Throughout history, many well-known characters have pronounced or written phrases that have become famous . Phrases that, due to their exceptional content, have been passed on by word of mouth, as they generally offer very valuable knowledge in a few words.

These phrases are usually wise phrases and in other cases motivational phrases. They have their genesis in historical moments or in reflections worthy of the best thinkers.

The Best Famous Quotes

In the following lines we have prepared a compilation of the most famous phrases in the history of mankind. They are the following.

1. Don’t go backwards or give yourself a boost (Lao Tse)

A motivating phrase that advises to always follow our path in spite of the adversities.

2. There are no roads to peace; peace is the way (Mahatma Gandhi)

Gandhi left us this beautiful phrase about peace for history.

  • More Gandhian phrases, at this link.

3. Make Love, Not War (John Lennon)

Singer John Lennon always had a peacemaking mentality.

  • A selection of phrases from the Beatles’ guitarist, at this link.

4. To work, it is enough to be convinced of one thing: that working is less boring than having fun (Charles Baudelaire)

Work, even if you always want to do it, is good for our mental health.

5. The worst thing that bad people do is to force us to doubt the good ones (Jacinto Benavente)

It’s always better to be honest even though sometimes we may believe otherwise.

  • More quotes from Jacinto Benavente, in this article.

6. Wars will go on as long as the color of the skin is still more important than the color of the eyes (Bob Marley)

Racism and prejudice have been the cause of many wars.

  • We’ve prepared a selection of quotes from Bob Marley, in this post.

7. Learn to live and you will know how to die well (Confucius)

Life must be enjoyed in every moment and not be dead in life.

  • 68 sentences of Confucius, in this article.

8. Every day we know more and understand less (Albert Einstein)

It doesn’t matter that there is more and more knowledge if we don’t know how to apply it.

9. The world is not in danger from bad people but from those who allow evil to happen (Albert Einstein)

There will always be bad people, but we can’t let them succeed.

  • More of Einstein’s phrases, here.

10. The measure of love is to love without measure (St. Augustine)

A romantic phrase that means we must love with everything.

11. There is nothing that a man is not capable of doing when a woman looks at him (Casanova)

A man’s love for a woman is capable of moving the world.

12. Setting an example is not the main way to influence others; it is the only way. (Albert Einstein)

When it comes to education, we need to be consistent with what we intend to teach.

13. Money can’t buy life (Bob Marley)

No matter how much we believe it, money neither gives happiness nor makes us immortal.

14. If it is good to live, it is still better to dream, and best of all, to wake up (Antonio Machado)

A poetic phrase about living what makes us happy.

15. The greatest declaration of love is that which is not made; the man who feels much speaks little (Plato)

A reflection of Plato on love.

  • More phrases of Plato in this link.

16. You give a hungry man fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you will nourish him all his life (Lao Tse)

No doubt, a great lesson for life.

17. It is better to act at the risk of regretting it, than to regret not having done anything (Giovanni Boccaccio)

The only thing we can regret is that we didn’t do something we wanted to do.

18. No man is good enough to rule others without his consent. (Abraham Lincoln)

In reference to the importance of democracy.

19. Everything that is eaten unnecessarily is stolen from the stomach of the poor (Mahatma Gandhi)

This famous character always had the idea of improving the world.

20. Living alone is like being at a party where no one pays attention to you (Marilyn Monroe)

A famous line by Marilyn Monroe with a touch of irony.

21. The human body is the chariot; the self is the man who drives it; the thought is the reins, and the feelings are the horses (Plato)

A platinum simile of a man and a horse-drawn carriage.

22. Being prepared is important, knowing how to wait is even more important, but taking advantage of the right moment is the key to life (Arthur Schnitzler)

Patience is one of the best virtues of human beings.

23. I am not so in love with my own opinions that I ignore what others may think about them (Copernicus)

Great quote by Copernicus on how we care about other people’s opinions.

24. The strictest justice is not always the best policy (Abraham Lincoln)

In the middle is where the best virtue is found.

25. The wise man never says everything he thinks, but always thinks everything he says (Aristotle)

Over the years, one learns how to behave with others.

26. There are two things that are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; of the first I am not very sure (Albert Einstein)

An ironic phrase from the great thinker, Albert Einstein.

27. Birth and death are not two different states, but two aspects of the same state (Mahatma Gandhi)

A great reflection of this great character.

28. What really matters in life is not the goals we set, but the paths we follow to achieve them (Peter Bamm)

There’s no point in setting targets if we throw in the towel halfway through.

29. The world is beautiful, but it has a flaw called man (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Man can be man’s worst enemy.

30.Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon catches up with it (Benjamin Franklin)

Being lazy is a great defect of the human being.

31. An evening in which all those present are in absolute agreement is a lost evening (Albert Einstein)

Wealth is in the debate, not in everyone’s opinion.

32. I think, therefore I am (René Descartes)

Undoubtedly Descartes’ most famous phrase.

  • We offer you a selection of phrases by René Descartes.

33. What does not kill you, makes you stronger (Friedrich Nietzsche)

We learn from mistakes and therefore we can improve with them.A great line by Nietzsche.

34. Do not open your lips if you are not sure that what you are going to say is more beautiful than silence (Arabic proverb)

There are words that can hurt other people. In those cases, it’s better not to talk.

35. Of all the animals of creation, man is the only one that drinks without being thirsty, eats without being hungry, and speaks without having anything to say (John Steinbeck)

Great truth in these words of the author.

36. Hope is a vital stimulant far superior to luck (Friedrich Nietzsche)

A phrase similar to the also famous quote: “Hope is the last thing you lose”.

37. A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother. (Benjamin Franklin)

Friendship is one of the most beautiful things we can experience, because friends do not come as a series, but are chosen.

38. Only he who knows how to be happy with everything can be happy (Confucius)

Irrational expectations and not valuing what one has make people tremendously unhappy.

39. No person deserves your tears, and whoever deserves them will not make you cry (Gabriel García Márquez)

When someone makes us cry all the time, then we are in a toxic love.

40. To err is human, and to remain in error is foolish (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Mistakes are part of life, you have to learn from them.

41. Some people are so false that they can no longer distinguish that what they think is exactly the opposite of what they say (Marcel Aymé)

A word that refers to compulsive liars.

42. True wisdom is in recognizing one’s own ignorance (Socrates)

Knowing our limits makes us wise and intelligent.

43. The worst experience is the best teacher (Kovo)

It’s in the worst situations that we grow up the most.

44. Education is the passport to the future, tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today (Malcolm X)

Education is extremely important in our development.

  • More quotes from Malcolm X, at this link.

45. Friends often become the thieves of our time (Plato)

Plato was also ironic, as can be seen in this sentence.

46. Let no human being make you stoop so low as to hate him (Martin Luther King)

One of the best known teachings of this enormous character.

  • More Luther King quotes, click here.

47. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails (William George Ward)

Pessimism immobilizes us and does not let us move forward.

48. A friend of all is a friend of none (Aristotle)

Good friends can be counted on the palms of their hands.

  • More quotes from Aristotle, in this post.

49. It takes a lifetime to learn how to live (Seneca)

People are constantly growing all the time. You never know enough.

50. No pain no gain (Benjamin Franklin)

A quote used on the fitness circuit that refers to “no pain, no gain.

51. These are my principles and if you don’t like them, I have others (Groucho Marx)

A phrase very much in the style of this comedian.

52. Politics is the art of looking for problems, finding them, making a false diagnosis and then applying the wrong remedies (Groucho Marx)

A reflection with humor on a subject as serious as politics.

53. True leaders must be willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom of their people (Nelson Mandela)

Mandela will always be remembered as one of the most honest and beloved leaders of his people.

  • Here are some more quotes from Nelson Mandela.

54. It is better to remain silent and look foolish than to talk and clear up doubts for good (Groucho Marx)

Sometimes it is better to say nothing, because the remedy can be worse than the disease.

55. He who possesses more is more afraid of losing it (Leonardo Da Vinci)

The genius artist was also doing some great thinking.

56. Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working (Picasso)

This painter knew perfectly well that inspiration comes when you look for it, because creativity has a lot to do with obsession.

57. Even people who say we can’t do anything to change our destiny look before they cross the street (Stephen Hawking)

You can appreciate the irony of this sentence, which is aimed at those who are sceptical about the consequences of the attitude to change things.

  • More quotes from Stephen Hawking, here.

58. An Eye for an Eye and the World Will End Up Blind (Mahatma Gandhi)

The only thing violence does is generate violence.

59. Live as if you will die tomorrow; learn as if the world will last forever (Mahatma Gandhi)

The key to being happy in this life is to live the present fully.

60. I only know that I know nothing (Socrates)

The humble Socrates, making it clear that we cannot take anything for granted.

  • More quotes from Socrates, at this link.

61. Never break the silence if not to improve it (Beethoven)

When we’re going to talk, we better think things through. There’s no need to waste your voice.

62. You can fool everyone for a while. You can fool some people all the time. But you can’t fool everyone all the time. (Abraham Lincoln)

You catch a liar sooner than a gimp.

63. The best way to get rid of temptation is to fall into it (Oscar Wilde)

A witty quote from a witty character, Oscar Wilde.

  • More quotes from Oscar Wilde, at this link.

64. Doubt is the mother of invention (Galileo Galilei)

It is in moments of doubt and uncertainty that we can bring out the best in each other.

65. They can cut all the flowers, but they cannot stop the spring (Pablo Neruda)

The poet Pablo Neruda gave us this motivating phrase.

66. So short is love and so long is oblivion (Pablo Neruda)

Again Neruda, but this time the theme of his words are in reference to love.

67. One becomes great by what one reads and not by what one writes (Borges)

The beauty of someone’s writing comes from reading.

68. One is master of what one keeps quiet and slave of what one talks about (Sigmund Freud)

The father of Psychoanalysis makes a mention of what we say and its consequences.

  • Discover the biography and other famous phrases of Sigmund Freud.

69. The only man who is not wrong is the one who never does anything (Goethe)

Another way of saying this is: “if you don’t risk, you don’t win.”

70. It is better to do and repent, than not to do and repent (Machiavelli)

Words that have the same meaning as the previous sentence.

71. If you want to change the world, change yourself (Mahatma Gandhi)

The Indian thinker reminds us that to change the environment, it is first necessary to look at oneself.

72. A faithful friend is a soul in two bodies (Aristotle)

Friendship can be so deep that the person who is our friend can be like our family.

73. Life is nothing but a continuous succession of opportunities to survive (Gabriel García Márquez)

Although we don’t like to admit it, life is complicated and can be a hostile place. Mind you, you have to keep moving forward with optimism.

74. It takes little to make things right, but even less to make them wrong. (Paul Bocuse)

It’s hard to get things to go your way, but it’s easy to lose it if we get off-centre.

75. When they are twenty years old, they all have the face that God has given them; when they are forty, the face that God has given them life, and when they are sixty, the face that they deserve (Albert Schweitzer)

Age, with respect to physique, is not forgiving.

76. Love has no cure, but it is the only medicine for all ills (Konrad Adenauer)

Disaffection can be a painful experience, but there is nothing more incredible than love.

76. There is no way to the truth, the truth is the way (Mahatma Gandhi)

A quote that resembles the one pronounced by Nelson Mandela (who speaks about peace), but in this case it deals with the subject of truth.

77. Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)

When we’re at the top, friends come to us alone. But when things go wrong for us, most of them disappear.

78. Whoever has not suffered what I have suffered, let him not give me advice (Sophocles)

Experience is one of the best ways to learn.

79. Life is ten percent as we make it and ninety percent as we take it (Irving Berlin)

A quote that says that attitude is very important for success.

80. The man who has lived the longest is not the one who has lived the most, but the one who has experienced life the most (Jean Jacques Rousseau)

Experience is one of the best ways to learn. It is what is known as experiential learning.