From Hamlet - and it just means all the stuff life has to throw at you.

HTH

Alison

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Note added at 2003-05-29 12:36:07 (GMT)
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missed an \"e\" at the end of Shakespeare of course.

Here\'s the full quote:

To be or not to be, that is the question:
Whether \'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing, end them

It\'s from one of the most famous soliloquies of all time - when Hamlet is bemoaning his lot and trying to work out what to do about his predicament.



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Note added at 2003-05-29 12:38:32 (GMT)
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And here\'s a version of the full thing with a modern translation of each line (in parentheses)

Hamlet: To be, or not to be: that is the question:
(To live, or to die: that is the question)
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
(Is it more honourable in the mind to endure)
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
(The ongoing battle that is being waged on humans,)
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
(Or to fight against this sea of woe,)
And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep:
(And by fighting back finish them. To die: to sleep:)
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
(To be nothing; and by sleeping to end)
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
(The anguish, and the many set-backs)
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
(That people inherit, it is the final ending)
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
(Greatly to be wished. To die, to sleep;)
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
(To sleep: and perhaps to dream: that is the obstacle;)
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
(For after we die what may happen,)
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
(When we have left the earth,)
Must give us pause: There’s the respect
(Makes us hesitate: There is the consideration)
That makes calamity of so long life:
(That causes us to live through a life filled with misfortune:)
For who bear the whips and scorns of time,
(For who would endure the harsh experiences of life,)
The oppressor’s wrong,the proud man’s contumely,
(The wrongs of government, the proud man’s insults,)
The pang of despised love, the law’s delay,
(The suddenness of scorned love, and the slow nature of the legal system,)
The insolence of office, and the spurns
(The insulting behavior of officials, and the insults)
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
(That inferior people direct at worthy people)
When he himself might his quietus make
(When one might escape)
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear
(By means of a knife? Who would burdens bear)
To grunt and sweat under a weary life
(To groan and sweat under a tired life)
But that the dread of something after death,
(Except for the fear of something after death,)
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
(That mysterious land from whose boundaries)
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
(No traveler returns, it confuses the mind,)
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
(And forces us to bear the burdens of life)
Than to fly to others we know not of?
(Rather than exchange them for the unknown?)
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
(Thus our conscience makes cowards of us all,)
And thus the native hue of resolution
(And so the natural colour of courage)
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
(Is hidden by the shadow cast by thought)
And enterprises of great pith and moment
(And projects of great significance)
With this regard their currents turn awry
(With this in mind stray from their course)
And lose the name of action. Soft you now!
(And they lose their initiative. Quiet, there you are!)
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
(My fair Ophelia! Lady in your prayers)
Be all my sins remember’d.
(Ask for forgiveness for my sins.)
http://www.sjfn.nb.ca/Lets_Connect/hamletonline/solo.htm#To ...