William Shakespeare on Ceremony
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“To feed were best at home; From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony; Meeting were bare without it.”
“When love begins to sicken and decay, It useth an enforced ceremony, There are no tricks in plain and simple faith.”
“What art thou, thou idol ceremony? What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers?”
“O ceremony, show me but thy worth! What is thy soul of adoration? Art thou aught else but place, degree, and form, Creating awe and fear in other men?”
“What infinite heart's ease Must kings neglect, that private men enjoy? And what have kings that privates have not too, Save ceremony, save general ceremony?”
“Ceremony was but devised at first To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown; But where there is true friendship, there needs none.”