1001Philosophers

Octavio Paz Quotes

Octavio Paz was a Mexican poet, essayist, and diplomat and one of the foremost Latin American writers of the twentieth century. His Labyrinth of Solitude, published in 1950, conducted a sustained meditation on Mexican identity and modernity that has shaped subsequent Latin American thought. The quotes below are attributed to Octavio Paz, organized by topic.

Octavio Paz on Life

  • Attributed to Octavio Paz:

    “Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition.”

Octavio Paz on Love

  • Attributed to Octavio Paz:

    “Love is the secret religion of those who have not lost faith in being.”

Octavio Paz on Politics

  • Attributed to Octavio Paz:

    “Modernity began as a critique of religion, philosophy, morality, law, history, economics, and politics.”

Octavio Paz on Truth

  • Attributed to Octavio Paz:

    “Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two.”

Octavio Paz on Virtue

  • Attributed to Octavio Paz:

    “Deserve your dream.”