Some of the most famous Italian quotes come from Dante Alighieri, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Sophia Loren and Umberto Eco. Below you will find each quote in Italian with its English translation, plus a short note on what it means today.
A quick warning: many famous lines are only attributed to a person and cannot be traced to a written source. I flag the ones where this matters.
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Italy has given the world a wealth of wisdom through its great thinkers, artists, and writers. From Galileo Galilei’s defiant intellect to Sophia Loren’s timeless views on beauty, here are some famous Italian quotes.
Here, I collected 5 Italian inspirational quotes in 3 formats (desktop, mobile, and social) for you to share with friends or set as your desktop or mobile background images.
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Famous Italian Quotes
Italian Quotes by Galileo Galilei
Eppur, si muove!
Nevertheless, it moves!
Galileo supposedly said this after forced to deny his support for heliocentrism under pressure from the Inquisition. It embodies both resilience and commitment to truth. Today, it resonates as a call to stay true to one’s beliefs even when the world is against you.
Tutte le verità sono facili da capire una volta che sono state rivelate. Il difficile è scoprirle.
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. What is difficult is to discover them.
Galileo’s insight here expands to any field where discovery and innovation are valued. In the digital age, when information is so readily available, the real challenge often lies in finding the right questions to ask or understanding its real depth.
Non ho mai incontrato un uomo così ignorante dal quale non abbia potuto imparare qualcosa.
I have never met a man so ignorant that I could not learn something from him.
This quote says a lot about Galileo’s genuine humility and curiosity. In a world where expertise is often tied to ego, Galileo reminds us that anyone can offer valuable insights, encouraging openness to diverse perspectives.
Italian Quotes by Leonardo Da Vinci
La semplicità è la suprema sofisticazione.
Simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.
Da Vinci’s phrase celebrates simplicity at a time when the Renaissance prized intricate, elaborate designs. In modern contexts, this quote is often cited to emphasize the importance of minimalism and clarity amid complexity. It is another line that is popularly attributed to Leonardo without a specific manuscript to back it up.
L’arte non è mai finita, ma solo abbandonata.
Art is never finished, only abandoned.
Here, Leonardo recognizes that perfection is often impossible to achieve. This philosophy can be applied to modern projects where deadlines often prevent improvement. The verb abbandonare (to let go) reminds us of the importance of knowing when to move on. Note that this line is popularly attributed to Leonardo, but no manuscript is usually cited for it.
Siccome una giornata bene spesa dà lieto dormire, così una vita bene usata dà lieto morire.
As a day well spent brings happy sleep, so a life well lived gives happy death.
Leonardo’s quote reflects a Renaissance ideal that personal fulfillment comes from purposeful living. Today, his words emphasize the importance of savoring each day with intention, in line with the Italian philosophy of la dolce vita.
More Leonardo da Vinci quotes in Italian
Chi poco pensa, molto erra.
He who thinks little errs much.
A short, direct warning that acting without thinking leads to mistakes.
Ogni nostra cognizione principia dai sentimenti.
All our knowledge begins with the senses.
Leonardo trusted observation over books. Here sentimenti is used in its old sense of the senses, not of emotions.
L’acqua che tocchi de’ fiumi è l’ultima di quella che andò e la prima di quella che viene. Così il tempo presente.
The water you touch in a river is the last of what has passed and the first of what is to come. So it is with the present time.
One of the best-known passages in his writings: the present is always a passage between past and future.
Italian Quotes by Dante Alighieri
Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice nella miseria.
There is no greater pain than to recall happiness in times of misery.
Dante is one of the best Italian poets of all time. His line, from The Divine Comedy, captures a uniquely human sorrow: the emotional weight of memories. The word miseria evokes a sense of profound existential loss.
I costumi e le mode degli uomini cambiano come le foglie sul ramo, alcune delle quali vanno ed altre vengono.
Customs and fashions of men change like the leaves on a branch, some of which go and others come.
Dante’s observation on the transient nature of life is still relevant nowadays: in a world where trends change almost instantly, this reminds us of the cyclical nature of public opinion and style. This line is a modern paraphrase of Dante’s verses in the Paradiso about how human customs come and go like leaves on a branch.
Colui che vede un bisogno e aspetta che gli venga chiesto aiuto è scortese quanto colui che lo rifiuta.
A person who sees a need and waits to be asked for help is as unkind as a person who refuses to give it.
Dante’s quote appeals to human kindness and empathy, suggesting that true generosity requires proactive involvement. In today’s fast-paced society, this advice aims at encouraging us to act on empathy without waiting for acknowledgment or thanks.
Famous Dante verses in Italian
These are the lines Italians know by heart, all from the Divina Commedia. Dante wrote it in Florentine, and it helped shape the Italian language, as you can read in the history of the Italian language.
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita.
Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a dark wood, for the straight way was lost.
The opening of the Inferno (canto I). It is the best-known first line in Italian literature.
Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate.
Abandon all hope, you who enter.
The inscription on the gate of Hell (Inferno, canto III). It is often quoted, half-jokingly, when a situation looks hopeless.
Non ragioniam di lor, ma guarda e passa.
Let us not speak of them, but look and pass on.
Also from Inferno, canto III, about the souls who never took a side. Today it is often used as advice to ignore people who are not worth your attention. The version Non ti curar di lor is a popular variation, but Dante wrote Non ragioniam di lor.
Fatti non foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza.
You were not made to live like brutes, but to pursue virtue and knowledge.
Spoken by Ulysses in Inferno, canto XXVI, and a favorite line for schools and universities.
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
The love that moves the sun and the other stars.
The last line of the Paradiso and of the whole poem.
Italian Quotes by Sophia Loren
La bellezza è come ci si sente dentro, e si riflette negli occhi.
Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.
Sophia Loren, one of Italy’s most iconic film stars, redefines beauty as an inner quality rather than outward appearance.
Non ho mai cercato di rimuovere i miei ricordi, neppure quelli più tristi. Non capisco le persone che si nascondono dal loro passato: ogni evento che hai vissuto ti aiuta ad essere la persona che sei oggi.
I have never tried to block out my memories, not even the sad ones. I do not understand people who try to hide from their past. Each event in your life helps you become the person that you are today.
Loren’s perspective on memories and the past emphasizes resilience and acceptance. In Italian, ricordi has a double meaning: memories and reminders. It suggests that past experiences aren’t merely history but lessons shaping our present selves.
Italian Quotes by Umberto Eco
La superstizione porta sfortuna.
Superstition brings bad luck.
Eco’s dry quote captures his skepticism of superstition. He mocks the concept of bad luck by implying that belief in bad luck creates it.
L’assenza è all’amore come il vento al fuoco: spegne il piccolo, fa avvampare il grande.
Absence is to love as wind is to fire: it extinguishes the little flame, it fans the big.
Eco’s poetic metaphor is a reminder that genuine relationships survive separation, and even flourish: true love doesn’t merely endure, it grows stronger through longing. The image itself is older than Eco: a very similar line by the French writer Roger de Bussy-Rabutin dates back to the 1600s.
Il computer non è una macchina intelligente che aiuta le persone stupide, anzi, è una macchina stupida che funziona solo nelle mani delle persone intelligenti.
A computer is not a smart machine that helps stupid people, rather it is a stupid machine which only works when handled by smart people.
Eco’s take on technology is insightful and humorous. In today’s world of smartphones and AI, this sentiment remains crucial, as it underscores the importance of human wisdom in managing technological tools.
Italian Quotes by Thinkers and Writers of the 20th Century
Two voices that are still widely quoted in Italy: the philosopher and political thinker Antonio Gramsci and the writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi.
Odio gli indifferenti.
I hate the indifferent.
The opening words of an essay Gramsci published in 1917. He argues that staying neutral is also a choice.
Istruitevi, perché avremo bisogno di tutta la nostra intelligenza.
Educate yourselves, because we will need all of our intelligence.
A call to study, written by Gramsci in 1919. The verb istruirsi means to educate yourself.
Se comprendere è impossibile, conoscere è necessario.
If understanding is impossible, knowing is necessary.
Primo Levi wrote this about the Holocaust in Se questo è un uomo. It is a reminder that we must learn about the past even when we cannot fully make sense of it.
If you want to read about other Italian famous quotes, check out our post about it.
