A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Peter Henderson & Co., Manual of Everything for the Garden, 1896, "Back Cover."

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1594:

    JULIET:
          'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
          Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
          What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
          Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
          Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
          What's in a name? that which we call a rose
          By any other name would smell as sweet;
          So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
          Retain that dear perfection which he owes
          Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
          And for that name which is no part of thee
          Take all myself.

—Elizabeth Periale

Comments

[Merissa]

It meant to say that the names of things do not matter, only what things are.