But to my mind, – though I am native here
And to the manner born, – it is a custom
More honour’d in the breach than the observance.
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4. Hamlet is talking about the King’s drinking party, during which he will stay up late carousing, dancing and drinking German wine. The prince feels that the custom of the Danes drinking excessively is one they would be better off abandoning than observing. The passage suggests an air of corruption hanging over the royal palace of Elsinore.