I don’t know how you feel, but quotes always make me excited, no matter their country of origin. They open my eyes and my heart. It’s intriguing to ponder what people lived and experienced, whether good or bad, that inspired their words of wisdom! Some of these quotes inspire us, some motivate us, some make us think, and some teach us something!
We believe that quotes can also give you greater insight into a country’s language and culture.
Are you ready to discover some great Turkish quotes with me? In this article, we’ll look at several Turkish quotes with translations in English, as well as some popular quotes from other languages translated into Turkish. This will give you the best of both worlds!
Table of Contents
- Quotes About Trust
- Quotes About Hope
- Quotes About Time
- Quotes About Knowledge and Ignorance
- Quotes About Money
- Quotes About Other Topics
- Rumi Quotes in Turkish
- Learn More With TurkishClass101
1. Quotes About Trust
What does trust mean to you? Here are some Turkish trust quotes to help you gain cultural insight into how the Turkish perceive it.
| 1 | Quote in Turkish | Kadınlar beğenince değil, güvenince âşık olur. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Women fall in love when they trust, not when they like.“ | |
| This is an anonymous quote which shows the importance of trust for women. | ||
| 2 | Quote in Turkish | Bir ölümün bir de kaybolan güvenin telafisi yok bu dünyada. |
| Literal Translation in English | “There is no compensation for either death or lost trust in this world.” | |
| This is another anonymous quote. It implies that losing trust in someone is as bad as death; just as trust cannot be recovered, neither can death be cured. | ||
| 3 | Quote in Turkish | İşin içine bir kere güvensizlik girdi mi, hiç bir şey eskisi gibi olmuyor. |
| Literal Translation in English | “When there is distrust, nothing is as it was in the past.” | |
| This is another anonymous quote. It means that distrust damages relationships. | ||
2. Quotes About Hope
Feeling discouraged or afraid of the future? Maybe one of these Turkish quotes about hope will motivate you to keep moving forward!
| 4 | Quote in Turkish | En geveze kuş ümittir. Kalbimizde hiç susmaz. |
| Literal Translation in English | “The most talkative bird is hope. It never stops in our hearts.” | |
| This is a quote by Cenap Şahabettin, who was a Turkish writer and poet. It means that our hearts are full of hope. | ||
| 5 | Quote in Turkish | Her kışın bir baharı, her gecenin bir sabahı vardır. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Every winter has its spring and every night has its morning.” | |
| This is a quote by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, who was an Ottoman scholar and the founder of the Nurism movement. Corresponding quote in English: “Every cloud has a silver lining.” | ||
| 6 | Quote in Turkish | Tünelin ucunda ışık görünmese bile, ışık varmış gibi yürümek ve ışığın görüneceğine inanmak gerekir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Even if there is no light at the end of the tunnel, it is necessary to walk as if there is light and believe that the light will appear.” | |
| This quote is by Amin Maalouf, who was a Lebanese-born French author. This quote encourages you to be hopeful even in hopeless situations. | ||
3. Quotes About Time
Time plays an important role in our lives. The following Turkish quotes on life focus on the concept of time and how it applies to us.
| 9 | Quote in Turkish | Bildiğim tek şey hiçbir şey bilmediğimdir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “All I know is that I know nothing.” | |
| This deep quote is from the Greek philosopher Socrates. It tells us that no matter how much we know, there is always much more to learn, and we should never stop searching and learning. | ||
| 10 | Quote in Turkish | Cahile söz anlatmak, köre renk tarifi gibidir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “To persuade an ignorant is like describing colors to a blind person.” | |
| This is a quote from İmam Evzai, who was a scholar and writer. The quote implies that it’s very difficult to deal with ignorant people. | ||
| 11 | Quote in Turkish | Dünyada her kötülük, daima cehaletten gelir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Every evil in the world always comes from ignorance.” | |
| This quote is from Albert Camus, who was a French Algerian philosopher, author, and journalist. It emphasizes how bad and dangerous ignorance is. | ||
| 12 | Quote in Turkish | Eylem halindeki cehaletten, daha korkunç bir şey olamaz. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Nothing is scarier than ignorance in action.” | |
| This is a quote by Goethe, who was a German poet, novelist, playwright, critic, theatre director, scientist, and statesman. This quote also underlines the danger of ignorance. | ||
| 13 | Quote in Turkish | Cehalet, gönüllü talihsizliktir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Ignorance is voluntary misfortune.” | |
| This is a quote from De Segur, who was a French general and historian. With this quote, he meant that people choose to be ignorant, and that it’s a bad choice because it leads to misfortune. | ||
5. Quotes About Money
Money is a crucial element of modern life, making it essential to manage it well. Here are a couple of quotes about money to shed some light on the topic.
| 14 | Quote in Turkish | Para iyi bir hizmetçi, kötü bir efendidir. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Money is a great servant, but a bad master.” | |
| This is a quote from Francis Bacon, who was an English philosopher and statesman. In saying it, he meant that those who know how to use and manage their money are those who make their money work for them. If people are not good masters of their money, then their money will start controlling them. | ||
| 15 | Quote in Turkish | İnsanın kazandığı paradan değil, paranın kazandığı insandan korkulur. |
| Literal Translation in English | “It’s not to be scared of the money that man earns, but the man who is earned by money.” | |
| This quote is from Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, who was a Turkish novelist, playwright, poet, and Islamist ideologue. If someone is making money by spending some effort, that’s good; but if he or she is being bought by money, then it’s dangerous. | ||
6. Quotes About Other Topics
Below are a few more Turkish quotes about life that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. Enjoy!
| 16 | Quote in Turkish | Biz ayrı dünyaların insanlarıyız. |
| Literal Translation in English | “We are from different worlds.” | |
| This quote has been used in many Turkish movies, usually between two lovers. It’s also used as a joke between friends in daily life. | ||
| 17 | Quote in Turkish | Açıklamalarla zamanınızı boşa harcamayın: insanlar sadece duymak istediklerini duyarlar. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.” | |
| This is a quote from Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He wanted to point out that some people are prejudiced, egocentric, and not open to new ideas or thoughts; if they’re not willing to listen, no matter what, they won’t hear you. | ||
| 18 | Quote in Turkish | Sevelim, sevilelim, bu dünya kimseye kalmaz. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Let’s love, be loved, this world shall be left to no one.” | |
| This is by Yunus Emre, a poet and mystic who had a considerable impact on Turkish literature. He had great poems and quotes about love and human destiny. With this quote, he emphasized the fact that life is short and nobody is permanent in the world; he suggested not wasting the limited time we have and to love each other instead. | ||
| 19 | Quote in Turkish | Herkesin haksız olması, senin haklı olduğunu göstermez. |
| Literal Translation in English | “The fact that everyone is wrong does not show that you are right.” | |
| Some people say this quote belongs to Aristotle, and some say it belongs to Camus. Based on my internet research, it seems to be anonymous. This is a quote to awaken those who always consider themselves right. | ||
| 20 | Quote in Turkish | Herkes kalbinin ekmeğini yer. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Everyone eats the bread of his/her bread.” | |
| Corresponding quote in English: “One reaps what one sows.” This is a quote used by Seda Sayan, a Turkish singer and actress. | ||
| 21 | Quote in Turkish | İmkânın sınırını görmek için imkânsızı denemek lazım. |
| Literal Translation in English | “It’s necessary to try the impossible, to see the limitations of the possibility.” | |
| This quote is from Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who was one of the well-known sultans in the Ottoman Empire and the Conqueror of Istanbul. This is a very motivational quote about not giving up. | ||
7. Rumi Quotes in Turkish
Some of the most famous Turkish quotes are those from Rumi, a poet, theologian, scholar, and Sufi mystic. He influenced many cultures, and today he’s considered a symbol of peace and tolerance.
I personally think that each and every one of his quotes is very valuable, but I’ll only include a few for the sake of this article.
I’m curious to know if you’ve also found these Rumi quotes in Turkish inspiring and motivational. Let me know in the comments!
| 22 | Quote in Turkish | İyi dostu olanın aynaya gereksinimi yoktur. |
| Literal Translation in English | “The one who has a good friend does not need a mirror.” | |
| The meaning of this quote is a little deeper than it sounds. If your friend is good, you don’t need a mirror to see your imperfections. He or she will warn you about your imperfections and help you overcome them. | ||
| 23 | Quote in Turkish | Ya olduğun gibi görün, ya göründüğün gibi ol. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Either look as you are or be as you look.” | |
| This quote is about being yourself and being honest about who you are. | ||
| 24 | Quote in Turkish | Bilmez misin ki cevap vermemek de cevaptır. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Don’t you know that not answering is also the answer?” | |
| Sometimes silence means a lot. This quote suggests being wise with how you use your silence and your words. | ||
| 25 | Quote in Turkish | Ne kadar bilirsen bil, söylediklerin karşındakilerin anlayabileceği kadardır. |
| Literal Translation in English | “No matter how much you know, what you say is as much as anyone can understand.” | |
| When communicating with others, we should consider the knowledge and experience of the other person and try to be as clear as possible. Otherwise, the knowledge we have won’t be conveyed or get us to the point. | ||
| 26 | Quote in Turkish | Bazı insanlar bize armağandır, bazıları ise ders. |
| Literal Translation in English | “Some people are gifts to us, others are lessons.” | |
| Some people are like gifts; they make us happy and we treasure them. Others teach us lessons related to the bad experiences they bring to our lives. | ||
| 27 | Quote in Turkish | Gönülden dile yol olduğu gibi, dilden de gönüle yol vardır. |
| Literal Translation in English | “As there is a path from heart to the tongue, there is also a path from tongue to the heart.” | |
| Rumi used this phrase at the end of a conversation with his son. He said: “If you don’t want anybody to harm you, then don’t say bad things and don’t have bad thoughts about him/her.” In essence, it means: “Kindness opens all the doors.” | ||
8. Learn More With TurkishClass101
In this article, we presented you with several Turkish language quotes from Turkey and from around the world. From now on, you can impress your Turkish friends, colleagues, or even your boss, by using these quotes at just the right time.
Which one was your favorite, and why?
Do you want to go even deeper into the Turkish language and culture? Then create your free lifetime account on TurkishClass101.com! We offer numerous audio lessons, tons of vocabulary lists, and free resources such as our Turkish-English dictionary.
Don’t forget that by signing up for a Premium PLUS account, you can take advantage of our MyTeacher service and practice with your own private teacher.
Better yet, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.
Last but not least, please continue to provide us with feedback about all of the resources provided at TurkishClass101.com!
Happy learning, and stay safe out there.
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