90 Best French Quotes About Life With English Translations That Will Inspire You
Are you looking for the best French quotes about life with English translations? Then you’re in the right place!
France has some of the most intelligent people in the world. From philosophers, and poets, to writers, these people have all contributed a great deal to our lives in one way or another.
Having lived and learned, all through varying experiences, over the years, they said and wrote powerful words about life that we can all relate to today.
And with a language as complex and rich as French, these words carry so much weight and meaning to one who takes time to understand them.
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From life’s joys, despair, or even things we can’t describe, there are several French quotes about life that will help you go through it all.
So whether you’re looking for clever French phrases about life to help describe a situation, French proverbs about life, or general French quotes about life with English translations, this article will help you.
Some of these French quotes about life and love come from famous french songs, French poems, and French novels, proverbs, and others were randomly said by the French intellects.
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French Quotes About Life With English Translations
I’ll be categorizing this article into French life phrases, French quotes about happiness, French sayings about life, and deep life quotes in French to make sure you browse seamlessly.
Deep And Thoughtful French Quotes About Life
These life French quotes will make you think deeper about life in general.
1. “On passe une moitié de sa vie à attendre ceux qu’on aimera et l’autre moitié à quitter ceux qu’on aime.” — Victor Hugo.
English translation: “You spend half your life waiting for the ones you’ll love and half your life waiting to leave the ones you love.”
2. “Dans une grande âme tout est grand.” — Blaise Pascal
English translation: “In a great mind everything is great.”
3. “Il n’y a de réalité que dans l’action.” — Jean-Paul Sartre
English translation: “There is no reality except in action.”
4. “Je pense, donc je suis.” — Rene Descartes
English translation: “I think, therefore, I am.”
5. “C’est un malheur qu’il y a trop peu d’intervalles entre le temps où l’on est trop jeune, et le temps où l’on est trop vieux.” — Montesquieu
English translation: “It’s a shame that there is too little time between when we’re too young and when we’re too old.”
6. “On n’est point toujours une bête pour l’avoir été quelquefois.” — Denis Diderot
English translation: “Being a fool sometimes does not make one a fool all the time.”
7. “L’amour fait les plus grandes douceurs et les plus sensibles infortunes de la vie.” — Madeleine de Scudéry
English translation: “Love makes life’s sweetest pleasures and worst misfortunes.”
8. “Être adulte, c’est être seul.” — Jean Rostand
English translation: “To be an adult is to be alone.”
9. “Pour être irremplaçable, il faut être différente.” — Coco Chanel
English translation: “To be irreplaceable, you have to be different.”
10. “Un homme seul est toujours en mauvaise compagnie.” — Paul Valéry
English translation: “A lone man is always in poor company.”
11. “J’accepte la grande aventure d’être moi.” — Simone du Beauvoir.
English translation: “I accept the great adventure of being me.”
12. “Savoir, penser, rêver. Tout est là.” — Victor Hugo.
English translation: “To know, to think, to dream. That is all.”
13. “Il ne faut avoir aucun regret pour le passé, aucun remords pour le présent, et une confiance inébranlable pour l’avenir.” — Jean-Jaurès
English translation: “You should have no regrets about the past, no remorse about the present, and unwavering confidence in the future.”
14. “La vérité vaut bien qu’on passe quelques années sans la trouver.” — Jules Renard
English translation: “Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.”
15. “Vivre sans aimer n’est pas proprement vivre.” — Molière
English translation: “To live without loving is to not really live.”
16. “Un homme n’est pas vieux tant qu’il cherche quelque chose.“ — Jean Rostand
English translation: “A man is not old as long as he is seeking something.”
17. “Ce qui rend les amitiés indissolubles et double leur charme est un sentiment qui manque à l’amour : la certitude.” — Honoré de Balzac
English translation: “What makes friendships unbreakable and doubles their charm is a feeling that is missing from love: certainty.”
18. “Toute chose appartient à qui sait en jouir.” — André Gide
English Translation: “Everything belongs to those who can appreciate it.”
19. “Pour exécuter de grandes choses, il faut vivre comme si on ne devait jamais mourir.” — Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues
English Translation: “In order to achieve great things, we must live as though we were never going to die.”
20. “Un des grands malheurs de la vie moderne, c’est le manque d’imprévu, l’absence d’aventures.” — Théophile Gautier
English translation: “One of the great woes of modern life is the lack of the unexpected, the lack of adventure.”
21. “Je me suis souvent repenti d’avoir parlé, mais jamais de m’être tu.” — Philippe de Commynes
English translation: “I have often repented for speaking, but never for staying silent.”
22. “Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux: l’ennui, le vice et le besoin.” — Voltaire
English Translation: “Work delivers us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and want.”
23. “Le monde a commencé sans l’homme et il s’achèvera sans lui.” — Claude Lévi-Strauss
English translation: “The world began without man and it will end without him.”
24. “Il faut vivre comme on pense, sans quoi l’on finira par penser comme on a vécu.” — Paul Bourget
English Translation: “You have to live the way you think, otherwise you’ll end up thinking the way you lived.”
25. “Il n’y a pas de verités moyennes.” — Georges Bernanos
English translation: “There are no half-truths.”
26. “L’approbation des autres est un stimulant dont il est bon quelquefois de se méfier.” — Paul Cézanne
English translation: “The approval of others is a stimulant that is sometimes good to be wary of.” (Literally, don’t always look for the approval of others but instead do what’s best for you.)
27. “Nous vivons dans un arc-en-ciel de chaos.” — Paul Cézanne
English translation: “We live in a rainbow of chaos.”
28. “Il y a des gens qui n’ont de leur fortune que la crainte de la perdre.” — Antoine de Rivarol
English Translation: “There are those who get nothing out of their fortune other than the fear of losing it.”
Inspirational French Quotes About Life
If you need some inspiration, these meaningful French quotes will help with that.
29. “Dans la vie, rien n’est à craindre, tout est à comprendre.” — Marie Curie
English translation: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”
30. “Qui craint de souffrir, il souffre déjà de ce qu’il craint.” — La Fontaine
English translation: “He who fears suffering is already suffering that which he fears.”
31. “Je veux, je peux.” — Maryse Bastié
English translation: “I want, I can.”
32. “A cœur vaillant rien d’impossible” — Jacques Cœur
English translation: “With a valiant heart, nothing is impossible.”
33. “Il vaut mieux faire que dire.” — Alfred de Musset
English translation: “Doing is better than saying.”
34. “Le bonheur s’édifie parfois sur des ruines plus solidement que sur des fondations nouvelles.” — Marie-Antoinette Grégoire-Coupal
English translation: “Happiness is sometimes built on ruins more solidly than on new foundations.”
35. “Après la pluie, le beau temps.” — Comtesse de Ségur
English translation: “After the rain, the good weather.” (More like there is light at the end of the tunnel).
36. “La difficulté de réussir ne fait qu’ajouter à la nécessité d’entreprendre.” — Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
English translation: “It is so hard to succeed that it makes it even more necessary to take action.”
37. “Sans l’incertitude l’aventure n’existerait pas.” — Alain Séjourné
English translation: “Without uncertainty, adventure would not exist.”
38. “La vie, c’est comme une bicyclette, il faut avancer pour ne pas perdre l’équilibre.” — Albert Einstein
English translation: “Life is like a bicycle; we must move forward in order not to lose our balance.”
39. “Il y a des fleurs partout pour qui veut bien les voir.” — Henri Matisse
English translation: “There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them.”
40. “Prouver que j’ai raison serait accorder que je puis avoir tort.” — Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
English translation: “Proving that I am right would be admitting that I could be wrong.”
41. “Imaginer c’est choisir.” — Jean Giono
English translation: “To imagine is to choose.”
42. “Le monde est un livre dont chaque pas nous ouvre une page.” — Alphonse de Lamartine
English translation: “The world is a book—with each step we open a page.”
43. “Dans la vie on ne fait pas ce que l’on veut mais on est responsable de ce que l’on est.” — Jean-Paul Sartre.
English translation: “In life you don’t do what you want but you are responsible for what you are.”
44. “L’avenir est entre les mains de ceux qui explorent.” — Jacques-Yves Cousteau
English translation: “The future is in the hands of those who explore.”
45. “Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.” — Blaise Pascal
English translation: “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”
46. “La parfaite valeur est de faire sans témoin ce qu’on serait capable de faire devant tout le monde.” — François de La Rochefoucauld
English translation: “The perfect value is to do without witnesses what one would be able to do in front of everyone.”
Best French Proverbs About Life
Below are some of the best French proverbs about life you should know.
47. “On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne.”
English translation: “You don’t change a winning team”
48. “Il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir.”
English translation: “It is better to prevent than to heal.”
49. “Aide-toi, le ciel t’aidera.”
English translation: “Help yourself and heaven will help you.”
50. “Ceux qui font mauvais usage de leur temps sont les premiers à se plaindre de sa brièveté” — Jean de La Bruyère
English translation: “Those who make bad use of their time are the first to complain about its brevity.”
51. “On ne peut pas avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre.”
English translation: “You can’t have the butter and the butter money” (The realistic meaning would be, you can’t have it both ways).
52. “La vie est trop courte pour boire du mauvais vin.”
English translation: “Life is too short to drink bad wine.”
53. “Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné.”
English translation: “Better alone than in a bad company.”
54. “Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid”
English translation: “Little by little, the bird makes his nest.”
55. “Qui ne risque rien n’a rien.”
English translation: “Who doesn’t risk anything, gets nothing.”
56. “Qui vivra verra.”
English translation: “They who live shall see.”
57. “C’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron.”
English translation: “It is by forging that one becomes a blacksmith.” (Basically, practice makes perfect).
58. “Chaque choses en son temps.”
English translation: “Timing is everything”
59. “Trouver chaussure a son pieds.”
English translation: “Find shoes for your feet (This means find a suitable match. It’s mostly related to lovers).
60. “La nuit porte conseil.”
English translation: “The night brings advice.” (It’s more like sleep on it before you decide).
61. “Chaque jour de ta vie est un feuillet de ton histoire que tu écris.”
English translation: “Every day of your life is a sheet of your story that you write.” (Literal meaning would be that every day is a new page to write a better story for yourself).
62. “L’habit ne fait pas le moine.”
English translation: “The outfit doesn’t make the monk.” (This is the same as don’t judge a book by its cover).
63. S’occuper de ses oignons.”
English translation: “To take care of your own onions.” (This is the equivalent of mind your own business).
64. “Ce n’est pas la mer à boire.”
English translation: “It’s not as if you have to drink the sea.” (This is used to mean, it’s not that hard).
65. “Le temps est un grand maître, dit-on. Le malheur est qu’il tue ses élèves.” — Hector Berlioz
English translation: “We say that time is a great teacher. It’s too bad that it kills all its students.”
66. “Donner, c’est donner; reprendre, c’est voler.”
English translation: “To give is to give; to take back is to steal.”
French Quotes About Happiness
The French quotes with English translations below are all about how you can be happy in life.
67. “Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé.” — George Sand
English translation: “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”
68. “Viser au bonheur, aspirer au bonheur, chercher le bonheur, c’est prendre pour cible un reflet dans la glace.” — Jean-François Somaun
English translation: “Aiming for happiness, aspiring for happiness, seeking happiness is to target a reflection in the mirror.”
69. “Il n’est rien de réel que le rêve et l’amour.” — Anna de Noailles
English translation: “Nothing is real but dreams and love.”
70. “Le seul bonheur qu’on a vient du bonheur qu’on donne.” — Edouard Pailleron
English translation: “The only happiness we have comes from the happiness we give.”
71. “Un sourire coûte moins cher que l’électricité, mais donne autant de lumière.” — Abbé Pierre
English translation: “A smile costs less than electricity, but gives as much light.”
72. “On est heureux quand on cesse de penser tout le temps a soi et de juger les autres.” — Mouloud Benzadi
English translation: “We are happy when we stop thinking about ourselves all the time and judging others.”
73. “La joie intérieure réside au plus intime de l’âme; on peut aussi bien la posséder dans une obscure prison que dans un palais.” — Thérèse de Lisieux
English translation: “Joy resides in the innermost part of the soul; it can be possessed just as well in an obscure prison as in a palace.”
74. “L’esprit s’enrichit de ce qu’il reçoit, le cœur de ce qu’il donne.” — Victor Hugo
English translation: “The spirit enriches with what it receives, the heart with what it gives.”
75. “Le chemin qui mène au bonheur demande parfois de renoncer à la facilité, pour suivre les exigences de sa volonté au plus profond de soi.” — Laurent Gounelle
English translation: “The path that leads to happiness sometimes requires giving up the facility, to follow the demands of his will deep within oneself.”
Inspirational French Sayings About Life With English Translations
Below are some of the most famous French sayings about life you should know.
76. “La vie en rose.”
English translation: “Life in pink” (Literally seeing life through rose-colored glasses).
77. “Tu ne traverseras jamais l’océan si tu as peur de perdre de vue le rivage.”
English translation: “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
78. “Vous n’êtes pas encore arrivés mais vous êtes plus proche qu’hier.”
English translation: “You haven’t arrived yet, but you are closer than yesterday.”
79. “Il n’y a pas de raccourci pour aller là où ça vaut la peine d’aller.”
English translation: “There are no short cuts to any place worth going.”
80. “100% des choses qu’on ne tente pas échouent.”
English translation: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
81. “Vouloir, c’est pouvoir.”
English translation: “To want is to be able.”
82. “Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a”
English translation: “When one doesn’t have the things that one loves, one must love what one has.”
83. “Tout ce que l’esprit conçoit et croit, il peut l’obtenir.”
English translation: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
84. “Votre source de motivation est l’ingrédient qui peut faire toute la différence.“
English translation: “Your source of motivation is the ingredient that can make all the difference.”
85. “Le plus grand danger pour la plupart d’entre nous n’est pas que notre but soit trop élevé et que nous le manquions, mais qu’il soit trop bas et que nous l’atteignons.”
English translation: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that is it too low and we reach it.”
86. “Le bonheur n’est pas quelque chose de prêt à l’emploi. Il vient de vos propres actions.”
English translation: “Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”
87. “N’oublie pas de vivre.”
English translation: “Don’t forget to live.”
88. “Sois belle á ta façon.”
English translation: “Be beautiful in your own way.”
89. “Fais toujours de ton mieux même si personne ne regarde.”
English translation: “Always do your best even if no one is watching.”
90. “Pluie du matin n’arrête pas le pèlerin.”
English translation: “Morning rain does not stop the pilgrim.”
Final Thoughts on The Best French Life Quotes
Whether you were feeling down and just wanted some words of wisdom to lift you up or you just wanted to learn about famous French proverbs and sayings, I hope this article was helpful.
Are there any specific French quotes about life that resonated with you the most? Do share your thoughts in the comments below!
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