Check out the best Don Quixote quotes that capture wisdom, imagination, courage, and the timeless struggle between dreams and reality.
Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th century, is considered one of the greatest works of literature ever written.
Widely regarded as the first modern novel, the story follows Alonso Quixano, who becomes so enchanted by tales of knights and chivalry that he renames himself Don Quixote and sets out on a quest to revive knighthood and fight for justice.
Alongside his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, Don Quixote battles windmills he believes are giants, defends imaginary damsels, and countless adventures that blur the line between reality and fantasy.
What makes Don Quixote unforgettable is its perfect mix of humor, imagination, and deep reflection on life.
The novel explores themes of hope, courage, dreams, and the human spirit, which continue to inspire readers worldwide.
Today, Don Quixote remains not just a Spanish classic but a cornerstone of world literature, celebrated for its wit, depth, and unforgettable characters.
Here are the most famous Don Quixote quotes that inspire you to question reality, pursue your dreams, and never give up on what you believe in.
Top 10 Don Quixote Quotes
- “Until death it is all life.” — Don Quixote
- “Where one door shuts, another opens.” — Don Quixote
- “Hunger is the best sauce in the world.” — Don Quixote
- “Diligence is the mother of good fortune.” — Don Quixote
- “Wit and humor do not reside in slow minds.” — Don Quixote
- “To dream the impossible dream, that is my quest.” — Don Quixote
- “Fortune leaves always some door open to come at a remedy.” — Don Quixote
- “The brave man carves out his fortune, and every man is the son of his own deeds.” — Don Quixote
- “Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!” — Don Quixote
- “For neither good nor evil can last for ever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.” — Don Quixote
Best Don Quixote Quotes By Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
- “Time ripens all things; no man is born wise.” — Don Quixote
- “For hope is always born at the same time as love…” — Don Quixote
- “What man can pretend to know the riddle of a woman’s mind?” — Don Quixote
- “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?” — Don Quixote
- “There is no book so bad…that it does not have something good in it.” — Don Quixote
- “Virtue is persecuted by the wicked more than it is loved by the good.” — Don Quixote
- “The wounds received in battle bestow honor, they do not take it away…” — Don Quixote
- “There were no embraces, because where there is great love there is often little display of it.” — Don Quixote
- “He who’s down one day can be up the next, unless he really wants to stay in bed, that is…” — Don Quixote
- “Truly I was born to be an example of misfortune, and a target at which the arrows of adversary are aimed.” — Don Quixote
- “The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.” — Don Quixote
- “Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them.” — Don Quixote
- “It’s up to brave hearts, sir, to be patient when things are going badly, as well as being happy when they’re going well.” — Don Quixote
- “Take my advice and live for a long, long time. Because the maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die.” — Don Quixote
- “The most perceptive character in a play is the fool, because the man who wishes to seem simple cannot possibly be a simpleton.” — Don Quixote
Famous Quotes From Don Quixote
- “All sorrows are less with bread.” — Don Quixote
- “The road is always better than the inn.” — Don Quixote
- “Without intelligence, there can be no humor.” — Don Quixote
- “A tooth is much more to be prized than a diamond.” — Don Quixote
- “Those who play with cats must expect to be scratched.” — Don Quixote
- “A bad year and a bad month to all the backbiting bitches in the world!…” — Don Quixote
- “Too much liberty leads to faction, too much constraint leads to rebellion.” — Don Quixote
- “Destiny guides our fortunes more favorably than we could have expected.” — Don Quixote
- “I am bound to serve my conscience before any obligation imposed by man.” — Don Quixote
- “There is not the least thing can be said or done but people will talk and find fault.” — Don Quixote
- “Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.” — Don Quixote
- “The fault lies not with the mob, who demands nonsense, but with those who do not know how to produce anything else.” — Don Quixote
- “The knight’s sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds.” — Don Quixote
- “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!” — Don Quixote
- “It is one thing to write as poet and another to write as a historian: the poet can recount or sing about things not as they were, but as they should have been, and the historian must write about them not as they should have been, but as they were, without adding or subtracting anything from the truth.” — Don Quixote
Conclusion
What are your favorite Don Quixote quotes and Don Quixote lines listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more to inspire and motivate them.