A golden pear sits inside a small pale-blue glass bottle against a plum-purple background.

Original artwork, not a still

Richard III

William Shakespeare

So wise so young, they say, do never live long.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker repeats a saying that links being unusually wise at a young age with a short life. The phrase they say gives the remark the weight of received wisdom. Its effect is ominous, turning what might sound like praise into a warning or unsettling prediction.

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