Famous people have a lot of impact on humans and history. That’s why many of the things they’ve said have stuck with us over the years. We bet you’ve heard some quotes by a famous person over and over again. Maybe you’ve even used them yourself.
Well, guess what? You’re not alone! People all around the world use and share these kinds of phrases to prove a point of view or discuss something. As well as to motivate someone else or themselves.
That’s why, as a Spanish learner, we think that you should learn some Spanish quotes by famous people. So next time you hear a native speaker say one of these expressions, you’ll know what they mean and who said it originally.
You will no longer be confused during Spanish conversations. Plus, you can also be the one to share one of these Spanish phrases to motivate someone.
Quotes in Spanish by Native Spanish Speakers
If you’re going to learn famous quotes in Spanish, it’d be good for you to learn some from native Spanish speakers. So you can meet some famous Hispanic people and start knowing a bit of the different cultures. That’s why right now we’ll show you quotes that some icons from the Spanish-speaking world have said:
“Pies para qué los quiero si tengo alas para volar” – Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter and very famous around the world. Even some other famous painters really liked her work. She especially tried to portray her own life, and self-portraits were her thing. Nowadays, many tourists that go to Mexico visit her house.
There are many popular phrases by Frida Kahlo. This quote is one of the most famous ones; you might even see it on motivational images shared on social media. It was written in her diary.
In English it reads as “Feet, what do I need them for if I have wings to fly?”
The meaning behind the phrase is that sometimes you might feel like you don’t have the tools you need to do something. But what you really need is inside of you; there’s still a lot of potential in you.
“Es tan corto el amor y tan largo el olvido” – Pablo Neruda
This is a very popular phrase you’ll hear people talk about. You may also see it written on images with beautiful backgrounds you find on the internet. Because it’s one of those quotes that people love sharing on social media.
This quote appeals to the feelings, because it’s very emotional and talks about love and heartbreak. People identify with it.
But do you know what it means? It say: “Love is so short, forgetting is so long”. It’s a very poetic phrase, right? Well, that is because it comes from a poem! It is the poem 20, written by Pablo Neruda, who was a Chilean writer, poet and politician.
¡Azúcar! – Celia Cruz
Do you want a fun one? Here it is: “¡Azúcar!”
Yes, it’s very short, but very cool, and many Spanish-speaking people use it. We’re sure at some point, you’ll hear someone say it out loud, with a lot of joyful attitude.
This word means “sugar!”, and Celia Cruz was the person to popularize it, especially with the bright and cheerful tone that it has to be said with.
Celia Cruz was a Cuban singer who once told in an interview the story of how she started screaming this word. Long story short, when she was at a Cuban restaurant, the waiter asked her if she wanted coffee.
Of course she wanted coffee, so the waiter proceeded to ask her if she preferred it with or without sugar. But since the Cuban coffee is very strong, she said she wanted it “¡con azúcar, chico!” (with sugar, boy!).
People loved that story, and they kept asking her to tell it. But one day she simply screamed the word “sugar” when she was about to sing. Everybody went crazy, and so it became her distinctive feature. She kept on cheerfully screaming this word throughout her whole career.
People started to adopt the word and say it themselves just to joke around. It’s nothing but fun.
“Este mundo no va a cambiar a menos que estemos dispuestos a cambiar nosotros mismos.” – Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú is a Guatemalan activist who defends the human rights of indigenous people in Guatemala. In 1992 she won the Nobel Peace Prize. Later she was one of the founders of the “Iniciativa de Mujeres Premio Nobel de Paz” (Nobel Women’s Initiative).
She did it along with other women who have won this prestigious prize. It is an organization that supports women from all around the world that fight for peace and equality.
This is quote is something she said, which in English it reads: “This world is not going to change unless we’re willing to change ourselves”.
With it, she encourages people to change for the good if we want the world to do the same. We must be the change.
“La primera obligación de todo ser humano es ser feliz, la segunda hacer feliz a los demás” – Cantinflas
Mario Moreno was a Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He was especially known for his character “Cantinflas”.
The way this character spoke was very specific of him, everybody knew who he was just by listening to him talk. Many times, he wouldn’t really say anything, he would just say random words that sounded incoherent. The slang word “cantinflear” was even born to refer to someone that speaks like Cantinflas.
Here’s one of the phrases he said that has become very popular, in English it reads: “The first obligation of every human being is to be happy, the second is to make others happy”. Many people feel motivated by this quote and can find a great meaning behind it.
This is another Spanish quote that you can find on the internet written in images with different beautiful backgrounds. Maybe it’s due to its motivational nature.
Quotes in Spanish by Non-Native Spanish-Speaking Famous People
But, of course Hispanic people also know, listen and follow people from other countries that don’t have Spanish as their first language.
Therefore, many of these Hispanic people know and use a lot of the phrases that famous people or icons from those countries have said. Here are some of those popular phrases in their Spanish versions. We bet you’ve heard many of them.
“Nunca encontrarás el arcoíris si siempre estás mirando hacia abajo” – Charles Chaplin
Charles Chaplin is a British actor, comedian and filmmaker, who passed to history as an icon of silent films. Even now he’s worldwide recognized; everyone has heard his name. He also composed music, including the melody of the popular song “Smile”.
In English, this phrase means: “You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” This phrase is not saying bad things don’t exist. It’s saying that despite them we should see the positive and bright side of life to find the rainbow, that is the beautiful and good things. For many, it’s a motivational quote.
“Las mujeres que se comportan bien rara vez hacen historia” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is an American historian and a writer. She’s also worked as a professor of women’s studies at Harvard. She’s won different recognitions, including a Pulitzer Prize!
The quote “Las mujeres que se comportan bien rara vez hacen historia” means “well-behaved women seldom make history”. She wrote this in an article years ago. And the phrase has become highly popular among the feminist movement. Years later, she published a book titled like this.
You should definitely learn the Spanish version of this quote, as many Spanish-speaking women use it. You’ll definitely hear it in Spanish sometime. Now next time you hear it, you’ll know what it means.
“Yo solo sé que no sé nada” – Sócrates
In English, this phrase means “all I know is that I know nothing”. We’re sure you’ve heard this phrase before. But you should learn the Spanish version as well, because it’s a worldwide known quote. So you might hear it in Spanish at some point.
This widely popular phrase it’s attributed to the Greek philosopher Socrates in Plato’s “Apology of Socrates”. Just like we’re sure you’ve heard the phrase, we bet you’ve also heard about Socrates before.
It’s a quote that can open different philosophical discussions about its meaning. Including the fact that nobody knows everything and even Socrates recognized his own ignorance.
“Los únicos que no cambian son los sabios de primer orden y los completamente idiotas” – Confucius
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and teacher. He became very important for the Chinese civilization, and even now he’s worldwide known.
This quote, which in English reads “it is only the wisest and the very stupidest who cannot change”, is attributed to him. Do you agree with it? Just like the quote by Socrates, this can also set the path for a philosophical discussion.
“La oscuridad no puede expulsar oscuridad; sólo la luz puede hacerlo. El odio no puede expulsar odio; sólo el amor puede hacerlo” – Martin Luther King Jr
We’re sure you’ve heard of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a worldwide renowned activist for the civil rights of Afro-Americans. He was against war and racism and fought to put an end to poverty. He also organized peaceful protests. He even won the Nobel Peace Prize.
During his sermon “Loving Your Enemies” he said the phrase: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. In Spanish it means: “La oscuridad no puede expulsar oscuridad; sólo la luz puede hacerlo. El odio no puede expulsar odio; sólo el amor puede hacerlo”.
This became one of the most famous quotes by Martin Luther King Jr; yes, even Spanish-speaking people know it. Many people love this phrase, and they quote it constantly.
How to Practice Spanish with Spanish Quotes
Say them out loud
Read these or any other Spanish quotes you like and say it out loud. If you’re a beginner, don’t try to say it very fast. Is better if you try to take care of the pronunciation.
If, on the contrary, you’re an advanced learner, we do recommend you try to speak at a normal pace, not too slow. It should be a bit easier for you to do this, as you already have practice. But if the quote you’re saying is new to you and it’s long or complicated, it’s okay to practice saying it slowly the first time.
Implement the quote into your life
You have to implement the quotes into your everyday life. How? Every time something happens to you –whether it’s good, bad, random, curious, beautiful…– try to think: Which Spanish quote would apply here? Then say it. You can say it to yourself or if you’re with someone else, tell them the quote.
For example: Let’s say you’re thinking about how you wish the world was a better place. Then you could say: “Este mundo no va a cambiar a menos que estemos dispuestos a cambiar nosotros mismos.” It might even motivate you to change.
Discuss with your friends
Choose a quote that you love or that you find like it could make for a good discussion topic. Show it to your friends and ask their opinions on it. You can debate and share your ideas about it. You can also talk about the person who said it. Was he/she a good person? What did he/she do or stand for?
Remember that all the talk should be in Spanish. Otherwise, you won’t practice your Spanish conversation skills.
Master Spanish Fluency with TruFluency
Do you want to understand other famous quotes in Spanish? Even better, do you want to be able to say those phrases out loud? Well, with TruFluency online Spanish classes you’ll do more than that.
We’re committed to your language journey. We’ll teach you vocabulary for you to be able to form your own phrases. We also base all our lessons in the Bellieu Method, which consists of encouraging our students to speak using all you’ve learned.
So you’ll actually be able to speak using these and other quotes. All this practice will lead you to Spanish fluency. We’re so excited to see you master Spanish conversations!
Oh, and we have native teachers! This is a huge advantage. You’ll listen to real accents from the natives, so you’ll practice your listening and learn correct pronunciation. You’ll also learn how they truly use the language, not just the grammar, but the idioms and everyday expressions too.
The best of it all is that we customize all classes to your language goals and needs. So, if you want to learn Spanish sayings to understand natives more, we can help. Or if you need vocabulary to travel abroad, we’re here for you. Or you must learn to write a business email in Spanish, we can help you. Whatever it is, just tell us.
Take two one-hour trial classes now! We have flexible schedules to fit your busy agenda. In the first class we’ll assess your needs and goals to create the best plan for you!
