To Thine Own Self Be True

Yet here, Laertes! Aboard, aboard for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for.
There ... my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in,
Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!

-- William Shakespeare

-Some take "To Thine Own Self Be True" to mean that we ought to embrace and accept who we are. That knowing oneself, and living in line with who you are, is the best way to live. Being true to yourself, and not selling out to what others think, is the highest calling.
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Others believe that "To Thine Own Self Be True" refers more to not being a hypocrite. One might fool others, but not oneself. If one doesn't want to be hypocritical, one ought to practice what one preaches. In doing that (it would follow) the shame of deceit will lift, and pure relationships will naturally abound. Falseness will fall away, and truth will reign.
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Some major problems I see with both these lines of thinking, is that they assume that we always tell the truth to ourselves. That we always know ourselves. And that who we are is wonderful.
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Unfortunately, self deceit is in abundance. Often, we believe our own lies, acquittals, and delusions. Many times it's others that see the truth about us, and not we ourselves. And we are not always as wonderful as we think we are.
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Since that's the case much of the time, we should be respectfully honest and open when others seek (or depending on the relationship, don't seek) our opinion. Not in haste, but thoughtfully desiring God's glory and their benefit. Maybe, they (we, I) need our (their, your) thoughts to accurately see themselves (ourselves, myself). Hopefully, we (they, you) can provide wise counsel and they (we, I) will accept and apply it. However, we need to understand that most all of us don't embrace correction very well at first. No matter how kind and carefully it is delivered.
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When receiving counsel, we ought to always consider the source. However, realizing that the absence of personal perfection does not disqualify a correct analysis. And when providing counsel, we should be humble and not arrogant when casting our two cents worth (Matthew 7:3). We should be quick to listen, but slow to speak. (I wish didn't struggle with that part as much as I do.)
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Makes me think of the value of a godly spouse and godly parents. Also, the fellowship of believer's, the leadership of the elders in the Church, and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
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In the end ("This above all") we need to see ourselves as God sees us. We should always pursue the truth (even the often painful truth). Then, seeking His glory, we can prayerfully proceed forward. Then (and only then), after we have a proper assessment of ourselves in relation to God, can we live in the revealing light of the truth.
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The truth will set us free (John 8:32).
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(Maybe I'm out in left field? Probably. Consider the source, right? Talk about going off on a tangent. Whaa, whaa, whaa... Anyways, "To Thine Own Self Be True" is at least an interesting bit of writing.)

Was William Shakespeare a Christian? More info here.