By Maxime Lagacé 
Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm, peaceful and powerful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
Top 15 Images – Best Quotes – Famous – Short – Very Deep – Takeaways
I’ve spent over 10 000+ hours curating the best quotes.
The result?
Thousands of great quotes organized by topic.
But only a few of these are truly deep and thought-provoking.
Here are 100 of the best deep quotes I’ve collected.
You’ll discover deep thinkers like Voltaire, Lao Tzu, Rumi, Mary Oliver, Einstein, and lots more.
Enjoy!
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Oscar Wilde
Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. Edgar Allan Poe
The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of like is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give. William Arthur Ward
The average men consume. The wise create. Maxime Lagacé
I rebel; therefore I exist. Albert Camus
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde
Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work. Gustave Flaubert
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. Mary Oliver
If I love myself I love you. If I love you I love myself. Rumi
Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy. Robert A. Heinlein
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Kahlil Gibran
Time is a created thing. To say “I don’t have time”, is like saying, “I don’t want to”. Lao Tzu
Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one. Voltaire
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. Martin Luther
What you deeply need is not stuff, comfort or beauty, it’s meaning. Maxime Lagacé
Maybe you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots. Rumi
Related
- 100 Words of Wisdom From The Best Minds (Ever)
- 100 Time Quotes (Profound, Important, Inspiring)
- 100 Stoic Quotes For A Wiser Perspective On Life
A few thoughts on deep thinking…
I’ve always loved words that inspire and make me think.
In fact, I started collecting quotes and journaling back in 2004 after I lost my girlfriend in a car accident.
I was in search of answers and I felt reading thoughts by people like Confucius, Plato, Einstein, and Bruce Lee was helping me in this process.
Then, I discovered more modern thinkers and writers like Leo Babauta, Shane Parrish, Tim Ferriss, and more recently Naval Ravikant.
Through their words, I found some guidance for dealing with my problems and making better decisions.
In sum,
collecting quotes, journaling, reflecting, and meditating had a big positive effect on my life and my mental health.
I still practice today and I can’t imagine my life without those anchors.
What is your process to reflect?
The Best Deep Quotes And Thoughts
Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell
To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. Søren Kierkegaard
He who is untrue to his own cause cannot command the respect of others. Albert Einstein
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain
What matters isn’t what a person has or doesn’t have; it is what he or she is afraid of losing. Nicholas Nassim Taleb
Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong. Oscar Wilde
We can see through others only when we can see through ourselves. Bruce Lee
As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning. Criss Jami
Listen to the people who are most quiet. Sahil Lavingia
Genius is the recovery of childhood at will. Arthur Rimbaud
Love is the foolishness of men, and the wisdom of God. Victor Hugo
Sometimes you have to shut your eyes, so you can see the real beauty. Kilian Jornet
The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Japanese proverb
To be truly positive in the eyes of some, you have to risk appearing negative in the eyes of others. Criss Jami
Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real. Neils Bohr
Take time like the river that never grows stale. Keep going and steady. No hurry, no rush. Rumi
God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. Voltaire
I don’t care that they stole my idea. I care that they don’t have any of their own. Nikola Tesla
Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. Friedrich Nietzsche
What makes night within us may leave stars. Victor Hugo
Are you afraid of the good you might do? Victor Hugo
Dreams have only one owner at a time. That’s why dreamers are lonely. William Faulkner
Stupidity lies in wanting to draw conclusions. Gustave Flaubert
A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory. Mark Twain
Part 2. Deep Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Deep Quotes And Thoughts
Searching for a famous deep quote? Check out those by Lao Tzu, Rumi, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, etc.
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. Voltaire
The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. Rumi
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. Rumi
Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters. Victor Hugo
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know. Lao Tzu
Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough. Gustave Flaubert
All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. Alexandre Dumas
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The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. William Faulkner
I can resist anything except temptation. Oscar Wilde
People do not lack strength; they lack will. Victor Hugo
Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. Kahlil Gibran
A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved. Kurt Vonnegut
Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast. William Shakespeare
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Seneca
Always go too far, because that’s where you’ll find the truth. Albert Camus
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect). Mark Twain
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. Lao Tzu
Related: 155 Of The Most Famous Quotes Of All Time
Short Deep Quotes And Thoughts
One-liners, short deep quotes, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.
Don’t settle, and don’t struggle. Naval Ravikant
Conscience doth make cowards of us all. William Shakespeare
Average people know how. Wise people know why. Maxime Lagacé
What labels me, negates me. Søren Kierkegaard
The merit of all things lies in their difficulty. Alexandre Dumas
Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion. Edward Abbey
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. Carl Jung
Success is an iceberg. Unknown
A question asked is worth more than an answer received. James Pierce
Passion is born deaf and dumb. Honoré de Balzac
Close both eyes to see with the other eye. Rumi
Overrated: inspiration. Underrated: discipline. Sahil Lavingia
Normalize not having an opinion on things you don’t understand. Dan Koe
Of all lies, art is the least untrue. Gustave Flaubert
The darker the night, the brighter the stars. Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Common sense is in spite of, not the result of, education. Victor Hugo
Nothing has more strength than dire necessity. Euripides
The past is never dead. It’s not even past. William Faulkner
Whatever you feel, you become. It is your responsibility. Osho
Very Deep Sayings (Dark, Philosophical, Cryptic)
I stick my finger into existence and it smells of nothing. Søren Kierkegaard
They muddy the water, to make it seem deep. Friedrich Nietzsche
No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell. Carl Jung
If it is not necessary to decide, it is necessary not to decide. Lord Acton
Wisdom is observing pain and accepting it. Maxime Lagacé
Arm yourself, my heart: the thing that you must do is fearful, yet inevitable. Euripides
There is no truth. There is only perception. Gustave Flaubert
What if everything in the world were a misunderstanding, what if laughter were really tears? Søren Kierkegaard
All the problems of older times were scarcity… now they’re all abundance based. Naval Ravikant
When you’re young, you want to be rich. When you’re rich, you want to be young. James Pierce
Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality. Bertrand Russell
To be sane in a world of madman is in itself madness. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
He who opens a school door, closes a prison. Victor Hugo
Civilization is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing. Euripides (Related: How to Ask the Right Question in the Right Way, entrepreneur.com)
The problem is not to find the answer, it’s to face the answer. Terence McKenna
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places. Ernest Hemingway
Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is. Albert Camus
People spend too much time doing and not enough time thinking about what they should be doing. Naval Ravikant
The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius. Oscar Wilde
You can only see clearly when you close your eyes. Maxime Lagacé
Deep Quotes: The Conclusion
One day you will die. All of this will end. All there is to do is play. James Pierce
Key Takeaways
- Life is change. But your ego wants certainty. So remember: discomfort is your friend.
- Conforming is dying. Rebelling is living. Be you.
- Pain is a gift. It’s a springboard to a better life.
- Fools have answers. The wise have questions.
- If you’re bored, you’re insulting life.
Further Readings
- Topic: Life
- 100 Life Quotes That Will Inspire You
- 130 Short Quotes That Will Inspire You (Fast)
- 100 One Word Quotes (For Quick Inspiration)
- 28 Zeno of Citium Quotes To Guide Your Journey
- 100 Positive Quotes To Uplift Yourself
- 79 Life Is Short Quotes To Help You Live To The Fullest
- 57 Life Goes On Quotes That Will Move You
- 50 Soul Searching Quotes to Discover Who You Are (everydaypower.com)
- 120 Inspirational Quotes For Teens To Cheer Yourself Up
- 100 Inspirational Quotes For Women To Empower You
- 130 Inspirational Quotes For Men
- 115 Philosophy Quotes From The Best Philosophers
Hope you liked these deep quotes and that they made you think deeply.
If you’re like me, you’ll come back here from time to time to reflect, learn and grow.
What’s your favorite deep quote? Please let us know in the comment section below!
With wisdom comes healing. Idk who said that besides me but I’ve found it to be true. Thank you for sharing your wise quotes & helping me to heal. Did you ever find love after the tragic death of your girlfriend?
Thank you for your message Cindy.
Truly glad you found some value in Wisdom Quotes.
To answer your question, yes I did find love after. 🙂
I also have 2 little boys.
Can’t be happier how it turned out.
Thank you,
Maxime
This (collecting quotes) is something I did as a youthful teenager and have forgotten over the decades how very much FUN it is to search for meaning and wisdom!
You’re right Lorraine.
And I still remember the first quotation book I bought back in 2004.
It was called “The Little Gallery of Great Minds” by Placide Gaboury.
There was authors like Plato, Socrates, Confucius and many more deep thinkers.
How great was that!
Thank you so Much for the amazing work.
Well organized content.
God Bless you.
Regards,
Mc Willie.
Thank you Mc!
Glad you liked. 🙂
Thank you so much for your work. Thoroughly categorized and easy to flow. My favorite website so far 🙂 if you need some help, you can refer to me as well.
Thank you so much. It means a lot 🙂
Thank you for your work. I enjoyed all of it. Many years ago, I was asked if I took myself seriously. This came as the result of an acquaintance questioning my lifestyle . After giving it quite a bit of thought I was able to respond with my own quote, words I still live by today…”You don’t have to grow up to be responsible.”
Cheers,
Thomas
It’s true, Thomas.
Being responsible starts as soon as you’re conscious of your role/purpose.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Best,
Maxime