According to social media analytics, Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world; that is about 350 million people speak the language as their native tongue in around 21 countries on four continents. Additionally, it is identified as one of the Romance languages of about 800 million people all over the globe. Womenio says, that when one hears the Spanish language, especially when spoken correctly, they find it beautiful and melodic – no wonder why there are a lot of Mexican quotes and Spanish quotes about life that are popular globally.
The following are some inspirational quotes in Spanish that may already be familiar to you and some famous Spanish quotes that may be new but will definitely appeal to the senses:
- El fruto no cae lejos del árbol (the fruit of a tree falls to its root).
It is similar to the popular idiomatic expression that goes, “the apple does not fall far from the tree”. It basically means that children often follow the examples of their parents by observing their daily behavior.
- Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces (before you marry, look what you are doing).
It is similar to the idiomatic expression that goes, “look before you leap”. It is a warning for people to think before they act so as to not end up regretting anything or suffering any negative consequences.
- Nada hay Nuevo debajo del sol (there is nothing new under the Sun).
It is similar to the idiomatic expression that goes, “nothing is new”. Basically, it is telling us that absolutely everything has been done before and while there may be things that may seem new, they might only be a variation of something that is already old or familiar to all of us.
- Despues de los años mil, torna el agua a su carril (in a hundred years, we will be dead, anyway).
The saying is basically just telling us to move on from any embarrassment or humiliation because, at the end of the day, life is short and we will all be in the same situation, that is, death. So shake it off. It’s all cool.
- No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy (don’t wait for tomorrow to do something you can do today).
The saying is basically telling us not to be lazy. If you want to do something, do it today. Don’t put it aside for tomorrow because you will only end up procrastinating and wasting what little time we all have.
- Non hay libro tan malo, que no tenga algo Bueno (there is no book so bad, that it does not have anything good).
The saying is basically telling us that whatever we do in life teaches us a lesson, more or less. It may end up not being as important as the rest, but there is always going to be something we can get from it – like a story to tell or an experience to share. Be sure to pick up souvenirs along the way in order to remind you of the good times.
- Piedra sin agua no aguza en la Fragua (from nothing, nothing can come).
Again, the saying is basically telling us not to be lazy. If we don’t act on things that we want to happen, nothing will really happen. If you have a dream, you have to chase it. It will not just come to you while doing nothing at all. You reap what you sow, as the other saying goes.
- Qué bonito es ver la lluvia y no mojarse (how nice it is to see the rain without getting wet).
It is similar to the English expression that goes, “criticism is easy but art is difficult”. It tells us that it is easier for us to criticize other people but harder to criticize ourselves. It is basically saying that it is difficult to even listen and put to action our own advice.
- Quien bien ama, tarde se olvida (he who loves well, forgets the afternoon).
It is similar to the popular idiomatic expression that goes, “true love never grows old”. That is, true love is unconditional and limitless as if time is neither spent nor wasted. Nowadays, people are very quick to break up with their lovers whenever they fight. But when you are truly in love with someone, you are willing to go through it until the end.
- Si vale la pena hacerlo, vale le pena hacerlo bien (if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing goodly).
It is similar to the English expression that goes, “if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” It is basically telling us that when you are working on something that will benefit you in the end, you might as well do it well and not just half-heartedly. Put your mind and heart into it, so you will surely succeed in whatever that is you are working on.
- De malas costumbres nacen buenas leyes (from bad customs, good laws are born).
The purpose of the law is to set things in order, which means that it is a solution to a problem. When a law is considered good, it means that it has resolved a long-standing problem in society.
- El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma (the poor writer blames the pen).
Some people often divert the blame to other things or external factors but the truth is, a good workman does not complain about having faulty or insufficient tools. Instead, a good workman makes do with what he has.
For the Spanish, inspirational quotes come quite easily to them because of their poetic and romantic nature, says one certain Estate Agent. Since that is not all their language is capable of expressing, these quotes may just give you the edge you need when conversing with a Spanish-speaking friend, colleague, or classmate.