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.
Here are 100 of the best solitude quotes I could find. And the goal is simple: to make you realize there’s power in solitude. You’ll discover quotes by Einstein, Buddha, Goethe, Gandhi, and more. Enjoy!
Without great solitude, no serious work is possible. Pablo Picasso
A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? Albert Einstein
Sometimes the solitary voice can be the best one. Frank Miller
Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong. Winston Churchill
It’s your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Rumi

One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
By all means use sometimes to be alone. Salute thyself; see what thy soul doth wear. George Herbert
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. Marcus Aurelius
I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. Henry David Thoreau
The best thinking has been done in solitude. Thomas A. Edison

The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. Voltaire
Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self. May Sarton
Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude. Arthur Schopenhauer
Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living. Albert Einstein
Solitude helps you find peace. Peace helps you find happiness. Maxime Lagacé
Related
- 100 Spiritual Quotes To Nourish Your Soul
- 100 Mindfulness Quotes To Ground Yourself
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The Best Solitude Quotes
All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal
A little while alone in your room will prove more valuable than anything else that could ever be given you. Rumi
I lived in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in maturity. Albert Einstein
Solitude, in these days as much as ever, is an absolute necessity. Leo Babauta
Once you know how to take care of yourself, company becomes an option. Keenu Reeves
In stillness lives wisdom. In quiet you’ll find peace. In solitude you’ll remember yourself. Robin Sharma
I am never less alone than when alone. Cicero
You are born alone. You die alone. The value of the space in between is trust and love. Louise Bourgeois
Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius. Edward Gibbon
I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water. Each day without solitude weakened me. I took no pride in my solitude; but I was dependent on it. The darkness of the room was like sunlight to me. Charles Bukowski
Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone. Paul Tillich
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. Buddha
Solitude is un-American. Erica Jong
The beaten path is the safest, but the traffic’s terrible. Jeff Taylor
Not being comfortable alone means you must spend more time alone. Maxime Lagacé
I myself am best when least in company. William Shakespeare
The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude. Aldous Huxley
The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Nikola Tesla
Solitude shows us what should be; society shows us what we are. Robert Cecil
The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet. Franz Kakfa
In the temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Ayn Rand
What Is Solitude?
Solitude is the place of purification. Martin Buber
Solitude is where one discovers one is not alone. Marty Rubin
Solitude is not the absence of company, but the moment when our soul is free to speak to us and help us decide what to do with our life. Paulo Coelho
Solitude isn’t loneliness. Solitude is when the entire serene universe seems to surround and hold you quietly. Victoria Erickson
Solitude is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. Deepak Chopra
Solitude is the attribute of the strong. The weak is always found in the crowd. Unknown
Part 2. Solitude Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Solitude Quotes
Searching for a famous solitude quote? Check out those by Einstein, Gandhi, Shakespeare, Mother Teresa, etc.
Loneliness is to be avoided, solitude is to be sought. Tom Hanks
Society is no comfort, to one not sociable. William Shakespeare
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. Maya Angelou
We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. Henry David Thoreau (Solitude, Walden)
I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. Henry David Thoreau
I have a great deal of company in the house, especially in the morning when nobody calls. Henry David Thoreau
It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone. Mahatma Gandhi
That is why I go into solitude so as not to drink out of everybody’s cistern. When I am among the many I live as the many do, and I do not think as I really think; after a time it always seems as though they want to banish me from myself and rob me of my soul and I grow angry with everybody and fear everybody. Friedrich Nietzsche
My solitude doesn’t depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company. Friedrich Nietzsche
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My passionate interest in social justice and social responsibility has always stood in curious contrast to a marked lack of desire for direct association with men and women. Albert Einstein
Solitude is dangerous. It’s very addictive. It becomes a habit after you realise how peaceful and calm it is. It’s like you don’t want to deal with people anymore because they drain your energy. Jim Carrey
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle
I’ve never been lonely. I like myself. I’m the best form of entertainment I have. Charles Bukowski
Wherever you may seek solitude, men will ferret you out and compel you to belong to their desperate company of oddfellows. Henry David Thoreau
It would do the world good if every person would compel himself to often be alone. Most of the world’s progress has come from such. Deepak Chopra
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. Mother Teresa
This great misfortune – to be incapable of solitude. Jean de la Bruyère
Short Solitude Quotes
One-liners, short solitude quotes, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.
Solitude is a kind of freedom. Umberto Eco
He who understands humanity seeks solitude. Ali ibn Abi Talib
Fire is a good companion for the mind. May Sarton
Be alone and be happy with yourself. Leo Babauta (Related: The Lost Art of Solitude, zenhabits.net)
Solitude terrifies the soul at twenty. Molière
Solitude appeared to me as the only fit state of man. Walter Benjamin
I’m not anti-social. I’m pro-solitude. Unknown
In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion. Albert Camus
It is better to be alone than in bad company. Unknown
Solitude sometimes is best society. John Milton
I thought loving solitude was bad until I discovered a whole new world in it. Maxime Lagacé
In solitude I find my answers. Kristen Butler
Solitude vivifies; isolation kills. Joseph Roux
In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself. Laurence Sterne
The more you enjoy solitude, the simpler life becomes. Maxime Lagacé
The thoughtful soul to solitude retires. Omar Khayyam
Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. Lorraine Hansberry
You only grow when you are alone. Paul Newman
Disappear. Then, come back even better. Ree Johnson
Inspirational Solitude Quotes
They who do not fear darkness have learned to light their own candle. Dodinsky
If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. Maya Angelou
Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Nikola Tesla
Make the time to be alone. Your best ideas live within solitude. Robin Sharma
There’s staggering power in leaving the world and heading out into some solitude for at least and hour every day. Robin Sharma
He is greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own. Henry Ward Beecher
I’ve often been with someone and wished I was alone. I’ve never been alone and wished I was not. Derek Sivers
You think that I am impoverishing myself withdrawing from men, but in my solitude I have woven for myself a silken web or chrysalis, and, nymph-like, shall ere long burst forth a more perfect creature, fitted for a higher society. Henry David Thoreau
You need the rain to appreciate the sun, darkness to appreciate light, people to appreciate solitude. Maxime Lagacé
We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be. May Sarton
Solitude is the place of purification and transformation, the place of the great struggle and the great encounter. Henri Nouwen
We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart… and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together… I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude. Helen Hayes
Spend some time alone. There’s so much you don’t know about yourself. Thibaut
With constant doses of solitude, life becomes magical. Adamas Shivananda (Source)
We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being. Hermann Hesse
It is much better to walk alone, in the right direction, than to follow the herd, walking in the wrong direction. Lone Wolf Quotes
Let others worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen, and you are after a power greater than they can imagine. Robert Greene
True solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. One’s inner voices become audible… In consequence, one responds more clearly to other lives. Wendell Berry
Be so relaxed that nothing and nobody can affect you. You’re above that. Maxime Lagacé
Solitude is your most intimate companion, it’ll guide you back home. Stop running from yourself, be still. Yogi Ramdas (Source)
Talent is nurtured in solitude… A creation of importance can only be produced when its author isolates himself, it is a child of solitude. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
In the solitude of your dreams grows the flame that will bring the light to this world. Unknown
Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments. Stephen Crane
Related: Einstein’s most effective life hack wasn’t about productivity (qz.com)
Conclusion
Give solitude a chance. You’ve got nothing to lose. And your life to gain back. Joshua Becker
I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me. Hermann Hesse
Let’s recap:
- Don’t be scared of solitude. On the contrary, relish those moments.
- The benefits of solitude?
- More free time (to do what you enjoy)
- More productivity
- More creativity
- Less stress
- The ultimate benefit of solitude? You get to know yourself. And when you know yourself, you have inner peace.
- Keep in mind: you can be happy, even alone. Just focus on health and a project you love.
- Who is rich? The one who enjoys his own company.
Further Readings
- Topic: Happiness
- 81 Happiness Quotes That Will Light Up Your Day 😄
- 100 Meditation Quotes (For Less Stress And More Calmness)
- 170 Silence Quotes To Make You Feel Grounded
- 100 Letting Go Quotes To Help You Live Free
- 15 Ways to Create an Hour a Day of Extra Time … for Solitude (zenhabits.net)
- 100 Mind Quotes To Make You Wiser
- How To Improve Your Mental Health
- How To Be Happy
Hope you enjoyed these inspiring solitude quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!
Do you enjoy solitude? What’s your favorite solitude quote? Please let us know in the comment section below!
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 15 Images
Best Quotes
What Is Solitude?
Part 2
Solitude Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Inspirational
Part 3
Conclusion
What a rich and valuable contribution. Thank you for your work.
Thank you so much, Mary.
Glad you liked it.
Maxime
I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water. Each day without solitude weakened me. I took no pride in my solitude; but I was dependent on it. The darkness of the room was like sunlight to me. Charles Bukowski (one of my favorite because I feel exactly what he feels and it feels great that solitude is the greatest teacher of all, allows pure thoughts to come in, no judging)
Bukowski is dark but still very true to his human nature (and to all of us).
That’s why his writings were so inspiring.
Thanks,
Maxime