With the exception of the Bible, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s Man of La Mancha has been translated into more languages than any other book! It is undoubtedly, the finest piece of Spanish fiction ever written, credited as the first modern novel, in any language, and considered by many to be one of the best books every written. Even if you have not read Man of La Mancha, I assure you his words are well known to you. Have you ever said: “The proof is in the pudding?” I bet you have.
The tale of Don Quixote de la Mancha, and his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza, who chases windmills as they pursue chivalry and romance was written after 20 years as a failed novelist and play write. Cervantes Saavedra has been a solider in Italy, a prisoner in Algiers, and a tax collector in Spain, before becoming on the most important writer, of any age.
A few of his gems:
“Love is a power too strong to be overcome by anything but flight.” “My honor is dearer to me than my life.” “Valor lies just halfway between rashness and cowardice.” “Can we ever have too much of a good thing?” A private sin is not so prejudicial in this world as a public indecency. “No man is more than another if he does no more than another.” “Little said is soon amended.” “It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.” “Tell me thy company, and I’ll tell thee what thou art.” “He got the better of himself, and that is the best kind of victory one can wish for.” “It is past all controversy, that what costs dearest, is, and ought to be most valued.” “That is the nature of women . . . no to love when we love them, and to when we love them not.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes ~The Life Millennium, Life Books, New York, New York, 1998
