Famous French Phrases Trivia Quiz

Answer: René Descartes

René Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a seventeenth-century French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. Descartes was the first scholar to formulate a modern version of mind-body dualism and helped develop science based on observation and experiment.

In his famous work "Discours de la méthode", 1637, one finds his famous sentence: "Je pense, donc je suis" (in English "I think, therefore I am" or in Latin "Cogito, ergo sum"). Variations of this famous phrase appear in other works by the author.

Answer: Edith Piaf

"Non, je ne regrette rein..." ("No, I Don't Regret Anything" or "No, I don't have any regrets") is a French song composed by Charles Dumont, with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire and immortalized by Édith Piaf, 1960. The song's lyrics carry a message of optimism; that there is no regret and that the things that passed were left behind whether they were good or bad. Edith sings that "I start again from zero". It was her last great work since she passed away three years after recording.

Édith Piaf, née Édith Giovanna Gassion (1915 - 1963) was a singer, actress, and songwriter specializing in "chanson réaliste" and romantic songs mostly about love, loss, and pain. Her songs and the way she interpreted them seem to reflect the tragedies and problems in her life. Her most famous songs are: "La Vie en rose", "Non, je ne regrette rein" and "Hymne à l'amour". She passed away at age 47. She became known as France's national chanteuse and was one of the most known French singers internationally.

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV or the Roy Soleil (1638 - 1715), was King of France from 1643 to 1715. He succeeded his father at the age of four; his reign lasted 72 years, the longest in French history. He ruled the country during one of its most brilliant periods and was the symbol of the absolute monarchy. During his reign, the Palace of Versailles was built and became the seat of the monarchy. At the same time that he took France to its peak he, by concentrating all power in his hands, also contributed to the end of the monarchy.

"L'État, c'est moi" ("I am the state) is one apocryphal saying attributed to King Louis XIV, symbolizing absolute monarchy and absolutism. He reportedly uttered this phrase on April 13, 1665, before the Parliament, recalling the primacy of the royal authority. Experts contest this phrase as it does not appear in parliamentary records and contradicts what he said on his deathbed: "I die, but the state will always remain."

Answer: Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970), née Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle, commonly known as General de Gaulle or simply General, was a French army officer, writer, and politician. He was one of the Allied commanders during World War II and one of the great post-war statesmen.

In "Lettres, notes et carnets", published in 1951, where Charles de Gaulle deals with the themes of belonging, extremism, citizenship, and conflict prevention, appears the phrase: "Le patriotisme, c'est aimer son pays. Le nationalisme, c'est détester celui des autres." ("Patriotism is loving your country. Nationalism is hating that of others"). This dilemma between patriotism and nationalism is increasingly present in our societies.

Answer: Marcel Proust

Valentin Louis Georges Eugene Marcel Proust, known as Marcel Proust (1871 - 1922) was a French novelist, essayist, and critic. His work was extensive and he received the Goncourt Prize in 1919 with the book "À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleur", ("Within a Budding Grove") which made him world famous.

His most striking work was "À la recherche du temps perdu" ("In Search of Lost Time"), which had the author's own life as a backdrop. This novel was written between 1906 and 1922 and published in seven volumes.

In this work, he talks about the impossibility of recovering lost time, the loss of innocence, and the emptiness of love. "Les vrais paradis sont les paradis que nous avons perdus." ("The true paradises are the paradises that we have lost.").

But happily, Proust concluded that daily life is important and joyful and that memories are recoverable and indestructible.

Answer: Anatole France

Jacques Anatole François Thibault, known as Anatole France (1844-1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921. His literary work is vast and throughout his life, he focused on social issues. In 1922, the Catholic Church placed his work on the Index of Prohibited Books for his criticism of society and the church itself.

There are many famous phrases by Anatole France and among them is "Il est dans la nature humaine de penser sagement et d'agir d'une façon absurde" ("It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion"), which appears in "Le livre de mon ami", 1890. I chose this phrase from the author because sometimes I see myself behaving this way.

Answer: Voltaire

M. de Voltaire is the nom de plume of the French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, playwright, and historian François-Marie Arouet (1694 - 1778). Voltaire was a great advocate of the idea that people should be guaranteed the right to political, religious, and expression freedom. He was against absolutism and was an early advocate of the idea of a secular state. Because of his ideas, he ended up being persecuted by the Catholic Church and the French absolutist state.

Although he was critical of the Church and religious fanaticism, contrary to the popular myth, Voltaire was not an atheist. He believed that God was present in nature and in man, who is also part of nature. One of his favorite aphorisms was: "Si Dieu n'existait pas, il faudrait l' inventer." ("If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him"). This 1769 sentence first appeared in the Epistle to the anonymous author of the "Treatise of the Three Impostors" (an atheist essay against all three big world religions and their founders) and re-sent to friends, emphasizing that he believed that atheism is as pernicious as superstition.

Answer: Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel, byname of Gabrielle Bonheurn Chanel (1883-1971) was a French designer who excelled in French haute couture for nearly 60 years. She was one of the most notable self-made women of the 20th century. Based on the concept that luxury should be comfortable, she created a fashion in which simplicity and comfort revolutionized the fashion industry. The basis of her empire-building was Chanel N ° 5, introduced in 1921, and created in collaboration with Ernest Beaux, one of France's most talented perfume creators.

Chanel considered perfume to be the ultimate accessory, which, although invisible, is unforgettable. She said that: "Une femme sans parfum est une femme sans avenir" ("A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future"). Chanel N°5 and the "little black dress" represent, to this day, her unforgettable brand.

Answer: Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist, who made important discoveries about the role of microbes in disease and in food spoiling. It can be said that he was a French hero, as he personified the century of revolution in science. His discoveries saved many lives, either by improving the quality of food or by preventing diseases, via vaccines. He developed the earliest vaccines against fowl cholera, anthrax, and rabies. Pasteur did a great job to rescue some sectors of the economy such as wine and beer production and the silk industry, solving the problems of silkworm diseases. We cannot forget that he was born at a time when the spontaneous generation theory was widely accepted in scientific circles.

One of his most famous quotes was: "Je crois invinciblement que la science et la paix triompheront de l'ignorance et de la guerre" ("I believe invincibly that science and peace will triumph over ignorance and war"), which he delivered in his speech on December 27, 1892, at the University of Sorbonne, in celebration of his 70 years.

Answer: Jeanne d' Arc

Jeanne d' Arc (1412 - 1431), was a heroine of France, a warrior, and saint of the Catholic Church, and was nicknamed "the Maid of Orleans". In 1920, she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and became the national symbol of France. She was a peasant girl, who believed she was acting under divine guidance and led the French army to a momentous victory at Orléans, which repelled an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years' War. In 1430, she was captured by the English who convicted her of heresy and burned her at the stake.

One of the striking phrases of Jeanne d' Arc is "Toutes les batailles sont d'abord gagnées ou perdues dans l'esprit" ("All battles are first won or lost, in the spirit"). This phrase is actually timeless because all our battles have to be won in our minds before we can win them in reality.