Proverbial Wisdom

Express the idea behind each of these proverbs using different words as much as you can.

697. To be, or not to be, — that is the question —
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Hamlet (Hamlet), Act III, Scene I

698. How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

King Lear (Lear), Act I, Scene IV

699. ’Tis not in mortals to command success;
But we’ll do more, Sempronius: we’ll deserve it.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

Cato (Portius), Act I, Scene II

700. Be England what she will,
With all her faults, she is my country still.

Charles Churchill (1732-1764)

The Farewell, line 27

701. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.

The Bible

Jeremiah 31:29

702. Life cannot subsist in society but by reciprocal concessions.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Letter to J. Boswell, Esq., 1766