“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”
Seneca
MeaningLiving Well
Life Quotes
100 FAMOUS QUOTES · LIFE
Life Quotes
Read the best life quotes on living well, time and meaning from Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Thiruvalluvar, Kabir, Basho, Emerson, Stevenson and more.
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
Seneca
TimePurpose
“It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
MeaningShort Quotes
“The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them.”
Michel de Montaigne
TimePurpose
“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
ResilienceAttitude
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde
Living FullyWit
“My life is my message.”
Mahatma Gandhi
ExampleShort Quotes
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”
Matsuo Basho
JourneyPresent Moment
“The world is a bridge; pass over it, but build no house upon it.”
Inscription at Fatehpur Sikri
ImpermanenceWisdom
“One time, one meeting.”
Japanese Saying (Ichigo ichie)
Present MomentShort Quotes
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
Marcus Aurelius
ResilienceStoicism
“Remember that every man lives only in this present time, which is an indivisible point.”
Marcus Aurelius
Present MomentStoicism
“Very soon you will have forgotten all things; very soon all things will have forgotten you.”
Marcus Aurelius
ImpermanencePerspective
“Not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.”
Socrates
Living WellPhilosophy
“Life is a child playing at draughts; the kingship is in the hands of a child.”
Heraclitus
ChancePhilosophy
“The life given us by nature is short, but the memory of a life well spent is eternal.”
Cicero
LegacyMemory
“Life is one long struggle in the dark.”
Lucretius
StrugglePhilosophy
“Life is short, but its ills make it seem long.”
Publilius Syrus
HardshipTime
“Life is never incomplete if it is an honourable one.”
Seneca
HonourMeaning
“As long as we are among human beings, let us be humane.”
Seneca
KindnessHumanity
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
The Bhagavad Gita
SoulEternity
“Therefore, always do without attachment the work you have to do; for by working without attachment one attains the highest.”
The Bhagavad Gita
WorkDetachment
“As is his desire, so is his will; as is his will, so is his deed; as is his deed, so is his destiny.”
The Upanishads
DestinyDesire
“Man is made of his resolve; as he resolves in this world, so he becomes when he departs.”
The Upanishads
WillpowerCharacter
“Better than a hundred years lived in vice is one day lived in virtue and in meditation.”
Buddha
VirtueLiving Well
Related Topics
About Life Quotes
Life is short, surprising and full of lessons. Every generation has asked the same big questions: How should we spend our time? What really matters? How do we live well when we know nothing lasts forever? The answers from philosophers, poets and spiritual teachers across the world are remarkably similar: live with purpose, treasure the present and make your days count.
This collection brings together 100 of the best life quotes. It starts with 70 classic quotes from Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, Buddha, Thiruvalluvar, Kabir, Matsuo Basho, Voltaire and Robert Louis Stevenson, and ends with original WebFunFacts quotes about living in the moment, change, family and hard times. For more, explore our [Happiness Quotes](/topics/happiness-quotes) and [Hope Quotes](/topics/hope-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Life quotes.
What is the most famous quote about life?
Seneca's "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it" is one of the most quoted. Robert Louis Stevenson's "Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well" is another favourite.
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about life?
The Gita compares the soul to a person changing clothes, putting on new bodies as the old ones wear out. It also teaches doing your work without attachment to results.
What does the Thirukkural say about life?
Thiruvalluvar warned that "the meanest folly is to think that what is fleeting will last forever," and compared wealth to a theatre crowd that gathers and leaves.
What is a short quote about life?
Try Gandhi's "My life is my message," Emerson's "It is not the length of life, but the depth of life," or the Japanese saying "One time, one meeting."
What does "Ichigo ichie" mean?
It's a Japanese saying meaning "one time, one meeting." It reminds us that every moment and every gathering is unique and will never happen in exactly the same way again.
What is a good quote about hard times?
Voltaire said, "Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats." Or try "Tough days don't last forever. Neither do tough feelings."