I know I shouldn't listen to. Alot of advice I've been given I ignore because I didn't forget what I was tought or have seen happen to others my mother told me that all men are dogs and I still remember that when a guy tries to "talk" to me I remember to keep my guard up because all men are dogs in some way shape or form
"Give thy thoughts no tongue," was the best advice Polonius gave to Laertes. He meant to say what was on his mind but in few words. Not to say evrything but just what was needed to be said. Most people say so many word but have no substance. He told him to be direct with people and that is something everyone can learn how to do.
"To thine own self be true," is the best advice Polonius gave Laertes. You should always be true to yourself. If you aren't true to yourself then you really can't be true to anyone else. You also have to do things YOUR own way cause that's how YOU are, if you do what other people tell you to do then whats the point of being YOU if you keep doing what other people "believe" is right for you ?!
My mom always tells me "No one is your friend in life except me, your mom " which i believe is definitely true ! I have many friend and there are some things I can trust them with, but there are things that I can't say so I have to tell my mom, besides I've been proven wrong so many times that I actually do believe what my mom tells me. & it may not be the BEST advice ever to exist, but to me it's something to always keep it in the back of my mind.
Nice job here!!! Many of you believe being true to yourself is most important, do you think this is easy or difficult to do? What pressures exsist in our society that sometimes make this difficult?
The best advice that Polonius gave to Laertes would be "Give thy thoughts no tongue." If you speak what's on your mind right away it may not have a positive effect, especially if it's something negative. If you speak your mind it's most likely something true and sometimes the truth can hurt people.
In Act II, Polonius gives Laertes a lot of helpful advice. However, out of all the advice Polonius gives I found, "This above all: to thine own self be true." Polonius says this at the end before Laertes leaves. What he is basically saying is be true to yourself and it sums up everything Polonius tells Laertes. Being true to yourself is extremely important since he is going to France, and people would obviously be different. If Laertes changed himself to blend in, he wouldn't be true to himself. As a father, Polonius gives that bit of advice to Laertes that is extremely important, I feel. That is actually an advice that I have received before and I do follow it. There are so many factors out there that want you to change from commercials to people, but if everything influenced me I would be a fake person. I want to be true to myself.
The most valuable advice Polonius gave to Laertes was "Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement." Someone's thoughts will always leave an impression in your mind, no matter how brief. The key is to listen to what the individual is saying without giving your feedback. There are always instances where it necessary and safer to keep one's thoughts to themselves. Reserving one's thoughts can keep an individual out of trouble and keep them from losing someone or something very close to their heart. Polonius is looking out for his son when he tells him to listen to what everyone is saying, yet to reserve his judgement.
The best advice I have ever received was from my parents. Throughout my life, my parents stressed the importance and significance of an education. Additionally, they told me my biggest competition was myself. I use my parents' advice everyday to not only shape my life, but to motivate myself to achieve my goals.
In Act II, Polonius doles out lengthy advice to Laertes. The most valuable piece of advice would be when Laertes was told to only have a few close friends. I believe this to be most valuable because having a few close friends is better then having a lot of fake friends. People that are in your life for the wrong reasons tend to bring you down with them, those are not real friends. Only positive people who mean well should be given the privilege of being called your friends.
Advice that I have received that is most valuable to me would be to love myself before attempting to love anyone else. Yes, I have followed this piece of advice because I have experienced for myself that trying to love and build a relationship with someone else without loving yourself is nearly impossible. If you do not respect yourself you can not expect anyone else to respect you. You have to learn to be alone before you try to be with anyone else.
I believe that the most valuable advice Polonius gave to Laertes was when he said, “take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment” He is saying that people will give you many types of advice. However, always keep your own judgment. It will be up to you to decide what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, Polonius is basically telling his son that does not forget to think for you. Needing help and seeking advice is not wrong. But anyone who blindly follows someone’s advice is a fool.
I relate this to myself for when I go to college there will be people who will tell me many different things. The real world is lot more competitive then high school; therefore not all of the advice I relieve will be helpful. However, I will carefully think and decide whether the advice given was to help or hurt me.
Although all of Polonius's advice to Laertes comes from a place of wisdom, and is all very important, by far the most important lesson Polonius teaches his son is to be true to yourself. At the end of his lengthy list of advice, Polonius says "to thine own self be true." If you give up your integrity, and lose yourself for whatever reason, you are left with nothing. This is why it is so important to stick to your morals and to stand up for what you believe. You need to be true to yourself, no matter what. This is the exact point that Polonius was trying to stress to Laertes.
The best advice I've ever received came from my mother, and it is something that I live by each and every single day of my life. She has always told me to do what makes me happy. This advice is actually similar to Polonius's in that it emphasizes the importance of not compromising yourself and what you want in life. However, with this advice you need to careful not to take it to the extreme. It is not meant to be taken as you shouldn't care about other peoples' happiness, but rather that you shouldn't only care about everyone else; sometimes you need to care about yourself and your own happiness. Balance is the key to putting this particular advice to work.
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