“Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.Even now I curse the day—and yet, I think,Few come within the compass of my curse,—Wherein I did not some notorious ill,As kill a man, or else devise his death,Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it,Accuse some innocent and forswear myself,Set deadly enmity between two friends,Make poor men's cattle break their necks;Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night,And bid the owners quench them with their tears.Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves,And set them upright at their dear friends' doors,Even when their sorrows almost were forgot;And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,Have with my knife carved in Roman letters,'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.'Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful thingsAs willingly as one would kill a fly,And nothing grieves me heartily indeedBut that I cannot do ten thousand more.”

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Originally said in English.

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About William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Shakespeare is best known for his timeless plays and sonnets that explore human nature, love, power, and morality. His works, spanning tragedies like *Hamlet* and *Macbeth*, comedies such as *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*, and historical epics like *Henry V*, remain foundational to Western literature.

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"Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.Even now I curse the day—and…" — William Shakespeare | Daily Quotes