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The 80 most famous phrases in the history of mankind

The 80 most famous phrases in the history of mankind

February 29, 2024

Throughout history, there are many known characters who have pronounced or written phrases that have become famous . Phrases that by their exceptional content have passed from mouth to mouth, because they generally offer very valuable knowledge in a few words.

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

The best famous phrases

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

1. There is no need to go back or to give impulse (Lao Tsé)

A motivating phrase that advises to always follow our path despite adversities.


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

Gandhi left us for history this precious phrase about peace.

  • More phrases from Gandhi, in this link.

3. Make love and not war (John Lennon)

Singer John Lennon always had a peacemaker mentality.

  • A selection of phrases by the Beatles guitarist, in 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, although we always want to do it, is good for our mental health.

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

It is always better to be honest although sometimes we can believe otherwise.


  • More phrases by Jacinto Benavente, in this article.

6. Wars will continue as long as the color of the skin remains more important than the color of the eyes (Bob Marley)

Racism and prejudice have been the cause of many wars.

  • We have prepared a selection of Bob Marley phrases, in this post.

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

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

  • 68 phrases of Confucius, in this article.

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

It does not matter that there is more and more knowledge if we do not know how to apply it.

9. The world is not endangered by bad people but by those that allow evil (Albert Einstein)

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

  • More phrases from Einstein, here.

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

A romantic phrase that means that we should love everything.


11. There is nothing a man can not do when a woman looks at him (Casanova)

The love of a man for a woman is capable of moving the world.

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

When it comes to educating, it is necessary for us to be coherent with what we intend to teach.

13. Money can not buy life (Bob Marley)

No matter how much we create 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 fras about living what makes us happy.

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

A reflection of Plato on love.

  • More phrases from Plato in this link.

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

Without a doubt, a great teaching for life.

17. It is better to act by exposing oneself to repentance, than to regret having done nothing (Giovanni Boccaccio)

The only thing we can regret is that we did not 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 without need steals the stomach of the poor (Mahatma Gandhi)

This famous character always had in mind to improve the world.

20. Living alone is like being at a party where nobody is paying attention to you (Marilyn Monroe)

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

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

A simile of platón on the man and a horse carriage.

22. Being prepared is important, knowing how to expect it is even more, but seizing 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 from Copernicus about how we care about the opinions of others.

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

In the middle term 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; from the first one I'm not too sure (Albert Einstein)

An ironic phrase of the great thinker, Albert Einstein.

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

A great reflection of this great character.

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

It is useless to set objectives if we then throw in the towel halfway.

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

Man can be man's worst enemy.

30. Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon reaches it (Benjamin Franklin)

Being lazy is a great defect of the human being.

31. An evening in which all present absolutely agree is a lost evening (Albert Einstein)

Wealth is in the debate, not in saying all the same.

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

Undoubtedly, the most famous phrase of Descartes.

  • 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 phrase 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 is better not to talk.

35. Of all the animals of creation, man is the only one who 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 that is lost".

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 live, because friends do not come standard, but they are chosen.

38. Only those who know how to be happy with everything can be happy (Confucius)

The irrational expectations and the not to value what one has makes the people extremely unhappy.

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

When someone makes us cry continuously, then we are in a toxic love.

40. Of humans it is to err and of fools to remain in error (Marco Tulio Cicero)

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

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

A word that refers to compulsive liars.

42. The 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 is in the worst situations when we grow 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 phrases from Malcolm X, in this link.

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

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

46. ​​Do not let any human being make you fall so low as to hate him (Martin Luther King)

One of the best known teachings of this huge character.

  • More phrases by Luther King, in this link.

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

Pessimism immobilizes us and does not allow us to move forward.

48. A friend of all is a friend of nobody (Aristotle)

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

  • More phrases of Aristotle, in this post.

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

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

50. No pain no gain (Benjamin Franklin)

An appointment that is used in the fitness circuit and that will refer to "no pain no results.

51. These are my principles and if you do not 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 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 for his people.

  • Here you have more phrases by Nelson Mandela.

54. It is better to remain silent and seem foolish than to speak and to clear doubts definitely (Groucho Marx)

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

55. He who owns more, more afraid of losing it (Leonardo Da Vinci)

The great artist also made great reflections.

56Inspiration 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 claim that we can not do anything to change our destiny, look before crossing the street (Stephen Hawking)

You can appreciate the irony of this phrase, which is aimed at those skeptics about the consequences of the attitude to change things.

  • More phrases by Stephen Hawking, here.

58. An eye for an eye and the world will end up blind (Mahatma Gandhi)

Violence is the only thing that generates violence.

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

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

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

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

  • More phrases of Socrates, in this link.

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

When we're going to talk, it's better to think things through. There is no need to waste the voice.

62. You can fool the whole world some time. You can fool some of them all the time. But you can not cheat everybody all the time (Abraham Lincoln)

A liar is caught before a lame man.

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

An ingenious quote from an ingenious character, Oscar Wilde.

  • More phrases by Oscar Wilde, in this link.

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

In moments of doubt and uncertainty is when we can get the best out of us.

65. They will be able to cut all the flowers, but they will not be able to stop the spring (Pablo Neruda)

The poet Pablo Neruda gave us this motivating phrase.

66. Love is so short and forgetting is so long (Pablo Neruda)

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

67. One becomes great because of what he reads and not because of what he writes (Borges)

The beauty of someone's writing has its origin in reading.

68. One is master of what is silent and slave of what he speaks (Sigmund Freud)

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

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

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

Another way to say this phrase is: "if you do not risk, you do not win".

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

Some 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 in order 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 profound 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 do not like to admit it, life is complicated and can be a hostile place. Of course, we must continue with optimism.

74. Little is needed to do things well, but even less to do them wrong. (Paul Bocuse)

It costs a lot that things go the way you want, but it's easy to lose it if we decentralize.

75. Twenty years old everyone has the face that God has given them; with forty the face that has given them life and with sixty the one they deserve (Albert Schweitzer)

Age, with respect to the physical, does not forgive.

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

Heartbreak 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)

An appointment that resembles the one pronounced by Nelson Mandela (who talks about peace), but in this case it deals with the issue of truth.

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

When we are at the top, our friends come alone. But when things go wrong, the vast majority disappears.

78. Whoever has not suffered what I, who does not give me advice (Sophocles)

Experience is one of the best ways to learn.

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

A quote that goes to say that attitude is very important to achieve success.

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

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


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