Quotes from Zorba the Greek

“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“This is true happiness: to have no ambition and to work like a horse as if you had every ambition. To live far from men, not to need them and yet to love them. To have the stars above, the land to your left and the sea to your right and to realize of a sudden that in your heart, life has accomplished its final miracle: it has become a fairy tale.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“God changes his appearance every second. Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“If a woman sleeps alone it puts a shame on all men. God has a very big heart, but there is one sin He will not forgive. If a woman calls a man to her bed and he will not go.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“You can knock on a deaf man's door forever.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“I was happy, I knew that. While experiencing happiness, we have difficulty in being conscious of it. Only when the happiness is past and we look back on it do we suddenly realize - sometimes with astonishment - how happy we had been.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“Life is trouble. Only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and *look* for trouble.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’ I replied: ‘And I carry on as if I was going to die any minute.’

Which of us was right, boss?”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“When everything goes wrong, what a joy to test your soul and see if it has endurance and courage! An invisible and all-powerful enemy—some call him God, others the Devil, seem to rush upon us to destroy us; but we are not destroyed.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“إن لكل انسان حماقاته ، لكن الحماقة الكبرى في رأيي هي ألا يكون للإنسان حماقات.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean sea.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“Every man has his folly, but the greatest folly of all … is not to have one.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“كلّ ماينبغي لكي تشعر بأن هذه هي السعادة، هو أن يكون لك قلب راض ونفس قانعة”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“the highest point a man can attain is not Knowledge, or Virtue, or Goodness, or Victory, but something even greater, more heroic and more despairing: Sacred Awe!”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“All those who actually live the mysteries of life haven't the time to write, and all those who have the time don't live them! D'you see?”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else - he never dares cut the rope and be free.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“Free yourself from one passion to be dominated by another and nobler one. But is not that, too, a form of slavery? To sacrifice oneself to an idea, to a race, to God? Or does it mean that the higher the model the longer the longer the tether of our slavery?”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“ما أمتع الحزن الذي يملأ النفس من مرأى المطر الهادئ المتصل! إن جميع الذكريات المريرة، الراسبة في أعماق النقس تطفو حينئذ فوق السطح، ذكرى الاصدقاء الذين ذهبوا، والابتسامات الحلوة التي ذبلت، والآمال العزيزة التي فقدت اجنحتها”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“إن في جسدك روحاً، ويجب أن تشفق عليها، أعطها شيئاً لتأكله أيها الرئيس، فإذا لم تطعمها تركتك في نصف الطريق”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“تخلصت من الوطن ، تخلصت من الكاهن ، تخلصت من الماء . إنني أغربل نفسي . كلما تقدم بي العمر ، غربلت نفسي أكثر . إنني أتطهر ، كيف أقول لك ؟ إنني أتحرر ، إنني أصبح إِنساناً”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“No, you're not free," he said. "The string you're tied to is perhaps no longer than other people's. That's all. You're on a long piece of string, boss; you come and go, and think you're free, but you never cut the string in two. And when people don't cut that string . . ."
"I'll cut it some day!" I said defiantly, because Zorba's words had touched an open wound in me and hurt.
"It's difficult, boss, very difficult. You need a touch of folly to do that; folly, d'you see? You have to risk everything! But you've got such a strong head, it'll always get the better of you. A man's head is like a grocer; it keeps accounts: I've paid so much and earned so much and that means a profit of this much or a loss of that much! The head's a careful little shopkeeper; it never risks all it has, always keeps something in reserve. It never breaks the string. Ah no! It hangs on tight to it, the bastard! If the string slips out of its grasp, the head, poor devil, is lost, finished! But if a man doesn't break the string, tell me, what flavor is left in life? The flavor of camomile, weak camomile tea! Nothing like rum-that makes you see life inside out!”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“يا لمرارة الافتراق ببطء عن الأحباء! من الأفضل الانقطاع عنهم مرّةً واحدة، والعودة إلى الوحدة.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“إن الإله الرحيم كمل ترى ، لا تستطيع طبقات السماء السبع وطبقات الأرض السبع أن تسعه .
لكن قلب الإنسان يسعه . إذن احذر يا ألكسيس ، من أن تجرح ذات يوم قلب الإنسان”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“شقيٌّ من ليس في داخله منبع السعادة
شقي من يريد أن يعجب الآخرين !
شقي من لا يحس أن هذه الحياة والحياة الأخرى إن هما إلا حياة واحدة”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“When shall I at last retire into solitude alone, without companions, without joy and without sorrow, with only the sacred certainty that all is a dream? When, in my rags—without desires—shall I retire contented into the mountains? When, seeing that my body is merely sickness and crime, age and death, shall I—free, fearless, and blissful—retire to the forest? When? When, oh when?”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“دع الناس مطمئنين, أيها الرئيس لاتفتح أعينهم, فما الذي سيرون؟ بؤسهم! دعهم إذن مستمرين في أحلامهم.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“هناك أسوأ ممن هو أصم , وهو الذي لا يريد أن يسمع”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“قليل من الأشياء, وكثيرٌ من القلب.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

“كم هي مؤلمة ساعة الفراق البطيئة، خاصة فراق الأصدقاء العظام. فالأفضل الانقطاع دفعة واحدة، والعودة إلى الوحدة”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, quote from Zorba the Greek

About the author

Popular quotes

“The mind of man is capable of anything-because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there after all? Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, valour, rage-who can tell?-but truth-truth stripped of its cloak of time. Let the fool gape and shudder-the man know, and can look on without a wink. But he must at least be as much of a man as these on the shore. He must meet the truth with his own true stuff-with his own inborn strength.”
― Joseph Conrad, quote from Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer

“Tempting. But you see, I can simply insist on a lifetime contract with none of your silly restrictions, or kill you right now.”

“You won’t,” Shane said. That made Morley’s eyes open wide.

“Why not? Jacob and Patience were quite specific—they’re concerned for Claire. Not for you, boy.”

“Because if you kill me and Eve, you’ll make her your enemy. This girl won’t stop until she sees you all pay.”

Claire had no idea whom he was talking about—she didn’t feel like that Claire at all, until she imagined Shane and Eve lying dead on the ground.

Then she understood. “I’d hunt you down,” she said quietly. “I’d use every resource I have to do it.

And you know I’d win.”

Morley seemed impressed. “She is small, but I see your point, boy. Besides, she has the ear of Amelie, Oliver, and Myrnin; not a combination I would care to test.”
― Rachel Caine, quote from Fade Out

“Finally he said, “I like everything that wild Irish maniac, J. P. Donleavy, ever wrote.” It wasn’t so much a discussion as a sharing of taste. He also liked The Agony and the Ecstasy and Lust for Life by Irving Stone.”
― Norman Mailer, quote from The Executioner's Song

“Words have weight, something once said cannot be unsaid. Meaning is like a stone dropped into a pool; the ripples will spread and you cannot know what back they wash against.”
― Philippa Gregory, quote from The Constant Princess

“When the Devil goeth about like a roaring lion, he goeth about in a shape by which few but savages and hunters are attracted. But, when he is trimmed, smoothed, and varnished, according to the mode: when he is aweary of vice, and aweary of virtue, used up as to brimstone, and used up as to bliss; then, whether he take to the serving out of red tape, or to the kindling of red fire, he is the very Devil.”
― Charles Dickens, quote from Hard Times

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.