Giovanni Boccaccio

Literature Italian 1313 – 1375 99 quotes

An Italian writer, poet, and important Renaissance humanist, author of The Decameron.

Quotes by Giovanni Boccaccio

In sorrow and suffering, I found my true self.

Letters

The beauty of a woman is the flower of her youth.

The Decameron 1353

Wit is the salt of conversation.

The Decameron 1353

Time, which strengthens friendship, weakens love.

Fiammetta 1338

The wise man does not grieve for what he has lost, but rejoices for what he has.

The Decameron 1353

Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.

Genealogy of the Gentile Gods 1374

Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.

The Decameron 1353

Laughter is the best medicine for the soul.

The Decameron 1353

The pen is mightier than the sword in the hands of a true writer.

Personal Reflections

Human nature is ever the same, though its forms vary.

Genealogy of the Gentile Gods 1374

In the garden of love, thorns are as common as roses.

The Decameron 1353

Knowledge without wisdom is like a path without a destination.

The Decameron 1353

The artist's soul is painted on his canvas.

On Literature

Fame is the shadow of virtue.

Life of Dante 1373

A merry heart does good like medicine.

The Decameron 1353

The plague teaches us the fragility of life.

The Decameron 1353

Words are the physicians of a mind diseased.

The Decameron 1353

Love makes the wise foolish and the foolish wise.

Filostrato 1336

In storytelling, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Professional Observations

The heart knows no bounds in its affections.

The Decameron 1353