Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
William Shakespeare
From Hamlet to Romeo, many of Shakespeare’s characters experience moments of self-doubt. In the Bard’s comedy “Measure for Measure,” mild Isabella worries that she can’t prevent her brother’s execution, but with this line, his friend Lucio persuades her to take the chance. For the rest of us, it stands as a warning not to let fear keep us from trying: Taking a calculated risk could bring gifts we can’t imagine.
