The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones; — Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II

My Take –  What will you be remembered for?  Are the acts you commit and the way you live your life going to cause you to be remembered as a good person or as an oxygen thief?

A fair face will wither; a full eye will wax hollow: but a good heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon; or, rather, the sun and not the moon; for it shines bright, and never changes, but keeps his course truly. — Henry V, Act V, Scene II

My Take – My wife is beautiful, and she always will be.  But what makes her beautiful to me is more than her soft red hair and flashing green eyes.  It’s the size and depth of her love for me and my children, her forgiving nature when I inevitably mess up, and her ability to look beyond my failings to see the man she thinks I am that keeps her beauty as the years go by.

Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice
To change true rules for odd inventions.  — The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, Scene I

My Take – OK, I admit I’m a bit of an Apple fanboi and I have, on occasion, been accused of being a gadget geek.  But when it comes to guns, I guess I’m an old stick in the mud.  I have and use guns with polymer stocks, and for EDC, a polymer pistol, Kydex holster, advanced optics, and synthetic sling make a lot of sense.  But my heart reaches out for guns made of wood and steel, holsters and belts made out of leather, and guns with iron sights.   Something tells me that no-one is going to be hanging great-great-great-great granddaddy’s AR-15 over the fireplace in a couple hundred years.  I lust after a Kentucky long rifle to hang over the mantel.

While you here do snoring lie,
Open-ey’d Conspiracy
His time doth take.
If of life you keep a care,
Shake off slumber, and beware.
Awake, awake! – The Tempest, Act II, Scene I

Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot
That it do singe yourself.  – Henry VIII, Act I, Scene I

My Take – There’s a lot of hatred in the news lately.  Maybe it’s the controversy over the Martin/Zimmermann affair down in Florida, or it’s the upcoming election, or it’s conflict over which part of our society is paying their fair share.  Either way, we have to make sure that we don’t let our emotions get the better of us and in trying to vanquish our opponents we don’t destroy the better parts of ourselves.

O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t! — The Tempest, Act V, Scene I

My Take – This past weekend, I was surrounded by wonderful people.  Some of them were close friends, some I had just met, and thousands of them I had never met.  But all of them took a step to show their support for an organization that looks out for their rights, to learn more about their sport and the technology and the issues associated with it, and to let the world know that we are a strong, rational movement.  O brave new world, indeed.

From women’s eyes this doctrine I derive:
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire;
They are the books, the arts, the academes,
That show, contain, and nourish all the world.  — Loves Labour’s Lost, Act IV, Scene III

My Take –  The girl with the sparkle or the fire in her eyes is the one that always caught my attention.  A woman that gets and holds your eyes when you speak with her is confident and ready to be a partner in whatever way she chooses.

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!  — Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I

My Take – Sometimes you have to suppress the urge to ‘cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war’ in order to achieve a more important goal.  Antony knew that if he wasn’t smart, he’d get treated worse than Caesar, so he bided his time and won out in the end.  When confronted with an adversary that has a momentary advantage over you, be smart, be patient, and look for ways to turn the tables.

When he is best, he is a little worse than a man; and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast. — The Merchant of Venice, Act I, Scene II

My Take – I wasn’t aware that the Bard had the ability to look forward to our time and see me in action.

This day is call’d — the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and sees old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends,
And say, “To-morrow is Saint Crispian;”
Then will he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,
And say, “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words, —
Harry the King, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d, —
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me,
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed,
Shall think themselves accurs’d, they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap, whiles any speaks,
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. — Henry V, Act III, Scene III