“He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes

You all know Miguel de Cervantes for the mark he has made in the literature field, but what you might not know is that his life journey was one of resilience, imagination, and unwavering spirit.

Embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and embrace the change that comes along with learning just a few of the many life-changing lessons this beautiful Soul has left behind.

29 Life-Changing Lessons to Learn from Miguel de Cervantes

1. Make it your business to know yourself, even if that’s the most difficult lesson in the world.

“In every case, the remedy is to take action. Get clear about exactly what it is that you need to learn and exactly what you need to do to learn it. Being clear kills fear. Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

2. “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?”~ Miguel de Cervantes

3. Too much or too little of everything will be harmful to man.

“Three things too much, and three too little are pernicious to man; to speak much, and know little; to spend much, and have little; to presume much, and be worth little.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

4. Liberty is one of the most precious gifts which heaven has bestowed on man.

“Liberty is one of the most precious gifts which heaven has bestowed on man; with it we cannot compare the treasures which the earth contains or the sea conceals; for liberty, as for honor, we can and ought to risk our lives; and, on for the other hand, captivity is the greatest evil that can befall man.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

5. Fear disturbs the senses and distorts reality.

“One of the effects of fear is to disturb the senses and cause things to appear other than what they are.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

6. Truth alleviates, it doesn’t hurt.

“Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water.”

7. “Woman’s advice has little value, but he who won’t take it is a fool.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

8. The man who wishes to seem simple cannot be a simpleton.

“The most perceptive character in a play is the fool, because the man who wishes to seem simple cannot possibly be a simpleton.”

9. Courage is what makes the world a better place.

“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.”

10. Too much sanity might just be madness.

“Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.”

11. “Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

12. Every man in the sum of his own works.

“The brave man carves out his fortune, and every man is the sum of his own works.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

13. Those who lose today might win tomorrow.

“Fortune may have yet a better success in reserve for you and they who lose today may win tomorrow.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

14. Wealth is not about possession but about wise application.

“The gratification of wealth is not found in mere possession or in lavish expenditure, but in its wise application.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

15. “Tell me what company thou keepst, and I’ll tell thee what thou art.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

16. Not all beauty captivates affection.

“All kinds of beauty do not inspire love; there is a kind which only pleases the sight, but does not captivate the affections.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

17. There are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body.

“Remember that there are two kinds of beauty: one of the soul and the other of the body. That of the soul displays its radiance in intelligence, in chastity, in good conduct, in generosity, and in good breeding, and all these qualities may exist in an ugly man. And when we focus our attention upon that beauty, not upon the physical, love generally arises with great violence and intensity.

18. “Love is invisible and comes and goes where it wants, without anyone asking about it.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

19. Love is a power too strong to be overcome by anything but flight.

“Love is a power too strong to be overcome by anything but flight.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

20. Know how to make the most of your luck, otherwise you can’t complain if it passes you by.

“Anyone who does not know how to make the most of his luck has no right to complain if it passes by him.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

21. Don’t criticise if you’ve never created something of your own.

“Men of great talents, whether poets or historians, seldom escape the attacks of those who, without ever favoring the world with any production of their own, take delight in criticising the works of others.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

22. When there’s no reason to stay, leave.

“To withdraw is not to run away, and to stay is no wise action, when there’s more reason to fear than to hope.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

23. Where there was once evil, good comes right after it.

“For neither good nor evil can last for ever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

24. “That which we are capable of feeling, we are capable of saying.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

25. Man’s life is ever racing to its end, with the only hope of renewal in the next one.

“To think that the affairs of this life always remain in the same state is a vain presumption; indeed they all seem to be perpetually changing and moving in a circular course. Spring is followed by summer, summer by autumn, and autumn by winter, which is again followed by spring, and so time continues its everlasting round. But the life of man is ever racing to its end, swifter than time itself, without hope of renewal, unless in the next that is limitless and infinite.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

26. The maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die, so live!

“Take my advice and live for a long, long time. Because the maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

27. Laughter distances us from that which is ugly.

“Laughter distances us from that which is ugly and therefore potentially distressing, and indeed enables us to obtain paradoxical pleasure and therapeutic benefit from it.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

28. “It is courage that vanquishes in war, and not good weapons.”~ Miguel de Cervantes

29. Never venture all your eggs in one basket.

“It is the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not to venture all his eggs in one basket.”

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