Irish Quotes and Proverbs to Get Your Spirits Up

Whether it’s about life, health, family, or everything in between, these Irish quotes will give you a different perspective on various themes.

The Irish have a unique, yet colorful and complicated history that dates back thousands of years. Though the country has gone through changes, they have managed to maintain their identity and culture in various ways.

The Irish have also influenced other cultures and societies, and today, we have many sayings and superstitions that stem from there. Sayings like, “the luck of the Irish” are known around the world. However, there are far more sayings than this one — Irish proverbs that come from the motherland

No matter how far these Irish quotes date back, the wisdom that these sayings have is timeless. Read these Irish quotes and maybe you’ll have some good luck or just some food for thought.

Don’t forget to also check out these Chinese proverbs, quotes, and sayings about love and life

Irish Quotes on Death

1. “May you be at the gates of heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead!” — Irish Proverb

2. “It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead the rest of your life.” — Irish Proverb

3. “Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.” — Irish Proverb

4. “The old person is a child twice.” — Irish Proverb

Irish Quotes on Friendship

5. “May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty!” — Irish Proverb

6. “Who keeps his tongue keeps his friends.” — Irish Proverb

7. “May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.” — Irish Proverb

8. “A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth.” — Irish Proverb

9. “Two people shorten the road.” — Irish Proverb

10. “Who gossips with you will gossip of you.” — Irish Proverb

11. “A friend’s eye is a good mirror.” — Irish Proverb

Irish Quotes on Family

12. “May you only grow old in the face. Be treasured and cared for with grace” — Irish Proverb

13. “A family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without, and see them all unite.” — Irish Proverb

14. “Here’s to me, and here’s to you. And here’s to love and laughter. I’ll be true as long as you. And not one moment after.” — Irish Proverb

15. “It’s easy to halve the potato where there’s love.”— Irish Proverb

Irish Quotes on Everyday Wisdom

16. “Always remember that hindsight is the best insight to foresight.” — Irish Proverb

17. “It is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.” — Irish Proverb

18. “You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” — Irish Proverb

19. “Don’t give cherries to pigs or advice to fools.” — Irish Proverb

20. “A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.” — Irish Proverb

21. “Lie down with dogs and you’ll rise with fleas.” — Irish Proverb

22. “All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” — Irish Proverb

23. “May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!” — Irish Proverb

24. “If you buy what you don’t need you might have to sell what you do.” — Irish Proverb

25. “I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” — Irish Proverb

26. “May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.” — Irish Proverb

27. “Sometimes one day changes everything; sometimes years change nothing.” — Irish Proverb

28. “May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!” — Irish Proverb

29. “A misty winter brings a pleasant spring, a pleasant winter a misty spring.” — Irish Proverb

30. “Never scald your lips with another man’s porridge.” — Irish Proverb

31. “Forgetting a debt doesn’t mean it’s paid.” — Irish Proverb

32. “A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.” — Irish Proverb

33. “May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.” — Irish Proverb

34. “May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song, may each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.” — Irish Proverb

35. “Through wisdom is good in the beginning, it is better at the end.” — Irish Proverb

36. “May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.” — Irish Proverb

You might also like these wise Native American quotes on community, respect, and more.

Irish Quotes on Work

37. “May you get all your wishes but one, so that you will always have something to strive for!” — Irish Proverb

38. “However long the day, the evening will come.” — Irish Proverb

39. “God made time, but man—made haste.” — Irish Proverb

40. “If your messenger is slow, go to meet him.” — Irish Proverb

41. “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” — Irish Proverb

42. “Don’t fear an ill wind if your haystacks are tied down.” — Irish Proverb

Irish Quotes on Health

43. “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.” — Irish Proverb

44. “What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for.” — Irish Proverb

45. “The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.” — Irish Proverb

46. “May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.” — Irish Proverb

47. “May the road rise up to meet you.” — Irish Proverb

48. “May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.” — Irish Proverb

49. “Beautiful young people are acts of nature but beautiful old people are works of art.” — Irish Proverb

50. “It’s better to pay the butcher than the doctor.” — Irish Proverb

51. “May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, angels protect you and heaven accept you.” – Drake

More Irish quotes and sayings

52. “God’s help is nearer than the door.” – William Gurney Benham

53. “In heaven, there is no beer. That’s why we drink ours here.” – Frank Yankovic

54. “Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.” – Richard Whately

55. “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde

56. “Always remember to forget the things that made you sad, but never forget to remember the things that made you glad.” – Victor Borge

57. “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” – Oscar Wilde

58. “It is easy to be pleasant when life flows by like a song, but the man worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is trouble, and it always comes with years, and the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through the tears.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

59. “The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.” – Brendan Behan

60. “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” – George Bernard Shaw

Irish quotes from or about Irish people

61. “I’m Irish. We think sideways.” — Spike Milligan

62. “Ambition can creep as well as soar.” — Edmund Burke

63. “It’s a good deed to forget a bad joke.” — Brendan Behan

64. “Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it!” — Irish Saying

65. “If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks.” — Bendan Behan

66. “May the Good Lord take a liking to you… but not too soon!” — Irish Saying

67. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw

68. “Grandchildren are gifts of God. It is God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” — Irish Saying

69. “On the Irish ladder of success there’s always someone on the rung above using your head to steady himself.” — Unknown

70. “The Irish have a sweet tooth. And that’s a good thing, because it has been the inspiration for some wonderful desserts that allow us to end our meal on a happy and sweet note.” — Jean LeGrand

Which of these Irish quotes and proverbs is your favorite?

Although these Irish quotes may be short in stature — like Irish leprechauns that so many of us are familiar with — it’s easy to see how profound they are and how they have stood the test of time.

When the going gets tough, an Irish quote may be all you need to cope with whatever you’re dealing with or provide you with some wisdom to think about if you’re feeling uninspired or unmotivated.

The Irish have given the world so much, and these Irish quotes and sayings offer a little more insight into this culture.

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add? Let us know in the comment section below.

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