William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is quoted more than any other writer in English and misquoted at a rate to match, partly because his plays survive in competing early editions that genuinely differ. Lines from the quartos and the First Folio do not always agree, so two accurate quotations of the same speech can read differently. Everything here is cited by act and scene, taken from a public-domain edition, and given in the wording that edition actually prints rather than the version that circulates.