Paris Quotes: 10 Inspiring Sayings From the City of Love

Paris, the enchanting City of Light, has captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world for centuries. As you wander through the charming streets, marvel at the breathtaking architecture, and indulge in the sumptuous cuisine, it’s clear why it has become known as the City of Love. With its unique blend of beauty, inspiring art, historic landmarks, and rich culture, it’s no wonder that countless Parisian moments have been immortalized through thought-provoking and romantic quotes.

These timeless Paris quotes highlight the undeniable allure of the city, serving as a testament to its inspiring impact on generations of writers, artists, and travelers alike. Whether you’re seeking snippets of romance, a dash of cultural appreciation, or simply words to capture the essence of this iconic city, these quotes will transport you to the enchanting streets of Paris, igniting your wanderlust and love for all things Parisian.

So, as you dive into these expressions of admiration for the City of Love, allow yourself to become captivated by the beauty, charm, and history of Paris. Relish in the magic that is encapsulated in each quote, and let the essence of the city wash over you, filling your heart with passion and inspiration.

Quote List 1 – 25

In this section, you’ll discover a collection of 25 famous quotes about Paris, featuring authors like Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo, and Jules Renard. These quotes cover various aspects of the city, such as love, art, and iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. You might find the perfect Paris-related Instagram caption for your next post!

1. Paris is always a good idea. – Audrey Hepburn

2. When good Americans die, they go to Paris. – Oscar Wilde

3. A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life. – Thomas Jefferson

4. To know Paris is to know a great deal. – Henry Miller

5. There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris. – Ernest Hemingway

6. Paris is the only city in the world where starving to death is still considered an art. – Carlos Ruiz Zafón

7. An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris. – Friedrich Nietzsche

8. Paris is a place where, for me, just walking down a street that I’ve never been down before is like going to a movie. – Wes Anderson

9. It is not possible for a man to be elegant without a touch of femininity. – Jean Cocteau

10. The Eiffel Tower is the Empire State Building after taxes. – Anonymous

11. The chief danger about Paris is that it is such a strong stimulant. – T.S. Eliot

12. Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill, laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass. – Rupert Brooke

13. The Seine…Paris adopts the river as if it were its own child, and the bridges form a magnificent guard of honor from the Louvre to Notre-Dame. – Victor Hugo

14. What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world. – Charles Dickens

15. When spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise. – Henry Miller

16. To err is human. To loaf is Parisian. – Victor Hugo

17. Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and in this hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman. – John Berger

18. Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to give its best. – Jules Renard

19. In Paris, you learn wit, in London you learn to crush your social rivals, and in Florence, you learn poise. – Virgil Thomson

20. There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse, and harder even–the French air clears up the brain and does good–a world of good. – Vincent Van Gogh

21. To study in Paris is to be born in Paris! – Victor Hugo

22. Paris is a world meant for the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail. – Edmund White

23. Everywhere you look, there are exhausted Parisians propped up against the walls. – Fran Lebowitz

24. Paris is the city in which one loves to live. Sometimes I think this is because it is the only city in the world where you can step out of a railway station and see at one glance beauty together with bile and dandruff. – Jean Cocteau

25. Secrets travel fast in Paris. – Napoleon Bonaparte

Feel free to keep these quotes handy and enjoy reminiscing about your memories in the charming City of Lights, or use them as inspiration for planning your next visit.

Quote List 26 – 50

In this section, you will find a selection of quotes about Paris from various authors and personalities. These quotes are beautifully arranged to inspire and entice wanderlust about this magnificent city.

1. “The only thing more romantic than Paris in the springtime is Paris in the fall.” – Natalie Lloyd

2. “To know Paris is to know a great deal.” – Henry Miller

3. “Paris has never been more than a pleasant backdrop to a man’s life unless he was damn young.” – Caitriona Balfe

4. “Paris is not a city, it’s a world.” – T.S. Eliot

5. “Paris, comme tout le reste, n’est que maudit et faillible.” (Paris, like everything else, is only cursed and fallible.) – Friedrich Nietzsche

6. “In Paris, everyone wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator.” – Jean Cocteau

7. “Paris is always a good idea.” – Audrey Hepburn

8. “The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay…” – Oscar Hammerstein II

9. “The secret love affair between the city of Paris and peace is found in its poets, writers, musicians, and painters.” – T.S. Eliot

10. “She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.” – Gustave Flaubert

11. “Paris is the city in which one loves to live. Sometimes I think this is because it is the only city in the world where you can step out of a railway station—the Gare D’Orsay—and see, simultaneously, the chief enchantments: the Seine with its bridges and bookstalls, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Tuileries Gardens, the Place de la Concorde, the beginning of the Champs Elysees—nearly everything except the Luxembourg Gardens and the Palais Royal. But what other city offers as much as you leave a train?” – Margaret Anderson

12. “The history of a forward-looking city like Paris is a triumph built upon the inertia of its surroundings.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

13. “Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and in this hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman.” – John Berger

14. “Paris is the only city in the world where starving to death is still considered an art.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafón

15. “New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American.” – Djuna Branes

16. “Paris is beautiful at any angle and one of the greatest places to get lost in your thoughts.” – Kristin Hannah

17. “Paris is a circus, and the only difference between it and the other ones is that it is also a place where every square inch has a story to tell, every brick a lifetime of experiences.” – T.S. Eliot

18. “Paris is the city in which one loves to live.” – Ayn Rand

19. “The streets of Paris are endless museums of wonder and delight.” – Henry James

20. “There’s something magnetic about a city that instantly forces you to fall in love with it.” – Midnight in Paris

21. “Paris is a city that was never finished, a puzzle that will always be missing a piece.” – Albert Camus

22. “To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.” – Paul R. Ehrlich

23. “Paris was his present… and, as the year wore on, his prison and his paradise.” – Peter Mayle

24. “I came to the city with the intent of photographing it for a month; two years later, I’m still here, still captivated by its beauty and complexity.” – Brassai

25. “Come explore the timeless allure of Paris, where dreams and romance intertwine like the vines in a Parisian courtyard.” – Novel Ideas

Quote List 51 – 75

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51. “In Paris, good taste and bad taste mélange as naturally as sugar and grains of salt in the desserts it is famed for.” – M.J. Rose. Check out these delicious desserts to inspire your trip to the City of Lights.

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52. Mark Twain once said, “In Paris, they simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.” Discover more quotes to ignite your wanderlust.

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53. “The true traveler is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time”, according to the wise words of Colette. Uncover more lovely quotes for your next trip to Paris.

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54. James Thurber’s take on the city, “There are two men inside the artist: the poet and the craftsman. One is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman”. Find more heartfelt quotes to inspire your dreams.

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55. Feel the love with Anne Rice’s words, “Paris is the city where the rich sit and the poor walk — a city of gaiety, laughter, and mirth, also of sorrow, tears, and silence” by exploring captivating quotes for your Instagram captions.

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56. Honoré de Balzac beautifully described Paris as, “The streets of Paris have the quality of art, they offer themselves to the observer as a process of change, from the most solid, the most striking fact to the vaguest and most fleeting suggestion”.

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57. Vincent Van Gogh expressed his love for the city in these words: “I am always very happy when I think that I might see Paris again”.

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58. Gaston Leroux also shared his impressions: “I could not help but repose languidly under the dreamy spell of my beloved Paris”.

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59. Gertrude Stein famously said, “America is my country, and Paris is my hometown”.

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60. Allen Ginsberg mused, “Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, I’ll piss on them. That’s what the Statue of Bigotry says. Your poor huddled masses, let’s club their heads, we’ll break apart their families and really start some suffering here, in the promised land”.

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61. A wise quote from Gossip Girl: “Paris is always a good idea”.

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62. And finally, Margaret Anderson has a great regard for Paris as she says, “Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature, and Music, it is up to you to open as many doors as you can”.

Quote List 76 – 100

Here’s a list for you, with some beautifully touching Paris quotes from various prominent figures. We have used a numbered list for better readability. Enjoy these expressions of love and admiration for the City of Light!

1. Casablanca: Rick Blaine tells Ilsa Lund, “We’ll always have Paris.” source

2. Audrey Hepburn famously said, “Paris is always a good idea.” source

3. King Francis I stated, “Paris is not a city, it’s a world.” source

4. Paula McLain wrote, “There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.” source

5. Roman Payne expressed, “The gardens of Paris are a maze.” source

6. Michael Faudet shared, “My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.”

7. John Berger said, “I am a city person and Paris is my landscape.”

8. Lee Radziwill expressed, “Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. It brings tears to your eyes.”

9. Kate Simon penned, “You can’t escape the past in Paris, and yet what’s so wonderful about it is that the past and present intermingle so intangibly that it doesn’t seem to burden.”

10. In Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn remarked, “She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.”

11. Amy Thomas said, “Paris is more than a place; it’s a state of being.”

12. Anastasia confessed, “What an immense impression Paris made upon me.”

13. Christian Louboutin shared, “Coffee in Paris is the taste of freedom.”

14. Michael Kors described Paris as, “A moveable feast.”

15. Charles Dickens put it, “Paris has her relapses into Romanism.”

16. Pierre Assouline said, “There is but one Paris.”

17. Alan Furst described his love for the city, “I love Paris for the million reasons that everybody loves the city.”

18. Gustave Flaubert wrote, “Within the walls of Paris, there is but one universe.”

19. Cafés, fashion, and gardens blend seamlessly in Paris, as Gustave Flauber expressed, “The cafés of Paris conceal untold stories.”

20. Wes Anderson shared his sentiment, “I have no plans to leave the city where all roads have led me.”

21. Sacha Guitry said, “Being a Parisian is not about being born in Paris, it is about being reborn there.”

22. Adrian Leeds remarked, “Paris… no other city holds the mystique.”

23. Elizabeth Bard described Paris as, “The beating heart of the entire world.”

24. Carlos Ruiz Zafón said, “Every city has its shadow.”

25. Finally, Rachel Kapelke-Dale put it best, “Paris is a feeling.” source