"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt"

Quote by William Shakespeare 

To doubt is to feel uncertain. To be a traitor is to betray placed faith. often times we place our faith and trust in ourselves; foolishly in the false pretense of our hearts and wandering thoughts. Even when information is clear, our decisions are shrouded by uncertainty when we begin to measure the potential consequences and second guess ourselves.

Is doubt truly a traitor, though? It it wrong to second guess yourself? That question, I'm sure, varies from person to person.

To the person that thinks a mile a minute about every single situation and their outcomes - maybe doubt is your traitor. Your limiting factor and enemy. What stops you from achieving goals, pursuing relationships, and hindering confidence.

To the person that doesn't think before he/she acts - maybe doubt is your friend. Your wise counsel and adviser. The part of your heart that begs you to take a step back. A teacher asking you to consider the heavy consequences over your minor instant gratifications.


I like Shakespeare. Though crazy, his storytelling is difficult to parallel and his use of language is unique to date. However, Perhaps doubt is not so simple. Is it truly better to fail trying than to listen to doubt and not try at all? Imagine a man is drowning in the ocean. First a boy, walking along the shore, see's the drowning person. Without thinking, the boy jumps into the ocean only to realize he isn't strong enough to fight the crashing waves and begins to drown, too. Immediately after an experienced swimmer, who has gone swimming in the exact ocean countless times, sees the situation. However, in his doubt, he believes the waves that day might be particularly harsher than normal and thinks he will drown too if he attempts to save the two. And so he doesn't enter the ocean. The boy was unwise and the swimmer a coward.



Conclusion: the value of doubt is circumstantial.