Some Memorable Quotes


Ansiktet mot stjärnorna, fötterna på jorden.
Face towards the stars, feet on the ground
Swedish saying

Margt skipast á mannsævi.
Many things are settled in a lifetime.
Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson

Ett steg i taket
One step at a time

Swedish saying

Engi er alheimskur, ef þegja má.
Nobody is completely stupid, if he can be silent.
Grettis saga - The Saga of Grettir the Strong

Að fortíð skal hyggja, ef frumlegt skal byggja.
Take notice of the past if you would achieve originality.
Aldamót (Turn of the Century), Einar Benediktsson

Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi.
One's back is vulnerable, unless one has a brother.
Njáls saga - The Saga of Burnt Njal

Konungs garður er rúmur inngangs,
en þröngur brottfarar.
A King's court has a wide entrance, but a narrow exit.
Egils saga - The Saga of Egill Skallagrimsson

Fár bregður hinu betra, ef hann veit hið verra.
Few use the better, if they know the worse.
Njáls saga - The Saga of Burnt Njal

Eigi leyna augu ef ann kona manni.
Eyes can not hide a woman's love for a man.
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu - The Saga of Gunnlaugur the Worm-tongue

Bort är bra, men hem är bäst
Away is good, but home is best
Swedish proverb

 

"Wits are needful for someone who travels widely, anything will do at home; he becomes a laughing-stock, the man who knows nothing and sits among the wise."
Havamal - The Poetic Edda, Carolyne Larrington Translation. 1996

Det är aldrig för sent att lära sig
Es ist niemal zu Spät zu lehrnen

It is never too late to learn

Den som inte känner på stängda dörrar kan hållas inlåst i ett oläst rum.
- Bertil Martinsson

One who will not try a shut door can be held prisoner in an unlocked room.