50 Inspiring Da Vinci Quotes That Will Change Your Life

November 23, 2025

Quotes carry the power to shift perspective, fuel action, and calm the restless mind. Leonardo da Vinci’s thinking—rooted in curiosity, observation, and relentless practice—offers short jolts of courage and deep, reflective wisdom. Use these quotes when you need a creative spark, motivation to begin, steadying life advice, or a reminder that curiosity and discipline together shape greatness. Below are 50 quotes by Leonardo da Vinci and lines inspired by his spirit, grouped so you can reach for the exact kind of lift you need.

Motivational Quotes

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation; even so inaction saps the vigor of the mind." — Leonardo da Vinci
"A well-spent day brings happy sleep." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Act on what you discover; curiosity without action is only entertainment." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Work with your hands and your mind will follow—start small and build mastery." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Do not wait for the perfect moment; create momentum now." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master." — Leonardo da Vinci

Inspirational Quotes

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." — Leonardo da Vinci
"There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Nature never breaks her own laws." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Everything connects to everything else." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Let your curiosity be a lamp that leads you through every darkness." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Seek truth with patience; revelation follows steady work." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art." — Leonardo da Vinci

Life Wisdom Quotes

"Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The painter has the universe in his mind and hands." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The eye sees a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination awake." — Leonardo da Vinci
"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself." — Leonardo da Vinci
"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings a happy death." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Experience does not err; only your judgments about it do." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Measure twice in observation; speak once with certainty." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Learn to watch. To see is the first step toward wisdom." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

Success Quotes

"Study the science of art. Study the art of science." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail." — Leonardo da Vinci
"He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder." — Leonardo da Vinci
"People of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Strive to understand the causes; mastery follows cause and effect." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Mastery is the patient alignment of curiosity and discipline." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Innovate by observing what others ignore; success grows from new questions." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Refuse easy answers; lasting achievement demands deeper inquiry." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

Creativity & Innovation Quotes

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Study the movements of the world and your work will find its rhythm." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"The function of muscle is to pull and not to push." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The small gray thread of curiosity can unravel the greatest mysteries." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"A thing well imagined is half accomplished." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Look with the eyes of the mind; invention begins in observation." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Invent by combining what exists with what no one else sees." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Do not be afraid to redraw the sketch—creation is revision." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

Daily Inspiration Quotes

"Learning never exhausts the mind." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The knowledge of all things is possible." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." — Leonardo da Vinci
"Make every day a study; small steps compound into genius." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Start each morning as if you will solve a problem no one else has solved." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Curiosity is the engine of every purposeful day." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Carry a notebook; thoughts are seeds until they are written down." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
"Choose to be present—detail is the doorway to beauty." — Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

Quotes—short or long—can be used as morning mantras, quick reminders during work, lines to bookmark for tough decisions, or prompts for creative sessions. Leonardo’s blend of observation, craft, and daring invites us to act, to learn, and to see beyond appearances.

Allow these lines to nudge you into curiosity, steady your resolve when work is hard, and remind you that mastery is made of small, persistent acts. Return to them when you need a lift—the right quote at the right moment can change the course of a day, and over time, the course of a life.