"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none"
About this Quote
Three imperatives sketch a way of living that is both generous and shrewd. Love all asks for a posture of goodwill toward everyone, not sentimental infatuation but a basic readiness to recognize the dignity of others. Trust a few introduces discernment: intimacy and reliance should be earned, because human motives are mixed and the world can be treacherous. Do wrong to none sets a firm moral boundary; even when love is not returned or trust is betrayed, one remains committed to harmlessness and justice. Together they balance open-heartedness with self-protection, refusing the extremes of cynicism or naivete.
The words come early in All's Well That Ends Well, when the Countess of Rousillon counsels her son Bertram as he departs for the French court. She knows he is entering a sphere of patronage, ambition, and intrigue, and she distills an ethic for surviving it without losing his soul. Shakespeare often stages the dangers of misplaced trust and the corrosions of suspicion; Othello trusts the wrong man, Lear misjudges whom to rely on, and Julius Caesar ignores prudent warnings. Against those tragedies stands this compact credo: extend benevolence universally, bestow trust sparingly, and let your actions injure no one.
The cadence matters. Love comes first, establishing the default setting; trust narrows the circle with wise caution; wrong is named last as the thing to be avoided in every calculation. It is practical advice, yet it reaches beyond courtly life. In any age of crowded networks and quick judgments, the counsel holds: cultivate a wide charity, choose confidants carefully, and keep your conscience clean. Such a stance does not promise safety, but it preserves integrity, and it makes possible a community where openness does not lead to exploitation and vigilance does not curdle into bitterness.
The words come early in All's Well That Ends Well, when the Countess of Rousillon counsels her son Bertram as he departs for the French court. She knows he is entering a sphere of patronage, ambition, and intrigue, and she distills an ethic for surviving it without losing his soul. Shakespeare often stages the dangers of misplaced trust and the corrosions of suspicion; Othello trusts the wrong man, Lear misjudges whom to rely on, and Julius Caesar ignores prudent warnings. Against those tragedies stands this compact credo: extend benevolence universally, bestow trust sparingly, and let your actions injure no one.
The cadence matters. Love comes first, establishing the default setting; trust narrows the circle with wise caution; wrong is named last as the thing to be avoided in every calculation. It is practical advice, yet it reaches beyond courtly life. In any age of crowded networks and quick judgments, the counsel holds: cultivate a wide charity, choose confidants carefully, and keep your conscience clean. Such a stance does not promise safety, but it preserves integrity, and it makes possible a community where openness does not lead to exploitation and vigilance does not curdle into bitterness.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1 (spoken by Lafeu). |
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