conscience does make cowards of us all

conscience does make cowards of us all

proverb The conscience often prevents one from doing things that one wants to do (perhaps things that wrong or inappropriate). The phrase comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet. I really want to insult him back, but I just can't. Ugh, conscience does make cowards of us all.
See also: all, conscience, coward, does, make, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Conscience does make cowards of us all.

Prov. People sometimes fear to do what they want or what they believe is necessary because they think it is wrong. (From Shakespeare's play, Hamlet.) Alan: I really want to go to the ball game with you guys this afternoon, but it just doesn't seem right to skip work to do it. Fred: Conscience does make cowards of us all, right, Alan?
See also: all, conscience, coward, does, make, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
We have the opening exordium; "To die, to sleep" adds a confirmatory argument; "To sleep, perchance to dream" offers a rebuttal; "For who would bear t he whips and scorns of time" opens an extensive dilation, followed by the epilogue, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all ...." The particular locution, "To be, or not to be," forces upon us, but not Hamlet, the awareness that the question he asks, and the speech which seemingly considers it, neutralize the suffering being between words and action; like Pyrrhus, "a neutral to his will and matter" who "Did nothing" (2.2.477-78).
Hamlet and Counter-Humanism
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