89 Solitude Quotes That Will Soothe You

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, powerful, and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Here are 89 of the best solitude quotes I’ve collected since 2004.

As an introvert, I’ve spent lots of time alone.

One important realization I’ve found is this:

I never felt lonely.

And whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you’ll find huge benefits from spending time alone:

More time to think
More time to do what you enjoy
More time to get to know yourself (which leads to greater inner peace)

What’s the goal of this article?

to inspire you and remind you to of the power of silence, solitude, and calm.

You’ll discover quotes from Einstein, Buddha, Aristotle, Gandhi, and more.

Enjoy!

Solitude helps you find peace. Peace helps you find happiness. Maxime Lagacé

Without great solitude, no serious work is possible. Pablo Picasso

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

I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. Henry David Thoreau

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

The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. Voltaire

solitude quotes table chair fruit violin albert einstein wisdom

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? Albert Einstein

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

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

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. Marcus Aurelius

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

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

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

Solitude is the place of purification. Martin Buber

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The best thinking has been done in solitude. Thomas A. Edison

Related

Solitude is where one discovers one is not alone. Marty Rubin

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

Solitude is un-American. Erica Jong

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

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)

solitude quotes loneliness poverty self richness may sarton wisdom

Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self. May Sarton

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

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 realize 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

I’ve never been lonely. I like myself. I’m the best form of entertainment I have. Charles Bukowsky

This great misfortune – to be incapable of solitude. Jean de la Bruyère

Solitude is a kind of freedom. Umberto Eco

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. Buddha

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

In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion. Albert Camus

I thought loving solitude was bad until I discovered a whole new world in it. Maxime Lagacé

It is better to be alone than in bad company. Unknown

Solitude sometimes is best society. John Milton

In solitude I find my answers. Kristen Butler

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The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Nikola Tesla

Solitude vivifies; isolation kills. Joseph Roux

In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself. Laurence Sterne

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

They who do not fear darkness have learned to light their own candle. Dodinsky

Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Nikola Tesla

There’s staggering power in leaving the world and heading out into some solitude for at least and hour every day. Robin Sharma

solitude quotes loneliness avoided sought tom hanks wisdom

Loneliness is to be avoided, solitude is to be sought. Tom Hanks

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

Spend some time alone. There’s so much you don’t know about yourself. Thibaut

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

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle

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

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

The more you enjoy solitude, the simpler life becomes. Maxime Lagacé

Key Takeaways

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 find 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.

Key Takeaways

Further Readings