to thine own self be true

This aboue all, to thy owne ſelfe be true, And it muſt follow as the night the day, Thou canſt not then be falſe to any one, […]

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], signatures C2, recto – C2, verso

"To thine own self be true," I saw, was what produced vitality, confidence, and genuine expression in one's interpersonal relations.

1977, Robert P Marinelli, Arthur E. Dell Orto, editors, The Psychological and Social Impact of Physical Disability, Springer Publishing Co., →ISBN, page 306

Know thyself. To thine own self be true. For the man or woman who can confront the demon within, there is a hopeful prognosis.

1986 August, Gary Diedrichs, “Bewitched”, in Orange Coast

Several of these women said simply, "to each her own," while others like Sue were only slighty more verbose: "Each of us has a right and a responsibility 'to thine own self be true.' Another person's sexual preference is not my business or concern."

1995, Paula C. Rust, Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution, New York University Press, published 1995, →ISBN, page 51

"To thine own self be true" whatever the consequences was taken as the principle of true freedom and humanity by the romantics.

2004, James M. Morris, Andrea L. Kross, Historical Dictionary of Utopianism, Scarecrow Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 262