Shakespeare, William -- Richard II, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 160ff (3.2.160-165) (1595)

Dave — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:08:31 +0000

KING RICHARD: For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings —
How some have been deposed, some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed,
Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed,
All murdered.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Richard II, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 160ff (3.2.160-165) (1595)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1843-09)

Dave — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:29:44 +0000

Never strike a king unless you are sure you shall kill him.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1843-09)
(Source)

In addition to the noted source, see also here. However, according to the reliable Ralph Keyes, the quotation is spurious. Keyes also suggests an inspiration from the 17th Century English proverb, "Whosoever draws his sword against the prince must throw the scabbard away."

A variant, "When you strike at a king you must kill him," is attributed to Emerson by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in Max Lerner, The Mind and Faith of Justice Holmes (1943).

WIST Quotations

Shakespeare, William -- Richard II, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 160ff (3.2.160-165) (1595)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1843-09)