Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. — William Shakespeare · Smartyfair

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Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. — William Shakespeare · Smartyfair

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

William Shakespeare1564–1616 · playwright · 1500s-1600s EnglandWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet widely considered the greatest writer in the English language, author of plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.7 quotes

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In plain words

Listen to lots of people. Say your own thoughts to only a few.

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give
every
man
thy
ear
few
voice

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3, spoken by Polonius as parting advice to his son Laertes — part of a longer list of fatherly maxims.
Work: Hamlet
Occasion: c. 1600 · Polonius's farewell advice to his son Laertes before Laertes departs for France
Sources checked: shakespeare.mit.eduChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026MIT Complete Works of Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3, Polonius's advice to Laertes

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