100 Spanish Quotes About Life, Love & Everything In Between
100 Spanish quotes, proverbs and sayings with English translations, grouped by theme — life, love, heartbreak, motivation, happiness, wisdom and friendship — each with the meaning behind it, pronunciation audio, and notes on who said it.
100 quotes across 10 themesLast updated
Sometimes a few words say more than an entire paragraph.
Spanish has centuries of memorable quotes, proverbs, poems, sayings, and expressions about everything from love and heartbreak to ambition, happiness, friendship, and the strange business of being alive.
Some come from famous Spanish-language writers.
Others have been repeated for so many generations that nobody knows who said them first.
And some are so deeply embedded in everyday Spanish that you will hear them in conversations just as often as you will see them written on a page.
Below are 100 Spanish quotes and sayings with English translations, organized by theme.
You don’t need to memorize them all. Pick the ones that speak to you — and pay attention to the Spanish inside them.
20 Spanish quotes to know first
If you’re looking for a few memorable Spanish quotes without reading the entire collection, start here.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Más vale tarde que nunca. | Better late than never. |
| La esperanza es lo último que se pierde. | Hope is the last thing to be lost. |
| El amor es ciego. | Love is blind. |
| De tal palo, tal astilla. | The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. |
| Mañana será otro día. | Tomorrow is another day. |
| Las apariencias engañan. | Appearances can be deceiving. |
| Querer es poder. | Where there's a will, there's a way. |
| El tiempo todo lo cura. | Time heals everything. |
| La unión hace la fuerza. | Unity creates strength. |
| Nunca es tarde para aprender. | It's never too late to learn. |
| No hay mal que por bien no venga. | Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| Poco a poco se llega lejos. | Little by little, you go far. |
| Todo pasa. | Everything passes. |
| La vida sigue. | Life goes on. |
| Haz el bien sin mirar a quién. | Do good regardless of who receives it. |
| A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda. | The early bird gets the worm. |
| El que no arriesga, no gana. | Nothing ventured, nothing gained. |
| Nunca llueve a gusto de todos. | You can't please everyone. |
| El saber no ocupa lugar. | Knowledge doesn't take up space. |
| Lo prometido es deuda. | A promise is a debt. |
Spanish quotes about life
Spanish sayings about life tend to be refreshingly realistic. Life changes. Things go wrong. Things get better. Time passes anyway.
1. La vida sigue.
- English
- Life goes on.
Possibly one of the simplest useful reminders in any language. Something happens. You deal with it. And life keeps moving.
2. Todo pasa.
- English
- Everything passes.
Good periods pass. Bad periods pass too. The power of this expression comes from how little it needs to say.
3. Mañana será otro día.
mah-NYAH-nah seh-RAH OH-troh DEE-ah
- English
- Tomorrow is another day.
A useful thing to remember after a particularly terrible Tuesday.
4. No hay mal que cien años dure.
- Literal
- There is no evil that lasts a hundred years.
- Meaning
- Nothing bad lasts forever.
This traditional saying is often used to comfort someone going through a difficult period.
5. No hay mal que por bien no venga.
- Literal
- There is no bad thing from which something good does not come.
- Equivalent
- Every cloud has a silver lining.
The idea is that something positive can eventually emerge from an unpleasant experience.
6. El tiempo todo lo cura.
- English
- Time heals everything.
You will also encounter El tiempo lo cura todo. Both express essentially the same idea.
7. La esperanza es lo último que se pierde.
lah es-peh-RAHN-sah es loh OOL-tee-moh keh seh PYEHR-deh
- Literal
- Hope is the last thing that is lost.
- Meaning
- Don't give up hope.
You will hear this when a situation looks bleak but there is still some possibility of success.
8. Mientras hay vida, hay esperanza.
- English
- Where there is life, there is hope.
Closely related to the previous saying, but even more direct.
9. Un día a la vez.
- English
- One day at a time.
Simple Spanish — and often good advice.
10. Lo que tenga que ser, será.
- English
- What is meant to be will be.
This can sound comforting, fatalistic, romantic, or resigned depending on the situation.
Beautiful Spanish quotes about love
Spanish has no shortage of ways to talk about love. Some are sweet. Some are philosophical. Some are considerably less optimistic.
11. El amor es ciego.
el ah-MOR es SYEH-go
- English
- Love is blind.
The same metaphor exists in English. It suggests that love can prevent us from seeing someone's flaws clearly.
12. El amor todo lo puede.
el ah-MOR TOH-doh loh PWEH-deh
- English
- Love conquers all.
A simple expression of faith in the power of love.
13. Donde hay amor, hay vida.
DOHN-deh eye ah-MOR, eye VEE-dah
- English
- Where there is love, there is life.
Short enough to remember after reading it once.
14. Amor con amor se paga.
- Literal
- Love is repaid with love.
- Meaning
- Kindness and affection should be returned in kind.
15. Obras son amores y no buenas razones.
- Literal
- Deeds are love, not good explanations.
- Meaning
- Actions speak louder than words when it comes to love.
Saying you care is one thing. Showing it is another.
16. Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente.
- Literal
- Eyes that don't see, heart that doesn't feel.
- Equivalent
- Out of sight, out of mind.
Although depending on the context, the Spanish saying can imply that ignorance protects you from emotional pain.
17. Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.
- Literal
- Where there was fire, ashes remain.
- Meaning
- Old feelings may never disappear completely.
This one is often used when talking about former romantic relationships.
18. Cada oveja con su pareja.
- Literal
- Every sheep with its partner.
- Meaning
- Everyone eventually finds someone suited to them.
19. Siempre hay un roto para un descosido.
SYEM-preh eye oon ROH-toh PAH-rah oon des-koh-SEE-doh
- Literal
- There is always a torn person for an unstitched person.
- Meaning
- There's someone for everyone.
One of those expressions that sounds considerably stranger when translated literally.
20. El corazón tiene razones que la razón no entiende.
- Meaning
- The heart follows a logic that rational thought does not always understand.
In other words: people in love are not famous for making spreadsheet-based decisions.
Romantic Spanish quotes
Some expressions are less philosophical and more directly romantic.
21. Eres mi vida.
- English
- You are my life.
An intensely affectionate expression.
22. Eres todo para mí.
- English
- You are everything to me.
23. Siempre pienso en ti.
- English
- I always think about you.
24. No puedo dejar de pensar en ti.
- English
- I can't stop thinking about you.
25. Me haces feliz.
- English
- You make me happy.
26. Te quiero con todo mi corazón.
- English
- I love you with all my heart.
27. Eres el amor de mi vida.
- English
- You are the love of my life.
28. Quiero estar contigo.
- English
- I want to be with you.
29. Contigo hasta el fin del mundo.
- English
- With you to the end of the world.
A dramatic phrase, admittedly. But romance has never been particularly restrained.
30. Juntos es mi lugar favorito.
- English
- Together is my favorite place.
A modern romantic sentiment built from very simple Spanish.
Spanish quotes about heartbreak and sadness
Naturally, Spanish literature did not stop at the happy part.
31. Es tan corto el amor y tan largo el olvido.
es tahn KOR-toh el ah-MOR ee tahn LAR-goh el ol-VEE-doh
- English
- Love is so brief, while forgetting takes so long.
- Author
- Pablo Neruda
The line contrasts how short a relationship can feel with how long its memory remains afterward.
32. El tiempo cura las heridas.
- English
- Time heals wounds.
A common metaphor in both Spanish and English.
33. A veces perder es ganar.
- English
- Sometimes losing is winning.
Something that feels like a loss now may ultimately turn out to have helped you.
34. Después de la tormenta viene la calma.
- English
- After the storm comes calm.
- Equivalent
- After the storm comes the calm / This too shall pass.
35. No hay rosa sin espinas.
- English
- There is no rose without thorns.
Beautiful things often come with difficulties.
36. De los errores se aprende.
- English
- We learn from mistakes.
A breakup, failure, or bad decision can still teach you something.
37. Caerse está permitido; levantarse es obligatorio.
- Meaning
- Falling is allowed; getting back up is essential.
A popular motivational formulation about resilience.
38. Nada dura para siempre.
- English
- Nothing lasts forever.
That can be either comforting or depressing. Context is doing a lot of work here.
39. Lo pasado, pasado está.
- English
- What's past is past.
A reminder not to live permanently inside something that has already happened.
40. Hay que seguir adelante.
- English
- You have to keep moving forward.
Inspirational Spanish quotes
These are useful when you need something slightly more inspiring than bueno, pues ya veremos.
41. Querer es poder.
- Literal
- To want is to be able.
- Equivalent
- Where there's a will, there's a way.
42. El que no arriesga, no gana.
- English
- Whoever doesn't take risks doesn't win.
- Equivalent
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
43. Poco a poco se llega lejos.
- English
- Little by little, you go far.
Particularly appropriate for language learning. Fluency is mostly the accumulation of a ridiculous number of small moments.
44. Nunca es tarde para aprender.
- English
- It's never too late to learn.
45. Cada día es una nueva oportunidad.
- English
- Every day is a new opportunity.
46. Cree en ti.
- English
- Believe in yourself.
Two Spanish words. Useful message.
47. Sigue adelante.
- English
- Keep going.
48. Nunca te rindas.
- English
- Never give up.
49. Todo esfuerzo tiene su recompensa.
- English
- Every effort has its reward.
50. Paso a paso.
- English
- Step by step.
Sometimes the best motivational advice does not need a paragraph.
Motivational Spanish sayings about success
51. El que algo quiere, algo le cuesta.
- Literal
- Whoever wants something must pay something for it.
- Meaning
- Worthwhile achievements require effort.
52. El que la sigue, la consigue.
- Literal
- Whoever keeps pursuing it eventually gets it.
- Meaning
- Persistence pays off.
53. A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda.
ah kyen mah-DROO-gah, DYOHS leh ah-YOO-dah
- Literal
- God helps whoever gets up early.
- Equivalent
- The early bird catches the worm.
54. No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy.
- English
- Don't leave until tomorrow what you can do today.
In other words: stop reading motivational quotes and do the thing.
55. La práctica hace al maestro.
- English
- Practice makes perfect.
Literally, practice “makes the master.”
56. Nadie nace sabiendo.
- Literal
- Nobody is born knowing.
- Meaning
- Everyone has to begin somewhere.
This is particularly useful for learners who feel embarrassed about making mistakes.
57. El saber no ocupa lugar.
- Literal
- Knowledge doesn't take up space.
- Meaning
- Learning something is never wasted.
58. Hace más el que quiere que el que puede.
- Meaning
- Determination can accomplish more than ability alone.
59. Roma no se hizo en un día.
- English
- Rome wasn't built in a day.
Spanish borrowed the same reminder about patience.
60. Sin esfuerzo no hay recompensa.
- English
- Without effort, there is no reward.
Spanish quotes about happiness
61. Barriga llena, corazón contento.
bah-RREE-gah YEH-nah, koh-rah-SOHN kohn-TEHN-toh
- Literal
- Full belly, happy heart.
A philosophy of life that is difficult to argue with.
62. La felicidad está en las pequeñas cosas.
- English
- Happiness is in the little things.
63. Vive y deja vivir.
- English
- Live and let live.
64. La risa es la mejor medicina.
- English
- Laughter is the best medicine.
65. Sonríe, que la vida vuela.
- Meaning
- Smile — life flies by.
66. Disfruta el momento.
- English
- Enjoy the moment.
67. Hoy es un buen día.
- English
- Today is a good day.
68. La vida es demasiado corta para estar triste.
- English
- Life is too short to be sad.
69. Donde comen dos, comen tres.
- Literal
- Where two people can eat, three can eat.
- Meaning
- There is always room to welcome another person.
It reflects generosity and hospitality more than arithmetic.
70. Las penas con pan son menos.
lahs PEH-nahs kohn pahn sohn MEH-nohs
- Literal
- Sorrows are smaller with bread.
- Meaning
- Difficulties are easier to bear when basic needs are met — or when accompanied by something comforting.
Spanish quotes about wisdom
Traditional Spanish refranes — proverbs — compress surprisingly complicated observations about human behavior into a sentence or two.
71. Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
mahs SAH-beh el DYAH-bloh por VYAY-hoh keh por DYAH-bloh
- Literal
- The devil knows more because he is old than because he is the devil.
- Meaning
- Experience creates wisdom.
72. Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando.
- Literal
- A bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred flying.
- Equivalent
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
73. Las apariencias engañan.
- English
- Appearances are deceiving.
74. No todo lo que brilla es oro.
- English
- All that glitters is not gold.
75. En boca cerrada no entran moscas.
- Literal
- Flies don't enter a closed mouth.
- Meaning
- Sometimes it is wiser to say nothing.
76. El que mucho habla, mucho yerra.
el keh MOO-choh AH-blah, MOO-choh YEH-rrah
- Literal
- Whoever speaks a lot makes many mistakes.
A slightly less insect-based argument for knowing when to be quiet.
77. Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.
- English
- Tell me who you spend time with and I'll tell you who you are.
- Equivalent
- You are known by the company you keep.
78. Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho.
- Literal
- There is a long distance between saying and doing.
- Meaning
- Talking about doing something is much easier than actually doing it.
79. Más vale maña que fuerza.
- Meaning
- Skill is more valuable than brute strength.
80. El hábito no hace al monje.
- Literal
- The habit doesn't make the monk.
- Meaning
- Someone's appearance does not tell you who they really are.
Short Spanish quotes
Sometimes you want something memorable enough to fit into a caption, note, wallpaper, or — apparently — a tattoo you may later have to explain to your mother. These are some of the shortest.
81. Todo pasa.
- English
- Everything passes.
82. La vida sigue.
- English
- Life goes on.
83. Vive hoy.
- English
- Live today.
84. Sé feliz.
- English
- Be happy.
85. Cree en ti.
- English
- Believe in yourself.
86. Sigue adelante.
- English
- Keep going.
87. Nunca te rindas.
- English
- Never give up.
88. Disfruta la vida.
- English
- Enjoy life.
89. Hazlo posible.
- English
- Make it possible.
90. Sueña en grande.
- English
- Dream big.
Spanish quotes about friendship and family
91. De tal palo, tal astilla.
deh tahl PAH-loh, tahl ahs-TEE-yah
- Literal
- From such a stick comes such a splinter.
- Equivalent
- The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Used when children resemble their parents.
92. La familia es lo primero.
- English
- Family comes first.
93. Un amigo es un tesoro.
- English
- A friend is a treasure.
94. Quien tiene un amigo tiene un tesoro.
- English
- Whoever has a friend has a treasure.
95. En las buenas y en las malas.
- English
- Through the good times and the bad.
Often used when talking about loyalty.
96. La unión hace la fuerza.
- English
- Unity creates strength.
People accomplish more together than alone.
97. Hoy por ti, mañana por mí.
- Literal
- Today for you, tomorrow for me.
- Meaning
- We help one another because someday our positions may be reversed.
98. Lo prometido es deuda.
- Literal
- What is promised is a debt.
- Meaning
- You should keep your promises.
99. Juntos somos más fuertes.
- English
- Together we are stronger.
100. Hogar es donde está el corazón.
- English
- Home is where the heart is.
Famous Spanish-language writers and quotes
Spanish-language literature has given the world an enormous range of voices — from Miguel de Cervantes and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer to Federico García Lorca, Antonio Machado, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and many others.
For a learner, literary quotations can be interesting for another reason: they show what Spanish can do beyond ordinary conversation. A sentence can be grammatically simple and emotionally complicated.
Consider the contrast in:
Es tan corto el amor y tan largo el olvido.The vocabulary itself is not particularly exotic:
- corto
- short
- amor
- love
- largo
- long
- olvido
- forgetting
But the parallel structure turns four ordinary words into something far more memorable. That is one of the pleasures of learning through quotations: you begin noticing not only what Spanish means, but how Spanish expresses an idea.
Spanish quotes vs. Spanish proverbs
You’ll often see frases, citas, dichos and refranes grouped together online, but they are not exactly the same thing.
Cita
A cita is a quotation associated with a specific person or source — for example, a line from a poet, novelist, philosopher, or public figure.
Refrán
A refrán is a traditional proverb. There normally isn't one identifiable author: it belongs to the language and culture more broadly.
Más vale tarde que nunca.Dicho
A dicho is a saying or expression. The category is broad and can overlap with proverbs and idioms.
Frase
Frase simply means phrase or sentence and is often used online in expressions like frases de amor (love quotes), frases motivadoras (motivational quotes) and frases bonitas (beautiful quotes).
What can Spanish quotes teach you?
Quotes are useful for learners because they’re short enough to examine closely. Take:
No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy.You can learn several useful structures from one sentence:
- dejar algo para mañana
- to leave something until tomorrow
- lo que
- that which / what
- poder + infinitive
- to be able to do something
- hacer
- to do / make
You are not merely memorizing a motivational saying. You’re seeing grammar and vocabulary working together inside something memorable.
How to learn Spanish through quotes
Read the Spanish before the translation
Give yourself a few seconds to understand the sentence before looking at the English. Even partial understanding is useful.
Look for chunks instead of individual words
For example, learn seguir adelante as “to keep going / move forward,” rather than treating seguir and adelante as unrelated vocabulary.
Say the quote aloud
Short quotations are excellent pronunciation practice because they can be repeated several times without becoming exhausting.
Notice repeated structures
After enough Spanish input, patterns such as más vale…, no hay…, el que…, lo que… and nunca… start becoming automatic.
Find the expression in context
This is the most important part. Understanding La esperanza es lo último que se pierde on a list is useful. Encountering it after a character has spent three chapters trying not to give up makes it memorable.
A mini-story built around Spanish sayings
Lucía llevaba seis meses intentando aprender español.
Al principio avanzaba rápidamente, pero después empezó a sentirse estancada.
—Quizá esto no sea para mí —dijo.
Su amigo Mateo negó con la cabeza.
—Nadie nace sabiendo. Además, Roma no se hizo en un día.
Lucía se rio.
—Ya, pero llevo muchísimo tiempo.
—Poco a poco se llega lejos —respondió Mateo—. Y el que la sigue, la consigue.
Lucía decidió continuar.
Unos meses después terminó su primer libro corto completamente en español.
Mateo sonrió.
—¿Ves?
Lucía asintió.
—Vale. Esta vez tenías razón.
A quote is easy to translate. It becomes much easier to remember when it belongs to a situation.
Frequently asked questions about Spanish quotes
What are some famous Spanish quotes?
Some widely recognized Spanish sayings include Más vale tarde que nunca, La esperanza es lo último que se pierde, El amor es ciego, A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda, and De tal palo, tal astilla.
What are some beautiful Spanish quotes about life?
Short expressions such as La vida sigue, Todo pasa, Mientras hay vida, hay esperanza, and Mañana será otro día express ideas about resilience, change, and hope using relatively simple Spanish.
What are some romantic Spanish quotes?
Useful romantic expressions include Eres el amor de mi vida, Te quiero con todo mi corazón, Siempre pienso en ti, Me haces feliz, and Quiero estar contigo.
What are good short Spanish quotes?
Some particularly short options are: Todo pasa (Everything passes), La vida sigue (Life goes on), Cree en ti (Believe in yourself), Sé feliz (Be happy), and Sigue adelante (Keep going).
What does “Más vale tarde que nunca” mean?
It means “Better late than never.” The Spanish and English expressions communicate almost exactly the same idea.
What does “De tal palo, tal astilla” mean?
Literally, it means “From such a stick, such a splinter.” It is used when a child resembles a parent and corresponds roughly to “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
What does “La esperanza es lo último que se pierde” mean?
Literally: “Hope is the last thing that is lost.” It means that even when circumstances look bad, people tend to hold onto hope until the very end.
What is the difference between a Spanish quote and a Spanish idiom?
A quotation is something that has been said or written, often by an identifiable person. An idiom is an expression whose intended meaning is not necessarily obvious from the literal meanings of its words. La vida sigue is a straightforward saying; estar en las nubes — literally “to be in the clouds” — is an idiom meaning to be distracted or daydreaming.
From Spanish quotes to real Spanish
Quotes give you Spanish in tiny, memorable pieces.
But eventually you want to move beyond individual sentences.
You want to know what happened before the sentence. Who said it. Why they said it. What happened next.
That’s where stories become useful. Instead of learning Spanish as thousands of disconnected translations, you begin experiencing vocabulary, grammar, expressions, and emotion together.
And eventually something interesting happens: you stop translating every line. You simply read it.