Famous quotes, explained simply
The English quotes people really use, each with what it means in plain English, the tricky words explained and where it comes from. A fun way to learn new vocabulary.
Quotes about learning languages
What writers, actors and thinkers have said about English, foreign languages and the struggle (and joy) of learning one.
- “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”– Often attributed to Nelson Mandela
- “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”– Ludwig Wittgenstein
- “To have another language is to possess a second soul.”– Often attributed to Charlemagne
Quotes about learning & education
Quotes about studying, teachers, curiosity and why learning never really stops.
Inspirational quotes
Short, famous lines that people share to lift each other up, from writers, scientists and leaders.
Motivational quotes about hard work
Quotes about effort, discipline and not giving up, for the days when you need a push.
Quotes about success & failure
What famous people learned from winning, losing and trying again.
Quotes about life
Well-known quotes about how to live, what matters and making the most of the time we have.
Quotes about love
Famous lines about love and romance, from Shakespeare to modern writers.
Quotes about friendship
Quotes about good friends, loyalty and the people who stay with us.
Quotes about happiness
What thinkers and writers say makes people happy, and why it is often simpler than we think.
Quotes about courage & fear
Quotes about being brave, facing fear and taking risks.
Quotes about change & growth
Quotes about changing yourself, accepting change and growing as a person.
- “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”– Often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi
- “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”– John F. Kennedy
- “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”– Reinhold Niebuhr
Quotes about time
Quotes about the past, the present, the future and how quickly time goes.
Wise quotes
Short, wise sayings from philosophers, scientists and writers, with what they really mean.
Quotes about reading & books
Quotes about books, reading and writing from authors who loved them.
- “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”– Often attributed to Cicero
- “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”– George R. R. Martin
- “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”– Dr. Seuss
Quotes about leadership & work
Quotes about leading people, teamwork and doing work that matters.
Quotes about kindness
Quotes about kindness, compassion and treating other people well.
Travel quotes
Quotes about travel, adventure and seeing the world for yourself.
Funny quotes
Witty one-liners from famous humorists. A good test of your English: each joke is explained.
Famous movie quotes
Iconic lines from classic films that English speakers still quote every day, and what they mean.
Quotes by author
The writers and thinkers quoted most often in this guide.
- William Shakespeare quotesEnglish playwright and poet (1564–1616)
- Albert Einstein quotesGerman-born theoretical physicist (1879–1955)
- Mark Twain quotesAmerican writer and humorist (1835–1910)
- Martin Luther King Jr. quotesAmerican civil rights leader (1929–1968)
- Oscar Wilde quotesIrish playwright and wit (1854–1900)
- Aristotle quotesAncient Greek philosopher (384–322 BC)
- Helen Keller quotesAmerican author and disability rights activist (1880–1968)
- Winston Churchill quotesBritish prime minister and writer (1874–1965)
- Maya Angelou quotesAmerican poet and memoirist (1928–2014)
- Nelson Mandela quotesSouth African president and anti-apartheid leader (1918–2013)
- Steve Jobs quotesAmerican entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple (1955–2011)
- Theodore Roosevelt quotes26th President of the United States (1858–1919)
- Benjamin Franklin quotesAmerican statesman, writer and inventor (1706–1790)
- Confucius quotesChinese philosopher and teacher (551–479 BC)
- Dr. Seuss quotesAmerican children's author and illustrator (1904–1991)
- Jane Austen quotesEnglish novelist (1775–1817)
- Lao Tzu quotesAncient Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism (6th century BC)
- Mahatma Gandhi quotesIndian independence leader (1869–1948)
- Seneca quotesRoman Stoic philosopher and writer (c. 4 BC–AD 65)
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson quotesEnglish poet (1809–1892)
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quotesFrench writer and aviator (1900–1944)
- C. S. Lewis quotesBritish writer and scholar (1898–1963)
- Dalai Lama quotesTibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama (born 1935)
- Emily Dickinson quotesAmerican poet (1830–1886)