Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

Cultural

A person who has great responsibilities, such as a king, is constantly worried and therefore doesn't sleep soundly. This saying is a line from the play King Henry the Fourth, Part Two, by William Shakespeare.

Example Sentences

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Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, of course, and Donovan has always been aware of the criticism he’s taken.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 11, 2019

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown!

From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2018

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," cries his father.

From Time Magazine Archive

Yet he has kept in his hat a carefully lettered reminder of the responsibilities of his new command: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

From Time Magazine Archive

If Shakespeare could say with an English monarch in his mind, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," we might repeat it with added emphasis of Tze Hsi.

From Court Life in China by Isaac Taylor Headland

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023