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The Top 45 Quotes in Hungarian for Language Learners

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Have you ever been in a situation where everything lined up just right…but the perfect quote was missing? We’ve all been there. That’s why it’s important to become familiar with quotes and quips beforehand, so that when the time comes you know exactly what to say.

Well, this is your lucky day! In this article, we’re going to list 45 quotes in Hungarian with translations so that you can find the perfect one for any occasion. Now you’ll never have to miss out on a quote opportunity.

If some of these quotes seem familiar to you, it’s not just your mind playing tricks on you. We’ve intentionally translated several famous quotes in Hungarian from English so that the text wouldn’t be so alien to you. The rest of the quotes—those that are not cited—are just common phrases used in everyday life.

Ready yet? Then let’s dive in.

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Hungarian Table of Contents
  1. Quotes About Success
  2. Quotes About Life
  3. Quotes About Time
  4. Quotes About Love
  5. Quotes About Family
  6. Quotes About Friendship
  7. Quotes About Food
  8. Quotes About Health
  9. Quotes About Language Learning
  10. How HungarianPod101.com Motivates You to Become Better and Better

Quotes About Success

In this section, you’re going to read a few motivational quotes in Hungarian about success. If you need a little encouragement for your next step toward your goals, put some of these quotes up on your wall or somewhere else you’ll see them often—that will certainly give you the boost of self-esteem you need!


1. “Behind every successful man there’s a lot of unsuccessful years.”

Author: Bob Brown

In Hungarian: Minden sikeres ember mögött rengeteg sikertelen év van.

This quote emphasizes how trial-and-error is necessary for success. It takes time to better yourself and reach your goals.

  • “behind” – mögött
  • “every” – minden
  • “successful” – sikeres
  • “unsuccessful” – sikertelen

2. “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.”

Author: Robert Foster Bennett

In Hungarian: A siker nem arról szól, hogy mid van, hanem hogy ki vagy.

This quote about success says that the only thing that’s important is who you are as a person. The things you’ve gathered, such as money, really hold no weight in how successful you are.  

3. “Don’t wait for an opportunity. Create it.”

In Hungarian: Ne várj lehetőségre! Teremtsd meg!

This is a terrific motivational quote. Those who wait around miss lots of opportunities. Instead of waiting forever, you should act now!

  • “to wait” – vár
  • “opportunity” – lehetőség
  • “to create” – megteremt

4. “Don’t tell people your plans. Show them your results.”

In Hungarian: Ne mondd el másoknak a terveidet! Mutasd meg nekik az eredményt!

Those who tell people what they would do instead of what they did are wasting their time.

  • “to tell” – mond
  • “to show” – mutat
  • “result” – eredmény

5. “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.”

Author: Zig Ziglar

In Hungarian: A sikerhez nincs lift. A lépcsőt kell megmásznod.

This quote is similar to the first one in this section. It implies that success takes time—just like taking the stairs—and doesn’t happen as quickly as one would like.

  • “elevator” – lift
  • “success” – siker
  • “stairs” – lépcső
Two People Are Seen on a Sketch, One of Them Is Going Up the Stairs, the Other Is Going Up a Ladder

Quotes About Life

Life can be difficult, positive, and negative all at once, but the important thing is that you always look at the bright side. These life quotes in Hungarian aim to help you see the silver lining.


6. “The best time for new beginnings is now.”

In Hungarian: A legjobb idő az új kezdetekhez most van.

This quote encourages you to take opportunities right away and to begin bettering yourself now. If you hesitate, you won’t see results until much later.

  • “best time” – legjobb idő
  • “new beginning” – új kezdet
  • “now” – most

7. “Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.”

Author: Mario Fernández

In Hungarian: Emelkedj felül a viharon, és megtalálod a napfényt!

This quote means that if you’re able to overcome negativity in your life and see the good in things, you’ll find the silver lining.

  • “to rise” – emelkedik
  • “above” – felül
  • “storm” – vihar
  • “to find” – megtalál
  • “sunshine” – napfény

8. “Life is too short to wake up with regrets.”

In Hungarian: Az élet túl rövid ahhoz, hogy megbánással ébredjünk fel.

According to this saying, you shouldn’t regret anything you’ve done, because life is too short to get caught up in things like that. Live life to the fullest and regret nothing.

  • “life” – élet
  • “too short” – túl rövid
  • “to wake up” – felébred
  • “regret” – megbánás

9. “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”

Author: James Dean

In Hungarian: Álmodj úgy, mintha örökké élnél, élj úgy, mintha ma halnál meg!

This quote focuses on living life to the fullest. It says that you should seize every opportunity because you don’t know if you’ll ever have another chance.

  • “to dream” – álmodik
  • “to live” – él
  • “forever” – örökké
  • “to die” – meghal
  • “today” – ma

10. “In three words I can sum up everything I learnt about life: it goes on.”

Author: Robert Frost

In Hungarian: Két szóban össze tudok foglalni mindent, amit az életről tanultam: megy tovább.

This quote is somewhat consoling. It says that you shouldn’t worry about what’s in the past because life goes on. The past is in the past, and you should focus on the future and the opportunities it offers.

In Hungarian, “life goes on” can be translated in two words. That’s why we wrote két (“two”) instead of három (“three”).

  • “to sum up” – összefoglal
  • “to learn” – tanul
  • “about (the) life” – az életről
  • “to go” – megy
A Man Is Holding Soil and a Plant in His Hands Representing Life

Quotes About Time

We all know that time flies, making it our most precious possession.

The following quotes in Hungarian emphasize the importance of time and encourage you to seize the day. They’re perfect to put up on your wall!


11. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Author: Benjamin Franklin

In Hungarian: A korán fekvés és korán kelés egészségessé, gazdaggá és bölccsé teszi az embert.

This quote says that getting up early is the best way to achieve your goals and live a good life. This is because rising early gives you more time to get things done. In other words: The early bird catches the worm.

  • “early” – korán
  • “bed” – ágy
  • “healthy” – egészséges
  • “wealthy” – gazdag
  • “wise” – bölcs

12. “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Author: Leo Tolstoy

In Hungarian: A két legerősebb harcos a türelem és az idő.

This saying means that the only two things you should be concerned about are patience and the time you have.

  • “most powerful” – legerősebb
  • “warrior” – harcos
  • “patience” – türelem
  • “time” – idő

13. “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

In Hungarian: Ne félj attól, hogy lassan haladsz, félj attól, hogy egy helyben állsz!

This quote means that not making any progress is all you need to worry about. As long as you’re making even a little bit of progress, you’re doing good!

  • “to be afraid” – fél
  • “slowly” – lassan
  • “to stand still” – egy helyben áll

14. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

In Hungarian: Nincs rövidebb út azokhoz a helyekhez, ahová érdemes elmenni.

This quote says that you have to work hard for the greatest things in life. No success comes easily or quickly.

  • “shortcut” – rövidebb út
  • “place” – hely
  • “to be worth something” – érdemes
  • “to go” – elmegy

15. “There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.” 

Author: Leo Christopher

In Hungarian: Egyetlen dolog van, ami értékesebb az időnknél, mégpedig az, akire szánjuk azt.

According to Leo Christopher, our time is indeed precious because no-one can gain more of it. That makes it important to choose wisely who we spend our limited time with.

  • “thing” – dolog
  • “precious” – értékes
  • “to spend (time)” – szánni
A Girl in a Shirt with Her Hair Up Is Pointing at an Alarm Clock, Grey Background

Quotes About Love

And now, probably the most important section of them all: love quotes. If you want to make your Hungarian partner swoon, all you have to do is present them with one of these romantic quotes in Hungarian. We promise you it will pay off later!

Ready to make hearts melt? Let’s go.

    → For more sweet quotes to whisper in your partner’s ear, see our vocabulary list of the Top 10 Quotes About Love!
    → We know that things don’t always work out in a relationship… If you’re recovering from a heartache, these Breakup Quotes in Hungarian can help!

16. “Dream without fear, love without limits.”

In Hungarian: Álmodj félelem nélkül, szeress határok nélkül!

Do you want the key to a happy life? Be fearless and love everybody unconditionally. 

  • “fear” – félelem
  • “to love” – szeretni
  • “limit” – határ
  • “…-less” – nélkül

17. “Love is not what you say. Love is what you do.”

In Hungarian: A szeretet nem arról szól, mit mondasz. A szerelem arról szól, mit teszel.

It doesn’t matter if someone says nice things to you if they don’t act accordingly.

  • “love” – szeretet, szerelem
  • “to say” – mond
  • “to do” – csinál, tesz

18. “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

Author: Taylor Hanson

In Hungarian: A világnak lehet, hogy csak egy valaki vagy, de egy valakinek lehet, hogy a világ vagy.

Even if you feel small sometimes in this big world, you must not forget that there’s at least one person that finds you unique and out of this world.

  • “the world” – a világ
  • “one person” – egy valaki

19. “You don’t marry someone you can live with. You marry someone you can’t live without.”

In Hungarian: Nem valaki olyanhoz mész hozzá, akivel tudsz élni. Ahhoz mész hozzá, aki nélkül nem tudsz.

This quote encourages you not to settle for less than what you deserve and truly desire. There are so many mediocre things in life that love should not be one of them.

  • “to marry” – hozzámegy
  • “to live” – él
  • “without” – nélkül

20. “Sometimes I look at you and wonder how I got to be so lucky.” 

In Hungarian: Néha rád nézek, és azon gondolkodom, hogy lehetek ilyen szerencsés.

Surprise your partner with this quote during a romantic date night and make them swoon!

  • “sometimes” – néha
  • “to look” – néz
  • “to wonder” – gondolkodik
  • “lucky” – szerencsés
Two Heart-Shaped Red Balloons Are in the Air, in Front of the Blue Sky and a Few Clouds

Quotes About Family

Your family is just as important as your lover, if not even more important! Here are some inspirational quotes in Hungarian that talk about family.


21. “Family: where life begins and love never ends.”

In Hungarian: Család: ahol az élet kezdődik és ahol a szeretetnek sosincs vége.

You can always count on the love of your family because you’re bound by blood.

  • “family” – család
  • “where” – ahol
  • “to begin” – kezdődik
  • “to end” – végződik

22. “Family is like branches of a tree. We grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.”

In Hungarian: A család olyan, mint egy fa ágai. Különböző irányba megyünk, a gyökereink mégis ugyanazok maradnak.

This Hungarian quote explains how, even though we might choose different paths, we’ll always remember that we came from the same place.

  • “branch” – ág
  • “tree” – fa
  • “to grow” –
  • “different direction” – különböző irány
  • “root” – gyökér
  • “to remain” – marad

23. “Family is anyone who loves you unconditionally.”

In Hungarian: Családtag bárki, aki feltétel nélkül szeret téged.

According to this quote, family doesn’t always mean being bound by blood. Family is the unconditional love you feel toward another person.

  • “to love” – szeret
  • “unconditionally” – feltétel nélkül

24. “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.”

Author: Mario Puzo

In Hungarian: A család ereje, csakúgy, mint egy sereg ereje, az egymás iránti hűségből fakad.

It’s crucial that you’re loyal to family members because they are the ones who will be there for you no matter what. And in that loyalty, you can find strength.

  • “strength” – erő
  • “army” – sereg
  • “to lie” – fakad
  • “loyalty” – hűség
  • “each other” – egymás

25. “Family is not about blood. It’s about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most.”

In Hungarian: A család nem a vérrokonságról szól, hanem arról, hogy ki hajlandó fogni a kezed, amikor a legnagyobb szükséged van rá.

This is another quote that claims family is not about being bound by blood, but rather about who will stand next to you during the darkest of times.

  • “blood” – vér
  • “to be willing to” – hajlandó
  • “to hold” – fog, tart
  • “to need” – szüksége van
A Family Is Seen: Dad, Mom, a Girl and a Boy, Grocery Shopping, They Stand Around a Shopping Cart

Quotes About Friendship

Who isn’t thankful for their friends being by their side all the time? Why don’t you thank them for being such great friends with these cool and heart-warming quotes? You can create a nice card for them, pop one of these quotes in it, and there you go: a thoughtful just-because gift.


26. “It’s not that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but it’s your best friends who are your diamonds.”

Author: Gina Barreca

In Hungarian: Nem arról van szó, hogy egy lány legjobb barátai az ékszerei, hanem hogy a legjobb barátaid az ékszereid.

This quote emphasizes that friendship is more valuable to a person than materialistic things.

  • “diamond” – gyémánt
  • “jewelry” – ékszer
  • “girl” – lány
  • “friend” – barát

27. “Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.”

In Hungarian: Egy jó barátot nehéz találni, még nehezebb elhagyni, és lehetetlen elfelejteni.

This quote about friends describes the defining footprint that good friends leave in a person’s life. 

  • “hard” – nehéz
  • “to find” – találni
  • “to leave” – elhagy
  • “impossible” – lehetetlen
  • “to forget” – elfelejt

28. “There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends who become family.”

In Hungarian: Vannak barátok, vannak családtagok, és vannak barátok, akik családtagokká válnak.

Sometimes, friends can be so supportive and play such a crucial role in your life that it almost feels as if they were family, too.

  • “there are” – vannak
  • “there is” – van

29. “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

Author: Helen Keller

In Hungarian: Egy baráttal sétálni a sötétben jobb, mint egyedül sétálni a fényben.

Helen Keller talks about the importance of friends here. Friends can help us through some very dark times that we wouldn’t be able to get through alone, and that is priceless.

  • “to walk” – sétál
  • “the dark” – a sötétség
  • “better” – jobb
  • “than” – mint
  • “alone” – egyedül
  • “rain” – eső

30. “A good friend knows all your best stories. A best friend has lived them with you.”

In Hungarian: Egy barát ismeri a legjobb sztorijaidat. Egy legjobb barát átélte őket veled.

This quote describes the difference between regular friends and best friends. There’s nothing better than the bond you have with your best friend. Sometimes, it feels like they are your siblings, having been there for you on every step of your journey.

  • “good” –
  • “to know” – ismer, tud
  • “story” – sztori, történet
  • “to live” – átél
  • “with you” – veled
A Group of Friends Is Seen, Three Girls, Two Guys, All Laughing and Kind of on Top of Each Other

Quotes About Food

We really don’t praise food enough. Well, not anymore! We’ve dedicated an entire section to quotes about food, so there you go. Fill your heart (and stomach) up with this handful of quotes. Feast your eyes…

    → Warning: These quotes might make you hungry. If so, why not see our list of Hungarian words for different Foods?

31. “Food is the ingredient that binds us together.”

In Hungarian: Az étel az az összetevő, ami összeköt minket.

Food is an international language that has the power to bring everybody together.

  • “food” – étel
  • “ingredient” – hozzávaló
  • “to bind” – összeköt
  • “together” – együtt

32. “The only time to eat diet food is when you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Author: Julia Child

In Hungarian: Egyedül akkor szabad diétás ételt enni, amikor várunk, hogy megsüljön a bélszín.

Julia Child supports peace of mind with this quote. She says that food is to be enjoyed and that one shouldn’t suppress the desire for good, nutritious food.

  • “to eat” – eszik
  • “diet food” – diétás étel
  • “steak” – bélszín
  • “to (be) cook(ed)” – megsülni

33. “People who love to eat are the best people.”

Author: Julia Child

In Hungarian: Azok az emberek, akik imádnak enni, a legjobb emberek.

People who make sure that their belly is full and satisfied can only be happy, right? Thus, they are fantastic to be around.

34. “Food tastes better when you eat it with your family.”

In Hungarian: Az ételnek jobb íze van, mikor a családoddal eszed.

Food unifies. So, what could be better than enjoying fine cuisine with those you love? That’s right: probably nothing.

  • “to taste better” – jobb íze van

35. “I followed my heart and it led me to the fridge.”

In Hungarian: Követtem a szívemet, és a hűtőhöz vezetett.

Everybody tells you to follow your heart, and it always takes you to the best of places…

  • “to follow” – követ
  • “heart” – szív
  • “to lead” – vezet
  • “fridge” – hűtő
  • “refrigerator” – hűtőszekrény
Pots of Food Is Seen, Curry, Rice, Meat Etc

Quotes About Health

Health is very important, but sometimes it’s difficult to keep up a healthy lifestyle. Here are some motivational quotes in Hungarian that touch on the topic of health.

36. “It is health that is real wealth and not (pieces of) gold and silver.”

Author: Mahatma Gandhi

In Hungarian: Az egészség az igazi gazdagság, nem pedig az arany és az ezüst.

Gandhi speaks the truth here—the truth that nobody realizes until something grave happens. Take care of yourself and the ones you love.

  • “health” – egészség
  • “real” – igazi
  • “wealth” – gazdagság
  • “gold” – arany
  • “silver” – ezüst

37. “Your body is your most priceless possession. Take care of it.”

In Hungarian: A tested az igazán megfizethetetlen tulajdonod. Vigyázz rá!

Without a healthy body, you can’t really do anything. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and trying to stay healthy, you’re keeping your body in good enough condition to live life to the fullest.

  • “body” – test
  • “priceless” – megfizethetetlen
  • “possession” – tulajdon
  • “to take care” – vigyázni valamire

38. “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

Author: Buddha

In Hungarian: Az a feladatunk, hogy jó egészségben tartsuk a testet, másképp nem fogjuk tudni erősen és tisztán tartani elménket.

Both physical health and mental health are crucial in living a happy life. And guess what? Those two go hand in hand. Take care of your body and your mind will thank you for it.

  • “to keep” – tartani
  • “duty” – feladat
  • “otherwise” – másképp(en)
  • “to be able” – tud
  • “mind” – elme
  • “strong” – erős
  • “clear” – tiszta

By the way, if you want to learn the names of different religions in Hungarian, see our Religions vocabulary list. 

39. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Author: Benjamin Franklin

In Hungarian: Egy uncia megelőzés annyit ér, mint egy font gyógymód.

Prevention should always be a priority. Taking care of yourself from the beginning is a much better tactic than panicking and trying to cure the illness you could have prevented.

  • “ounce” – uncia
  • “prevention” – megelőzés
  • “to be worth” – ér valamennyit
  • “pound” – font
  • “cure” – gyógymód

40. “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

Author: Jim Rohn

In Hungarian: Vigyázz a testedre! Az az egyetlen hely, ahol muszáj élned.

In most cases, you can leave a place when you feel uncomfortable there—but this is not the case with your body. If you’re uncomfortable in your own skin, that needs to be changed straight away. That’s why you must take care of your body and love yourself. 

  • “the only” – az egyetlen
  • “place” – hely
  • “have to” – muszáj, kell
  • “to live” – élni
A Couple Is Running, the Guy Is in a Blue Shirt, the Girl Is in a Red One

Quotes About Language Learning

Just like sticking to our diet or making other healthy life choices, language learning is a challenge. You can easily become unmotivated or lazy, especially when you’re learning on your own. 

Let’s take a look at some inspirational quotes in Hungarian that will boost your motivation levels every time you look at them. We recommend keeping these written down somewhere near your working or learning space!


41. “To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” 

Hungarian: Egy nyelv tanulásával újabb ablak nyílik ki, amin keresztül szemlélhetjük a világot.

Learning a language might be challenging at times, but it will allow you to understand the mentality of a whole nation later. Definitely worth it!

  • “to learn” – tanul
  • “language” – nyelv
  • “window” – ablak
  • “to look” – néz
  • “world” – világ

42. “Learning another language is like becoming another person.”

Author: Haruki Murakami

In Hungarian: Egy másik nyelv megtanulása olyan, mint egy másik emberré válni.

Each language has its own grammar rules and sentence structures. That’s why speaking a foreign language allows you to think about things from a very different perspective.

  • “another” – egy másik
  • “to become” – válik valamivé
  • “person” – ember

43. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. In learning languages, nothing feels better than getting it right after getting it wrong.”

Author: Professor Usama Soltan

In Hungarian: Ne félj hibázni! Nyelvtanulás esetén semmi sem jobb annál, mint amikor valamit jól mondasz miután rosszul mondtad.

The biggest (and actually, the only real) mistake you can make when learning languages is being afraid. Loosen up, embrace the mistakes you make, and learn from them.

  • “to make a mistake” – hibázik
  • “nothing” – semmi
  • “right” – jól
  • “wrong” – rosszul

44. “To have another language is to possess a second soul.”

Author: Charlemagne

In Hungarian: Tudni egy másik nyelven olyan, mintha lenne egy másik lelkünk.

Speaking a language distinct from your mother tongue allows you to look at the world in a different way, almost as if you were looking at it with someone else’s eyes.

  • “to possess” – birtokol, van (neki)
  • “second” – második
  • “soul” – lélek

45. “Learn a language and you’ll avoid a war.”

In Hungarian: Tanulj meg egy nyelvet, és kerülj el egy háborút!

Based on what we touched on previously, if everyone would speak more languages, we would be able to understand more nations. And if we could find common ground, we would never have to go to war again.

  • “to avoid” – elkerül
  • “war” – háború
Books on Top of Each Other, Blue Background

How HungarianPod101.com Motivates You to Become Better and Better

You now have 45 quotes in Hungarian up your sleeves to use when the right moment arrives. From motivational quotes about success to romantic love quotes in Hungarian and beyond, you should have no trouble finding the right words once you memorize these phrases.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us in the comments. Also, let us know which of these quotes you liked the most!

Become a part of the HungarianPod101 family for more articles like this one, as well as audio lessons, well-structured lesson pathways, and much more. In the meantime, happy language learning!

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