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Citation Information
How to Cite
Manser, Martin H. "all the world's a stage." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOA00096>.
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all the world's a stage

Definition 
Life has no more permanence or reality than a play enacted in a theater. This comparison between life and a theatrical performance comes from Shakespeare, specifically from his play As You Like It (c. 1599): "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players; / They have their exits and their entrances; / And one man in his time plays many parts…." All the world's a stage, and there sometimes seems to be little difference between politics and acting.

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