rose by any other name would smell as sweet

The phrase "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a famous quote from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. In the play, it is spoken by Juliet to express her love for Romeo, who comes from a family with whom her own family is in bitter conflict. The phrase implies that the names of things do not affect their intrinsic qualities. In this context, Juliet suggests that even if Romeo were not called "Romeo" and did not belong to the Montague family, she would still love him. It emphasizes that names are merely labels and that the essence and nature of something or someone are not determined by what they are called.