KalamArabic Quotes: Beautiful Lines on Love, Life, Patience and Friendship
Beautiful Arabic quotes with translations: famous lines from al-Mutanabbi, Darwish, Nizar Qabbani and Gibran, plus timeless sayings on love and patience.
The Kalam team · 7 min read On this page
The most beautiful Arabic quotes come from a poetic tradition that stretches back more than 1,400 years, from al-Mutanabbi’s proud verses to the modern love poems of Nizar Qabbani and Mahmoud Darwish. Below are famous Arabic quotes on love, life, patience, and friendship, each in Arabic script with a transliteration, an English translation, and a note on who said it.
A Note on Accuracy
Arabic quotes are shared millions of times online, and many are misattributed or garbled along the way. Every line here is either a well-documented line from a named poet or a traditional saying that is clearly labeled as such. Translations are our own and aim to keep the meaning rather than the rhyme. Where a poet’s authorship is traditional rather than certain, we say “attributed to.”
Also worth knowing: Rumi, often featured in “Arabic quote” lists, wrote mainly in Persian, so he isn’t included here. If you’re curious about the difference between the two languages, see our guide to Persian vs Arabic.
Arabic Quotes About Love
Nizar Qabbani
Nizar Qabbani (1923–1998), the Syrian poet, is the best-loved modern love poet in Arabic. Many of his poems became famous songs, especially in the voice of the Iraqi singer Kadim al-Sahir.
عَلَّمَني حُبُّكِ أن أحزنْ وأنا محتاجٌ منذ عصورٍ لامرأةٍ تجعلني أحزنْ
ʿallamanī ḥubbuki an aḥzan, wa ana muḥtājun mundhu ʿuṣūrin li-mra’atin tajʿalunī aḥzan
“Your love taught me to grieve, and for ages I have needed a woman who would make me grieve.”
إني خيّرتُكِ فاختاري ما بين الموتِ على صدري أو فوقَ دفاترِ أشعاري
innī khayyartuki fa-khtārī, mā bayna l-mawti ʿalā ṣadrī aw fawqa dafātiri ashʿārī
“I have given you a choice, so choose: between dying on my chest or upon the pages of my poems.”
Majnun Layla
The story of Qays and Layla is the Arab world’s Romeo and Juliet. Qays loved Layla so obsessively that he was called Majnūn, “the madman.” These lines are traditionally attributed to him:
أمرُّ على الديارِ ديارِ ليلى، أُقبِّلُ ذا الجدارَ وذا الجدارا وما حبُّ الديارِ شغفنَ قلبي، ولكن حبُّ من سكنَ الديارا
amurru ʿalā d-diyāri diyāri laylā, uqabbilu dhā l-jidāra wa dhā l-jidārā / wa mā ḥubbu d-diyāri shaghafna qalbī, wa lākin ḥubbu man sakana d-diyārā
“I pass by the homes, the homes of Layla, and kiss this wall and that wall. It is not love of the homes that has filled my heart, but love of the one who lived in them.”
Antara ibn Shaddad
Antara, the pre-Islamic warrior-poet, is famous for remembering his beloved ʿAbla in the middle of battle:
ولقد ذكرتُكِ والرماحُ نواهلٌ منّي، وبيضُ الهندِ تقطرُ من دمي
wa laqad dhakartuki wa r-rimāḥu nawāhilun minnī, wa bīḍu l-hindi taqṭuru min damī
“I remembered you while the spears were drinking from me and the Indian swords were dripping with my blood.”
If you want simpler, everyday ways to express affection, see I love you in Arabic and the many words for love in Arabic.
Arabic Quotes About Life
Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008) is widely considered the national poet of Palestine. Two of his most quoted lines are about simply loving life:
على هذه الأرضِ ما يستحقُّ الحياة
ʿalā hādhihi l-arḍi mā yastaḥiqqu l-ḥayāh
“On this earth, there is what makes life worth living.”
ونحنُ نحبُّ الحياةَ إذا ما استطعنا إليها سبيلا
wa naḥnu nuḥibbu l-ḥayāta idhā mā staṭaʿnā ilayhā sabīlā
“And we love life, whenever we can find a way to it.”
And from his poem to his mother, later sung by Marcel Khalife:
أحنُّ إلى خبزِ أمي، وقهوةِ أمي
aḥinnu ilā khubzi ummī, wa qahwati ummī
“I long for my mother’s bread, and my mother’s coffee.”
Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi
The Tunisian poet al-Shabbi (1909–1934) wrote this line about the will to live. It later appears in the Tunisian national anthem:
إذا الشعبُ يوماً أرادَ الحياة، فلا بدَّ أن يستجيبَ القدر
idhā sh-shaʿbu yawman arāda l-ḥayāh, fa-lā budda an yastajība l-qadar
“If a people one day wills to live, then fate must answer.”
Khalil Gibran
Gibran (1883–1931), born in Lebanon, wrote in both Arabic and English. His best-known Arabic lines come from the poem al-Mawākib (The Processions), famously sung by Fairuz:
أعطني النايَ وغنِّ، فالغنا سرُّ الوجود وأنينُ الناي يبقى بعد أن يفنى الوجود
aʿṭinī n-nāya wa ghanni, fa-l-ghinā sirru l-wujūd / wa anīnu n-nāyi yabqā baʿda an yafnā l-wujūd
“Give me the flute and sing, for song is the secret of existence; and the flute’s lament remains after existence has passed.”
The Prophet, his most famous book, was written in English. One of its best-known lines on love: “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.” It is widely read in Arabic translation as well.
Al-Mutanabbi
Al-Mutanabbi (915–965) is often called the greatest poet in the Arabic language. Many of his lines have become everyday proverbs, like this one about life not going to plan:
ما كلُّ ما يتمنّى المرءُ يدركُهُ، تجري الرياحُ بما لا تشتهي السفنُ
mā kullu mā yatamannā l-mar’u yudrikuhu, tajrī r-riyāḥu bimā lā tashtahī s-sufunu
“Not everything a person wishes for is attained; the winds blow in ways the ships do not desire.”
And his famous boast, which every Arab schoolchild knows:
الخيلُ والليلُ والبيداءُ تعرفني، والسيفُ والرمحُ والقرطاسُ والقلمُ
al-khaylu wa l-laylu wa l-baydā’u taʿrifunī, wa s-sayfu wa r-rumḥu wa l-qirṭāsu wa l-qalamu
“The horses, the night, and the desert know me; so do the sword, the spear, the paper, and the pen.”
Arabic Quotes About Patience
Patience, ṣabr, is one of the most celebrated virtues in Arab and Islamic culture. Our page on sabr explores the word in depth.
From the Quran
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
fa-inna maʿa l-ʿusri yusrā, inna maʿa l-ʿusri yusrā
“For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” (Surah ash-Sharḥ 94:5–6)
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ
fa-ṣabrun jamīl
“So patience is most fitting” (literally “beautiful patience”), said by the Prophet Yaʿqub (Jacob). (Surah Yūsuf 12:18, and again in 12:83)
Attributed to Imam al-Shafiʿi
The poems collected under the name of Imam al-Shafiʿi (767–820) are much loved for their calm wisdom:
دعِ الأيامَ تفعلُ ما تشاءُ، وطِبْ نفساً إذا حكمَ القضاءُ
daʿi l-ayyāma tafʿalu mā tashā’u, wa ṭib nafsan idhā ḥakama l-qaḍā’u
“Let the days do as they will, and be at peace when fate has decreed.”
A traditional saying
الصبرُ مفتاحُ الفرج
aṣ-ṣabru miftāḥu l-faraj
“Patience is the key to relief.” (Traditional proverb)
You’ll find more sayings like this one in our collection of Arabic proverbs.
Arabic Quotes About Friendship
Al-Mutanabbi
شرُّ البلادِ مكانٌ لا صديقَ بهِ
sharru l-bilādi makānun lā ṣadīqa bihi
“The worst of lands is a place where you have no friend.”
إذا أنتَ أكرمتَ الكريمَ ملكتَهُ، وإن أنتَ أكرمتَ اللئيمَ تمرَّدا
idhā anta akramta l-karīma malaktahu, wa in anta akramta l-la’īma tamarradā
“If you honor a noble person, you win him over; if you honor a base person, he rebels.”
Traditional sayings
الصديقُ وقتَ الضيق
aṣ-ṣadīqu waqta ḍ-ḍīq
“A friend is (known) in times of hardship.” (Traditional proverb)
ربَّ أخٍ لكَ لم تلدْهُ أمُّك
rubba akhin laka lam talidhu ummuk
“Many a brother of yours was not born to your mother.” (Traditional proverb)
Arabic Quotes About Books and Knowledge
أعزُّ مكانٍ في الدُّنى سرجُ سابحٍ، وخيرُ جليسٍ في الزمانِ كتابُ
aʿazzu makānin fī d-dunā sarju sābiḥin, wa khayru jalīsin fī z-zamāni kitābu
“The most cherished place in the world is the saddle of a swift horse, and the best companion in any age is a book.” (al-Mutanabbi)
Using These Quotes in Captions, Cards, and Tattoos
- Copy the Arabic, not a screenshot of an English translation run back through a translator. Machine translation of poetry almost always breaks the meaning.
- Keep the whole line. Cutting a verse in half can change its meaning, or leave you with something that sounds incomplete to a native reader.
- Be careful with Quranic verses. Many Muslims would consider it disrespectful to print verses on clothing, or to use them as tattoos. If you are thinking about ink, read our guide to Arabic tattoos first.
- Check the gender. Lines addressed to a beloved often use feminine forms (like ḥubbuki, “your love” to a woman). That matters if you are sending one to someone.
Reading poetry aloud is also one of the best ways to train your ear for classical Arabic rhythm. If your goal is to talk with family rather than recite verse, an app like Kalam focuses on the spoken dialects you’ll actually hear at home.
FAQ
Who is the most famous Arabic poet?
Al-Mutanabbi is usually named as the greatest classical Arabic poet, and many of his lines are still used as everyday proverbs. In the modern era, Nizar Qabbani (love poetry) and Mahmoud Darwish (Palestinian poetry) are the most widely read and quoted. Ahmed Shawqi, known as the “Prince of Poets,” is another giant of modern Arabic verse.
What is a beautiful Arabic quote about life?
Mahmoud Darwish’s على هذه الأرض ما يستحق الحياة (ʿalā hādhihi l-arḍi mā yastaḥiqqu l-ḥayāh), “On this earth, there is what makes life worth living,” is one of the most loved. Al-Mutanabbi’s “the winds blow in ways the ships do not desire” is another favorite, used when life doesn’t go according to plan.
Is Rumi an Arabic poet?
No. Rumi (Jalal al-Din Rumi, 13th century) wrote almost all of his poetry in Persian, although he knew Arabic and used some Arabic lines. Quotes labeled “Arabic quotes by Rumi” online are usually English translations of Persian originals, and many popular ones are loose paraphrases rather than real lines.
Did Khalil Gibran write in Arabic?
Yes. Gibran wrote his early works, including poetry, stories, and essays, in Arabic, and later wrote in English, including The Prophet (1923). His Arabic poem al-Mawākib contains the famous lines “Give me the flute and sing,” which Fairuz turned into a classic song.
Are Arabic quotes online usually accurate?
Not always. Many lines circulating on social media are misattributed, especially to Ali ibn Abi Talib, Rumi, or famous poets who never wrote them. Before you share or print a quote, look for it in a reputable Arabic source, and have a native speaker check the spelling and meaning.
