Neither a borrower nor a lender be
Neither a borrower nor a lender be means that avoiding loans can protect both your money and your friendships; it appears in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Polonius includes it in his parting advice to his son Laertes.
Where it comes from
A father’s advice
The phrase appears in Polonius’s advice to Laertes before his departure for France. He warns that lending can cost someone both the money and the friendship.
In Hamlet, Polonius gives Laertes a long series of instructions about friendship, conduct, clothing, and money before letting him leave.
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare
A warning about loans today
Today the phrase is a familiar warning against borrowing or lending, particularly between friends. It can express caution without serving as an absolute rule.
In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio borrows from Shylock to help Bassanio, putting himself in danger when repayment becomes impossible. The episode illustrates the risks that the saying warns about.
In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
How to use Neither a borrower nor a lender be
- Use it when discussing the risks of personal loans.
- Explain whether your concern is money, friendship, or both.
- Keep its old-fashioned, advisory tone in mind.
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Does the phrase mean that all borrowing is wrong?
No, it is a warning about risk rather than a rule everyone must follow. In everyday use, it often means that lending to friends can create resentment, especially when repayment is delayed or never happens.
Is this Shakespeare’s own financial advice?
It is advice spoken by Polonius, not a direct statement of Shakespeare’s own beliefs. In Hamlet, Polonius mixes sensible observations with a tendency to lecture, so the speaker and the dramatic setting matter.
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