Today I want to share an ongoing list of 85+ Spanish quotes about life with you to inspire you and encourage you to reflect.
Life is such a beautiful journey but sometimes we get distracted with work, family, and the utter ‘busyness’ of a capitalistic society that we forget to pause and take in the beauty of our surroundings. The beauty of our loved-ones. And most importantly our own inner beauty.
It’s time to reevaluate our lives this 2023 through reflection. What areas are we doing well in and in what areas can we improve? Maybe you need a little more self-love and confidence. Or maybe some motivation to get off the couch and follow your dreams. Or maybe you want to embrace a more positive attitude!
I think these Spanish quotes about life will be great starters to get you thinking about where you want to take your life!
And, if Spanish isn’t your first language, maybe you can learn some new words from these quotes, too!
So, what are you waiting for, let’s getting reflecting about life with these 85+ Spanish quotes about life.
WAYS TO USE THESE Spanish life quotes
How can you use these Spanish life quotes? Easy. I’ll leave some ideas below!
- Make a mindful activity out of these quotes by drawing them on a blank piece of paper and hanging them around the room.
- Not crafty? You could also create a design in a free software like Canva, print them out and hang them around the room.
- Use these Spanish life quotes as affirmations and say them to yourself as often as you can.
- Have a friend or family member that is down in the dumps? Make them a nice card and include one of these life quotes in Spanish to pick them up.
- Learning Spanish? Pick a handful of these quotes each day. Write them down and translate them. For any words or grammar that you’re not familiar with, write it down, look it up, and practice it. Keep an ongoing library of Spanish words that you don’t know. Come back to it later and I’ll bet you will remember the word this time! This is one way I became fluent in Spanish. Through music, too!
Alright now onto this list of 65+ Spanish life quotes and their English translation! Keep an eye out for my favorite positive quotes. They will have a graphic below them with colors of wisdom and intelligence: shade of blue and orange!
1. “No midas tu riqueza por el dinero que tienes, mídela por aquellas cosas que tienes y que no cambiarías por dinero.” Paulo Coelho
“Don’t measure your richness by the amount of money you have, measure it by those things that you have that you would not exchange for money.”
2. “Lo que sabemos es una gota de agua; lo que ignoramos es el océano.” Isaac Newton
“What we know is a drop of water; what we ignore is the ocean.”
3. “Si no quieres sentirte frustrado, no te pongas metas imposibles.”
If you don’t want to feel frustrated, don’t make impossible goals.”
4. “Las cosas que amamos nos dicen quiénes somos.” Tomás de Aquino
“The things that we love tell us who we are.”
5. “Al final, no son los años en nuestra vida lo que cuenta, sino la vida en nuestros años.” Abraham Lincoln
“At the end, it’s not about the years of our life that counts, but rather the life in our years.”
6. “Es mejor ser rey de tu silencio que esclavo de tus palabras.” William Shakespeare
“It’s better to be king of your silence than to be a slave to your words.”
7. “El elemento más violento de la sociedad es la ignorancia.” Emma Goldman
“The most violent element of society is ignorance.”
8. “La juventud es un regalo de la naturaleza, pero la edad es una obra de arte.” Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
“Youth is a gift of nature, but age is a work of art.”
9. “No le tengas miedo a la perfección; nunca la vas a alcanzar.” Salvador Dalí
“Don’t be scared of perfection because you’re never going to reach it.”
Related: 100 + Beautiful Self-Love Quotes in Spanish with English Translation
10. “No pierdas nunca el sentido del humor y aprende a reírte de tus propios defectos.”
“Don’t ever lose your sense of humor and learn to laugh at all of your flaws.”
11. “Quien tiene paciencia, obtendrá lo que desea.” Benjamin Franklin
“He who has patience will obtain everything he desires.”
12. “Un hombre que no se alimenta de sus sueños envejece pronto.” William Shakespeare
“A man that does not feed his fears will age quickly.”
13. “Daría todo lo que sé, por la mitad de lo que ignoro.” René Descartes
“I would give everything that I know for half of everything I ignore.”
14. “La reflexión es el camino hacia la inmortalidad; la falta de reflexión, el camino hacia la muerte.” Buda
“Reflection is the path towards immortality; the lack of reflection, the path towards death.”
15. “Las personas ofenden antes a los que aman que a los que temen. Maquiavelo
“People offend those whom they love before those that they fear.”
16. “La preocupación es como una mecedora, te mantiene ocupado pero no te lleva a ninguna parte.”
“Worrying is like a rocking chair. It keeps you busy but takes you nowhere.”
17. “Nuestra vida siempre expresa el resultado de nuestros pensamientos dominantes.” Søren Kierkegaard
“Our life always conveys the results of our dominant thoughts.”
18. “Conocer a los demás es sabiduría; conocerse a uno mismo es iluminación.” Lao-Tsé
“Getting to know others is wisdom; getting to know oneself is illumination.”
19. “A veces sentimos que lo que hacemos es tan solo una gota en el mar, pero el mar sería mucho menos si le faltara una gota.” Madre Teresa de Calcuta
“Sometimes we feel that what we know is only a drop of water in the ocean, but the ocean would be a lot less if it were missing a drop.”
20. “Lástima que cuando uno empieza a aprender el oficio de vivir, ya hay que morir.” Ernesto Sábato
“It’s a shame that when one begins to learn the craft of living, one has to die.”
21. “Si no cambiamos la dirección de nuestros pasos, es muy probable que acabemos llegando allí donde nos dirigimos.”
“If we don’t change the direction of our steps, it’s probable that we will end up right where we started.”
22. “El perdón no es un acto ocasional; es una actitud constante.” Martin Luther King
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it’s a constant attitude.”
23. “Aquellos que no se mueven no notan sus cadenas.” Rosa Luxemburgo
“Those who don’t move don’t notice their chains.”
Related: 65+ Positive Spanish Quotes To Encourage an Optimistic Life
24. “El conocimiento habla, pero la sabiduría escucha.” Jimi Hendrix
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
25. “La vida es un eco, si no te gusta lo que estás recibiendo, fíjate en lo que estás emitiendo.”
“Life is an echo. If you don’t like what you are receiving, take a look at what you are giving out.”
26. “Si caminas solo, irás más rápido. Si caminas acompañado, llegarás más lejos.”
“If you walk alone, you will go faster. If you walk in company, you will get further.”
27. “Cuando saco a una persona de mi vida, no significa que la odie, significa que me respeto.”
“When I take someone out of my life, it doesn’t mean that I hate them, It means that I respect myself.”
28. “El tiempo es aquello que más queremos y también lo que peor utilizamos.” William Penn
“Time is the thing that we want more of but also the thing we use the worst.”
29. “Nunca somos tan vulnerables al sufrimiento como cuando amamos.” Sigmund Freud
“We are never so vulnerable to suffering like when we love.”
Related: 67+ Love Quotes in Spanish to Share With your Amor
30. “Si quieres ser sabio, aprende a interrogar razonablemente, a escuchar con atención, a responder serenamente y a callar cuando no tengas nada que decir.” Johann Kaspar Lavater
“If you want to be wise, learn to question reasonably, to listen with attention, to respond sincerely and to keep quiet when you don’t have anything to say.”
31. “Importa mucho más lo que tu pienses de ti mismo, que lo que los demás opinen de ti.”
“It matters so much more what you think about yourself that what other think of you.”
32. “Es mejor ser odiado por lo que eres que ser amado por lo que no eres.” Marilyn Monroe
“It is better to be hated for who you are than be loved for who you are not.”
33. “La vida es realmente simple, pero insistimos en complicarla.” Confucio
“Life is really simple, but we insist on complicating it.”
34. “No tienes que controlar tus pensamientos; solo tienes que dejar de permitirles que te controlen a ti.” Dan Millman
“You don’t have to control your thoughts, you just have to stop letting them control you.”
35. “Sufrimos más en la imaginación que en la realidad.”Séneca
“We suffer more in our imagination that in reality”
36. “Juzgamos a los demás porque no nos atrevemos con nosotros mismos.” Oscar Wilde
“We judge others because we don’t dare to judge ourselves.”
37. “La libertad está en ser dueños de nuestra propia vida.” Platón
“Liberty is in being masters of our own life.”
Related: 101+ Motivational Quotes in Spanish to Inspire You Today!
38. “Sacar provecho de un buen consejo exige más sabiduría que darlo.” John Churton Collins
“Taking advantage of good advice requires more wisdom than giving it.”
39. “Pedir perdón es de inteligentes, perdonar es de nobles y perdonarse es de sabios.”
“Smart people ask for forgiveness, nobles forgive, and wise people forgive themselves.”
40. “Nunca dejes de soñar, de los sueños está hecha la vida.”
“Never stop dreaming, life is made from dreams.”
41. “Si quieres algo que nunca tuviste, debes hacer algo que nunca hiciste.”
“If you want something that you never had, you should do something that you have never done.”
42. “Una sociedad se vuelve grandiosa cuando los personas plantan árboles cuya sombra saben que nunca disfrutarán” Proverbio griego
“A society grows great when people plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
43. “Ten fe ciega, no en tu capacidad para el triunfo, sino en el ardor con que lo deseas. Horacio Quiroga
“Have blind faith. Not in your ability to win, but in the fervor with which you desire it.”
44. “La salud no es valorada hasta que llega la enfermedad.” Thomas Fuller
“Heath is not valued til sickness comes.”
Related: 40 Gratitude Quotes in Spanish
45. “Cada dolor te hace más fuerte, cada traición más inteligente, cada desilusión más hábil y cada experiencia más sabio.”
“Each pain makes you stronger, each treason, smarter, each disappointment, more skilled and each experience, wiser.
46. “Aquellos que no conocen la historia están condenados a repetirla.” Edmund Burke
“Those who do not know the history are doomed to repeat it.”
47. “Los sabios son los que buscan la sabiduría; los necios piensan haberla encontrado.” Napoleón
“Wise men are those that look for wisdom; Fools think they have already found it.”
48. “No pierdas tu tiempo con explicaciones: la gente sólo escucha lo que quiere escuchar.” Paulo Coelho
“Don’t waste your time on explanations, people only listen to what they want to hear.”
49. “El momento presente está lleno de alegría y felicidad. Si estás atento, lo verás.”Thich Nhat Hanh
The present moment is full of joy and happiness. If you are mindful, you will see it.”
50. “La desconfianza en los propios valores crea indefensión y dependencia en los otros.”
“Mistrust in one’s own values creates helplessness and dependence on others.”
51. “Toda la vida es un experimento. Cuantos más experimentos hagas, mejor .” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All of life is an experiment. The more experiments there are, the better.”
52. “Si hacemos el bien por interés, seremos astutos, pero nunca buenos.” Cicerón
“If we do good out of interest, we will be smart, but never good.”
53. “La educación es el movimiento de la oscuridad a la luz.” Allan Bloom
“Education is the movement from darkness to light.”
54. “La mayoría de gente escucha con la intención de responder, no con la intención de comprender.” A. C. Doyle
“The majority of people listen with the intention of responding not with the intention of understanding.”
55. “Acaba ya con los celos, la envidia, las obsesiones y trabaja tu autoestima porque es en tu propia valía en donde encontrarás tu equilibrio.”
“Be done already with jealousy, envy, obsessions and work on your self-esteem because it is in your own worth that you find your balance.”
Related: 40+ Family Quotes in Spanish
56. “Si quieres enfurecer a tu enemigo, perdónale.” Oscar Wilde
“If you want to make your enemy mad, forgive him.”
57. “La vida se encoge o se expande en proporción al valor de uno.” Anaïs Nin
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion with one’s self-worth.”
58. “El pesimista se queja del viento; el optimista espera que cambie; el realista ajusta las velas.” William George Ward
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist waits for it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
59. “El dolor es inevitable pero el sufrimiento es opcional.” Buda
Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”
60. “La honestidad es el primer capítulo del libro de la sabiduría.” Thomas Jefferson
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
61. “Quien limita tu forma de ser, no te quiere por lo que eres, sino por lo que espera que seas.”
“He who limits your way of being doesn’t want you for who you are but rather for who they are waiting for you to be.”
62. “Nada refuerza tanto la autoridad como el silencio.” Leonardo da Vinci
“Nothing emphasizes authority more than silence.”
63. “Si quieres vivir una vida feliz, átala a una meta, no solo a cosas materiales.” Albert Einstein
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to just material things.”
64. “La duda es uno de los nombres de la inteligencia.” Jorge Luis Borges
“Doubt is one of the names of intelligence.”
65. “Muchas veces en la vida las personas olvidan lo que deben recordar, y recuerdan lo que deben olvidar.”
“Many times in life people forget about what they should remember, and remember what they should forget.”
66. “El silencio solo asusta a las personas que verbalizan compulsivamente.” William S. Burroughs
“Silence only scares people that talk compulsively.”
67. “Aprendí que la gente olvidará lo que dijiste y lo que hiciste, pero nunca olvidará cómo los hiciste sentir.” Maya Angelou
“I learned that people will forget what you said or what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
68. “La vida es un misterio que hay que desvelar, no un problema que hay que resolver.”
“Life is a mystery that needs to be uncovered, not a problem that needs to be resolved.”
69. “No me importa que me hayan robado la idea. Me importa que ellos no tengan las suyas propia”. Nikola Tesla
“I don’t care that they stole my idea. I care that they don’t have their own ideas.”
70. “Por difícil que parezca la vida, siempre hay algo que puedas hacer y tener éxito.”
“As hard as life my seem, there is always something that you can do and be successful at.”
Short Spanish quotes about life
71. “Somos lo que hacemos repetidamente.” Aristóteles
“We are what we do repeatedly.”
72. Que la vida me perdone las veces que no la viví.
“May life forgive me for the times that I didn’t live.”
73. “Algún día es mucho tiempo.”
“Some day is a lot of time.”
74. “La soledad es independencia.” Hermann Hesse
“Solitude is independence.”
75. “Seamos realistas y hagamos lo imposible.” Ernesto Che Guevara
“Let’s be realists and do the impossible.”
76. “En teoría, todo es práctica.”
“In theory, everything is practice.”
77. “Ignorar es responder con inteligencia.”
“Ignoring is responding with intelligence.”
78. “Enseñar exige saber escuchar.” Paulo Freire
“Teaching requires knowing how to listen.”
79. “Me encanta la gente que no cambia para agradar a nadie.”
“I love people that don’t change to please people.”
80. Si no cambias, todo se repite.
“If you don’t change, everything is repeated.”
81. “Olvida el pasado pero recuerda la lección.”
“Forget the past, but remember the lesson.”
82. “Cuando hay ganas, todo es posible.”
“When there is will, everything is possible.”
83. “Cada momento es un nuevo comienzo.” TS Eliot
“Each moment is a new start.”
84. “Cuando estés enojado, guarda silencio.” (Bujari)
“When you are mad, remain silent.”
85. “El propósito de nuestras vidas es ser felices.” Dalai Lama
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
Well, amigos, I hope you found a Spanish quote about life that will get you self-reflecting about life and ways that you can improve, and things that you can cut out.
What was your favorite quote in this post? Let me know in the comments below!
MORE QUOTES IN SPANISH TO CHECK OUT:
- 65+ Positive Spanish Quotes To Encourage an Optimistic Life
- 100 + Beautiful Self-Love Quotes in Spanish with English Translation
- 75+ Sad Quotes in Spanish About Life and Love
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- 67+ Love Quotes in Spanish to Share With your Amor
- 40 Gratitude Quotes in Spanish
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