to thine own self be true

English

Etymology

From a monologue delivered by the character Polonius in Act I Scene III of Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

Proverb

to thine own self be true

1. Be yourself; be true to yourself; do not engage in self-deception.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], signatures C2, recto – C2, verso:

     This aboue all, to thy owne ſelfe be true,
     And it muſt follow as the night the day,
     Thou canſt not then be falſe to any one, […]

   • 1977, Robert P Marinelli, Arthur E. Dell Orto, editors, The Psychological and Social Impact of Physical Disability, Springer Publishing Co., →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 August, Gary Diedrichs, “Bewitched”, in Orange Coast:

     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, published 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, published 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 Jonathan J. Sanford, editor, Spider-Man and Philosophy: The Web of Inquiry, John Wiley & Sons, →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.

Translations

proverb

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 對自己忠實／对自己忠实 (duì zìjǐ zhōngshí)

• Finnish: ole rehellinen itsellesi
• French: sois loyal envers toi-même
• Italian: sii sincero con te stesso
• Japanese: おのれに忠実であれ (onore-ni chūjitsu de are)
• Korean: 자기 자신에게 진실 되어라 (jagi jasinege jinsil doeeora)
• Latin: quisque sibi verus
• Russian: будь ве́рен сам себе́ (budʹ véren sam sebé), будь ве́рен самому́ себе́ (budʹ véren samomú sebé)