25 Unforgettable Phrases From The Playwright Jacinto Benavente

Jacinto Benavente (Madrid, 1866 – 1954) was one of the most prominent Spanish playwrights and film producers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

His immense and prolific work in the performing arts led him to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922.

Famous phrases and quotes by Jacinto Benavente

Jacinto Benavente wrote works of all dramaturgical genres: dramas, comedies, farces, tragedies …His expressiveness was based on the naturalness of the characters, the realism with which he worked the most complex plots. Furthermore, experts agree in pointing out the exceptional quality of his works not only from the theatrical aspect, but also in the depth of the lexicon and his command of the Spanish language.

In today’s article We have set out to compile the best famous quotes and phrases by Jacinto Benavente to get closer to the life and work of this Madrid playwright.

1. There is no dangerous reading. Evil never enters through intelligence when the heart is healthy.

A deep reflection on the benefits of reading.

2. Dictators can reform laws; but not the customs.

Jacinto Benavente speaks to us in this phrase about the influence of culture on a society.

3. Love is like Don Quixote: when he regains his senses he is ready to die.

When we try to make love emerge from our rational part… everything is lost.

4. Blessed are our imitators, because all our defects will be theirs!

A fundamental value in Benavente’s work: originality.

5. Discipline consists of an imbecile being obeyed by those who are more intelligent.

A famous quote by Jacinto Benavente that shows us his freethinking soul.

6. There is no feeling that is worth it; Love is an occupation like any other.

A thought that can be interpreted in different ways.

7. When you don’t think what you say, that’s when you say what you think.

About sincerity.

8. In matters of love, crazy people are the ones who have the most experience. Never ask the sane about love; The sane love sanely, which is like never having loved.

A necessary reflection on love and how it is only expressed through less than rational means.

9. The enemy only begins to be fearsome when he begins to be right.

If your enemy has better arguments than you… start to worry.

10. The worst thing the bad guys do is force us to doubt the good guys.

A way of expressing that sometimes the powerful try to get citizens to fight among themselves.

11. If murmuring the truth can still be the justice of the weak, slander cannot be anything other than the revenge of cowards.

Benavente shows us some of the keys to his ethical thinking.

12. There is nothing as frustrating as seeing our feelings misinterpreted.

Do you know what types of feelings exist?

13. If people heard our thoughts, few of us would escape being locked up for being crazy.

Without the filter of rationalization, we could all be considered mentally disturbed.

14. Irony is a sadness that cannot cry and smiles.

Knowing how to use irony and sarcasm is essential for a good playwright.

15. As with debts, with guilt there is no other honesty than paying them.

Another phrase from Jacinto Benavente in which he exposes his moral convictions.

16. Many believe that having talent is lucky; Nobody believes that luck can be a matter of having talent.

What are your personal talents? These are the ones that can catapult you to success.

17. Men come together more to share the same hatred than the same love.

Having a common enemy strengthens ties more than anything else.

18. It’s easier to be genius than to have common sense.

A phrase that explains itself.

19. A fixed idea always seems like a great idea, not because it is big, but because it fills an entire brain.

The minds of geniuses are open and have the ability to add more knowledge and experiences. The same does not happen with dogmatic minds.

20. He who is jealous is never jealous for what he sees; What he imagines is enough.

There are different types of jealousy and jealous people tend to be jealous because of their propensity to imagine things that are not real.

21. True love is not known by what it demands, but by what it offers.

Benavente makes it clear that true love tends to be supportive.

22. Money cannot make us happy, but it is the only thing that compensates us for not being happy.

A great reflection on the ability of money to mobilize us.

23. Many good people who would be incapable of stealing our money, unscrupulously steal from us the time we need to earn it.

A criticism of the capitalist system that could have been a famous phrase from Karl Marx himself.

24. Honor is not gained in one day so that it can be lost in one day. Whoever in one hour can stop being honest, he never was.

Honorability is a value that is distinguished by being consistent over time.

25. In the fight, the soldier is known; Only in victory is the knight known.

In different contexts we know the true character of each person.