Nought’s had, all’s spent,
Where our desire is got without content:
‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 2. Lady Macbeth says that if you achieve all that you desire, but aren’t happy, then you have nothing and have spent everything. It is better to be the person murdered than to be the murderer and live in fearful joy, she feels. It is clear that Lady Macbeth’s murderous ambition for her husband and herself to be king and queen has brought her only guilt and no peace of mind.