Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes

25 quotes

As a Spanish writer, Miguel de Cervantes earned a lasting place in the canon of memorable quotations. Celebrated for his two-part novel Don Quixote, a work considered to be the first modern novel, Miguel de Cervantes brought that same intensity to the written and spoken word. Discover 28 of Miguel de Cervantes's most memorable quotes, ranging across Truth, Experience, War, Fear, and Courage. Readers often gravitate to this one: "Fear has many eyes and can see things underground."

“When thou art at Rome, do as they do at Rome.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Art

All Quotes by Miguel de Cervantes

“Love and war are the same thing, and stratagems and policy are as allowable in the one as in the other.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

War

“Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Power

“Truth may be stretched, but cannot be broken, and always gets above falsehood, as does oil above water.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Truth

“Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Truth

“Well, there's a remedy for all things but death, which will be sure to lay us flat one time or other.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Death

“A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Experience

“Fear has many eyes and can see things underground.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Fear

“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars and the world will be better for this.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Courage

“There is also this benefit in brag, that the speaker is unconsciously expressing his own ideal. Humor him by all means, draw it all out, and hold him to it.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Humor

“When thou art at Rome, do as they do at Rome.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Art

“Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Best

“Alas! all music jars when the soul's out of tune.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Music

“Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Truth

“The knowledge of yourself will preserve you from vanity.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Knowledge

“To withdraw is not to run away, and to stay is no wise action, when there's more reason to fear than to hope.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Fear

“I believe there's no proverb but what is true they are all so many sentences and maxims drawn from experience, the universal mother of sciences.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Experience

“For a man to attain to an eminent degree in learning costs him time, watching, hunger, nakedness, dizziness in the head, weakness in the stomach, and other inconveniences.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Graduation

“No fathers or mothers think their own children ugly.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Parenting

“That's the nature of women, not to love when we love them, and to love when we love them not.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Nature

“Tell me thy company, and I'll tell thee what thou art.”

— Miguel de Cervantes

Art