Talk:to thine own self be true

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

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"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, 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, 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, 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, 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)