Dante Alighieri

Divine Comedy

Medieval influential 60 sayings

Sayings by Dante Alighieri

I am not Aeneas; I am not Paul: neither I nor others think me worthy of that.

1320 — Inferno, Canto II, expressing doubt about his fitness for the journey through Hell
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.

1320 — Attributed in popular culture but disputed; likely paraphrased from Inferno
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The day that man allows true love to appear, those things which are well made will fall into confusion and will overturn everything we believe to be right and true.

1320 — Paradiso, Canto XXVII
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto I, Lines 1-3
Humorous Unverifiable

Consider your origin: you were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto XXVI, Lines 118-120
Humorous Confirmed

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto III, Line 9 (inscription over the gates of Hell)
Humorous Unverifiable

He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear.

c. 1308-1321 — Attributed, commonly quoted, but difficult to pinpoint as a direct line. Reflects themes in the Divi…
Humorous Unverifiable

Through me the way to the dolorous city; Through me the way to eternal pain; Through me the way among the people lost.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto III, Lines 1-3 (inscription over the gates of Hell)
Humorous Unverifiable

Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always.

c. 1308-1321 — Attributed, popular romantic quote, but not found in the Divine Comedy or other known works.
Humorous Unverifiable

O human race, born for flight to heaven, why do you fall for a breath of wind?

c. 1308-1321 — Purgatorio, Canto XII, Lines 94-96
Humorous Unverifiable

The more a thing is perfect, the more it feels pleasure and pain.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto VI, Line 107
Humorous Unverifiable

Love, that in gentle heart is quickly learned, seized him for the fair form that was ta'en from me; And still the mode offends me.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto V, Lines 100-102 (Francesca da Rimini's words)
Humorous Unverifiable

From a little spark may burst a mighty flame.

c. 1308-1321 — Paradiso, Canto I, Line 34
Humorous Unverifiable

The deepest hell is reserved for those who betray their friends.

c. 1308-1321 — Attributed, a common interpretation of the lowest circles of Hell, but not a direct quote.
Humorous Unverifiable

Nature has made me a lover of beauty, and not of gain.

c. 1308-1321 — Attributed, often seen as reflecting his character, but exact source is elusive.
Humorous Unverifiable

The divine power, the supreme wisdom, and the primal love.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto III, Line 5 (referring to the Trinity as creators of Hell)
Humorous Unverifiable

The greatest gift that God in his bounty bestowed on creation was the freedom of the will.

c. 1308-1321 — Paradiso, Canto V, Lines 19-21
Humorous Unverifiable

O you who have sound intellects, look closely at the doctrine that is hidden beneath the veil of the strange verses!

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto IX, Lines 61-63
Humorous Unverifiable

The more perfect a thing is, the more it is subject to good and bad.

c. 1308-1321 — Attributed, similar to Inferno VI.107, but phrased differently and often quoted this way.
Humorous Unverifiable

I did not die, and yet I was not living.

c. 1308-1321 — Inferno, Canto XXXIV, Line 25 (describing his state upon seeing Lucifer)
Humorous Unverifiable