What ought a man to be? Well, my short answer is "himself."

Hvad skal manden være!
Sig selv; det er mit korte svar.

Henrik Ibsen

More information about this quote

Topic

Being oneself Authenticity

Speaker

Peer Gynt

Author

Henrik Ibsen

Source

Peer Gynt

Medium

Play

Statement Type

Advice

Language

Norwegian

Time

1867 1860s 19th century

Occupation

Playwright Writer

From

Norway Europe

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Ibsen, Henrik. Peer Gynt. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1867, act 4, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Ibsen, Henrik. "Peer Gynt." Peer Gynt and Brand, translated by Geoffrey Hill. Penguin Classics, 2017, act 4, sc. 1.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Henrik Ibsen about being oneself: “What ought a man to be? Well, my short answer is "himself."…”
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A quote by Henrik Ibsen about being oneself: “What ought a man to be? Well, my short answer is "himself."…”
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A quote by Henrik Ibsen about being oneself: “What ought a man to be? Well, my short answer is "himself."…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1860s

Without slavery the rebellion could never have existed; without slavery it could not continue.

Abraham Lincoln

Buy Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings at Amazon Buy Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings at Amazon
Read the full text of this speech at umich.edu
More information about this quote
Topic
American Civil War Slavery

Author

Abraham Lincoln
Source
Second Annual Message to Congress
Medium
Speech
Genre
Political speech
Language
English
Time
1862 1860s 19th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Lincoln, Abraham. "Second Annual Message to Congress." 1 Dec. 1862, US Congress, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Current Citation

Lincoln, Abraham. "Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862." Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1859-1865, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher. Library of America, 1989.

Another quote about Authenticity

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library
More information about this quote
Topic
Being true to oneself Authenticity Personal integrity
Speaker
Lord Polonius

Author

William Shakespeare
Source
Hamlet
Medium
Play
Genre
Tragedy (play)
Statement Type
Advice
Language
English
Time
1616 1610s 17th century
Era
European Renaissance
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 4.

Another quote from 1867

When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

Walt Whitman

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer

Buy Leaves of Grass at Amazon Buy Leaves of Grass at Amazon
Read When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Spending time in nature The night sky Experiencing things

Author

Walt Whitman
Source
When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer Leaves of Grass
Medium
Poem
Language
English
Time
1867 1860s 19th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Whitman, Walt. "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer." Leaves of Grass. New York: Self-published, 1867, I. 1. Originally published in Drum-Taps. New York: Peter Eckler, 1865, I. 1.

Another quote of the following type Advice

Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.

Dead Poets Society

Watch Dead Poets Society at Amazon Watch Dead Poets Society at Amazon
More information about this quote
Topic
Carpe diem Living life to the fullest
Speaker
John Keating
Actor
Robin Williams
Source
Dead Poets Society
Medium
Film
Genre
Teen (film) Drama (film) Teen Drama
Statement Type
Advice
Language
English
Time
1989 1980s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Dead Poets Society. Directed by Peter Weir, Touchstone Pictures/Silver Screen Partners IV, 1989.