The meaning most often attributed to 'a rose is a rose is a rose' is the notion that, when all is said and done, a thing is what it is. This is in similar vein to Shakespeare's 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. However, that's not the interpretation given by the author of the phrase - see below. The line is from Gertrude Stein's poem Sacred Emily, written in 1913 and published in 1922, in Geography and Plays. The verbatim line is actually, 'Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose': When asked what she meant by the line, Stein said that in the time of Homer, or of Chaucer, "the poet could use the name of the thing and the thing was really there." As memory took it over, the thing lost its identity, and she was trying to recover that - "I think in that line the rose is red for the first time in English poetry for a hundred years." Stein was certainly fond of the line and used variants of it in several of her works: Do we suppose that all she knows is that a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. (Operas and Plays) ... she would carve on the tree Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose until it went all the way around. (The World is Round) A rose tree may be a rose tree may be a rosy rose tree if watered. (Alphabets and Birthdays) Indeed a rose is a rose makes a pretty plate. (Stanzas in Meditation) A Daniel come to judgment Someone who makes a wise judgment about something that has previously proven difficult to resolve. This phrase doubtless alludes to the Biblical character Daniel, who was attributed with having fine powers of judgment. In Daniel 5:14 (King James Version) we have: I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. The first use of the phrase as we now know it is from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, 1596: Shylock: A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Daniel! O wise young judge, how I do honor thee! A fool's paradise A state of happiness based on false hope. I wold not be in a folis paradyce. Shakespeare later used it in Romeo and Juliet, 1592. Nurse: Now, afore God, I am so vexed, that every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave! Pray you, sir, a word: and as I told you, my young lady bade me inquire you out; what she bade me say, I will keep to myself: but first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool's paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behavior, as they say: for the gentlewoman is young; and, therefore, if you should deal double with her, truly it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing. 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse' is one of Shakespeare's best-known lines. The king spoke the line in Act V of the play Richard III, after losing his horse in battle. More generally the meaning of the expression is that the speaker is in great need of a particular item and is willing to trade something of great value to get it. The quotation is sometimes now repeated ironically when someone is in need of some relatively unimportant item - offering their 'kingdom' for, a cup of tea, or a warm coat, or whatever. 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse' is from Shakespeare's Richard III, 1594. The expression is one of the best-known in all drama. It is notable for two reasons. Firstly, 'a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse' is a good example of iambic pentameter. Shakespeare used iambic pentameter frequently and this is often quoted as a classic example. An iamb is a poetic form which is made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed. This sounds like 'da Dum'. Any line in a poem using iambs is iambic and one using five of them is an iambic pentameter. So, iambic pentameters have the pattern of: 'da Dum, da Dum, da Dum, da Dum, da Dum,