65 French Quotes with Translation to Improve Your Language!

French Love Quotes

French is well known for having romantic languages. It sounds cool to express your love in the French language. Here's a selection of romantic Frech quotes on love that can add intimacy to your relationship.

• "Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé". – George Sand Translation: There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.

• "Le seul vrai langage au monde est un baiser". – Alfred de Musset Translation: The only true language in the world is a kiss.

• "Entre deux cœurs qui s’aiment, nul besoin de paroles." – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore Translation: Two hearts in love need no words.

• "C’est cela l’amour, tout donner, tout sacrifier sans espoir de retour." – Albert CamuS, Translation: That is love, to give away everything, to sacrifice everything, without the slightest hope of anything in return."

• "Aimer, ce n’est pas se regarder l’un l’autre, c’est regarder ensemble dans la même direction." -Antoine de St-Exupéry, Translation: Love doesn’t mean gazing at each other, but looking, together, in the same direction.

• "L’amour est la poésie des sens -Honoré de Balzac, Translation: Love is the poetry of the senses."

• "L’amour fait les plus grandes douceurs et les plus sensibles infortunes de la vie." – Madeleine de Scudéry, Translation: Love makes life’s sweetest pleasures and worst misfortunes.

• "L’amour est l’emblème de l’éternité, il confond toute la notion de temps, efface toute la mémoire d’un commencement, toute la crainte d’une extrémité." – Madame de Staël,  Translation: Love is the emblem of eternity; it confounds all notion of time, erases all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end.

• "J’ai aimé jusqu’à atteindre la folie. Ce que certains appellent la folie, mais ce qui pour moi, est la seule façon d’aimer" – Françoise Sagan,  Translation: I have loved to the point of madness. That which some call madness, but which to me, is the only way to love.

• “La vie est une fleur dont l’amour est le miel.” — Victor Hugo,  Translation: Life is a flower, of which love is the honey.

• “Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé.” — George Sand,  Translation: There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved

• "Rien n’est petit dans l’amour. Ceux qui attendent les grandes occasions pour prouver leur tendresse ne savent pas aimer". – Laure Conan

• Translation: Nothing in love is small. Those who wait for grand occasions to prove their love don’t know how to love.

• “L’amour fait les plus grandes douceurs et les plus sensibles infortunes de la vie.” — Madeleine de Scudéry, Translation: Love makes life’s sweetest pleasures and worst misfortunes.

•  “Oh ! si tu pouvais lire dans mon coeur, tu verrais la place où je t’ai mise!” — Gustave Flaubert, Translation: If you could read my heart, you would see the place I have given you there.

•  “Car, vois-tu, chaque jour je t’aime davantage, aujourd’hui plus qu’hier et bien moins que demain.” — Rosemonde Gérard, Translation: For, you see, each day I love you more, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

• “Quand on n’a que l’amour / Pour tracer un chemin / Et forcer le destin / A chaque carrefour.” — Jacques Brel (Quand on a que l’amour), Translation: When we have only love / to show the way / and change the course of fate / at every crossroad.

•  “L’amour est comme le vent, nous ne savons pas d’où il vient.” — Balzac, Translation: Love is like the wind, we never know where it will come from.

•  “Quand on est aimé on ne doute de rien. Quand on aime, on doute de tout.” — Colette, Translation: Those who are loved, doubt nothing. Those who love, doubt everything.

Famous French Quotes

• "Dans une grande âme tout est grand." -Blaise Pascal, Translation: In a great mind everything is great.

• "Le temps est un grand maître, dit-on. Le malheur est qui’il tue ses élèves". -Hector Berlioz,  Translation: We say that time is a great teacher. It’s too bad that it kills all its students.

• "Chacun voit midi à sa porte." -French proverb,  Translation: Everyone sees noon at his own door.

• "Je pense, donc je suis." -Rene Descartes,  Translation: I think, therefore, I am.

• "On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne." -French proverb, One does not change a winning team. In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

• "Il n’y a pas de verités moyennes." -Georges Bernanos,  Translation: There are no half-truths.

• "Prouver que j’ai raison serait accorder que je puis avoir tort." -Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, Translation: Proving that I am right would be admitting that I could be wrong.

• "À vaillant coeur rien d’impossible." -Jacques Cœur, Translation: For a valiant heart nothing is impossible.

• "On n’est point toujours une bête pour l’avoir été quelquefois." -Denis Diderot, Translation: Being a fool sometimes does not make one a fool all the time

• "Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop." -French proverb, Translation: Chase away the natural and it returns at a gallop,” is very similar to the English saying about leopard and their spots.

• "Il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir." -French proverb, Translation: It is better to prevent than to heal.

• "Être adulte, c’est être seul." -Jean Rostand, Translation: To be an adult is to be alone.

• "A vaincre sans peril, on triomphe sans gloire." -Pierre Corneille, Translation: To win without risk is a triumph without glory.

• "La raison c’est la folie du plus fort. La raison du moins fort c’est de la folie." -Eugène Ionesco, Translation: Reason is the madness of the strongest. The reason for those less strong is madness.

• "Autres temps, autres mœurs." -French proverb, Translation: Other times, other customs.

• "La vérité vaut bien qu’on passe quelques années sans la trouver." -Jules Renard, Translation: Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.

• "Il vaut mieux faire que dire."-Alfred de Musset, Translation: Doing is better than saying.

French Quotes About Life

There are countless inspirational French quotes include powerful sayings about life. Those who are looking to study this beautiful language can also learn from the quotes. Here are some insightful French quotes with the translation for you. 

• “Je pense, donc, je suis.”- René Descartes, Translation: I think, therefore, I am.

• “On n’est point toujours une bête pour l’avoir été quelquefois.”- Denis Diderot, Translation: Being a fool sometimes does not make one a fool all the time.

• “Prouver que j’ai raison serait accorder que je puis avoir tort.” – Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, Translation: Proving that I am right would be admitting that I could be wrong.

• “Imaginer c’est choisir.”- Jean Giono, Translation: To imagine is to choose.

• “L’œuvre d’art, c’est une idée qu’on exagère.”- André Gide, Translation: A work of art is an idea that someone exaggerates.

• “Plus l’offenseur m’est cher, plus je ressens l’injure.”- Jean Racine, Translation: The more dearly I hold the offender, the more strongly I feel the insult.

• “Écrire, c’est une façon de parler sans être interrompu.​” – Jules Renard, Translation: Writing is a way to talk without being interrupted.

• “Dans une grande âme tout est grand.”- Blaise Pascal,  Translation: In a great mind everything is great.

• “Écrire, c’est une façon de parler sans être interrompu.​” – Jules Renard, Translation: Writing is a way to talk without being interrupted.

• “Le style découle de ce qui nous nous nourrit tous les jours.” – Caroline de Maigret,  Translation: Style comes from what nourishes us every day.

• “Plus l’offenseur m’est cher, plus je ressens l’injure.”- Jean Racine, Translation: The more dearly I hold the offender, the more strongly I feel the insult.

•  “Un sourire coûte moins cher que l’électricité, mais donne autant de lumière.” – L’abbé Pierre, Translation: A smile costs less than electricity, but gives as much light.

• “L’avenir est entre les mains de ceux qui explorent.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Translation: The future is in the hands of those who explore.

•  “Le monde de la réalité a ses limites; le monde de l’imagination est sans frontières.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  Translation: The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.

•  “Dans la vie, rien n’est à craindre, tout est à comprendre.” – Marie Curie,  Translation: Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.

• “Mieux vaut tard que jamais.” – French proverb,  Translation: Late is worth more than never.

• “S’occuper de ses oignons.” – French proverb,  Translation: To take care of your own onions.

Funny French Quotes

French Quotes - Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels

Level up your French language by learning common French expressions, include funny phrases or idioms. We have rounded up more than 15 Funny French quotes to accompany your learning language. Let's check them out!

• “Donner un coup de main”, Translation: To give a knock of hand

• “Arrête ton char!”,  Translation: Stop your chariot

• "Avoir le cul bordé de nouilles.",  Translation: To have the ass surrounded by noodles.

• “Se prendre/prendre un râteau”,  Translation: Gives you the rake

• “Être au taquet”, Translation: To be at a piece of wood

• "Mêle-toi de tes oignons.", Translation: Mind your onions.

• “Il me court sur le haricot.”,  Translation: He’s running on my bean.

• "Être dans de beaux draps.", Translation: To be in beautiful sheets.

• "Avoir le cul entre deux chaises.",  Translation: Having one’s ass between two chairs.

• "Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard.",  Translation: It doesn’t break the three legs of a duck.

• "Pisser dans un violon.",  Translation: Pissing in a violin. 

• "Revenons à nos moutons.",  Translation: Let’s come back to our sheep

• "Les doigts dans le nez.",  Translation: Fingers in the nose.

• "Avoir le cafard",  Translation: To have the cockroach

• " Il pleut des cordes", Translation:  It’s raining ropes