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Spartan Surfers

1547–1616

Cervantes

Spanish soldier, captive and tax collector who wrote Don Quixote, the story of a man who chose to live by an ideal in a world that laughed at it.

8 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. Freedom is one of the most precious gifts heaven gave us.

    Don Quixote says this on leaving a duke's palace where he was comfortable but obliged. No treasure on land or sea equals it, he adds. Guard your freedom more than your comfort.

    Don Quixote II.58, our translation from the Spanish

  2. Each of us is the maker of our own fortune.

    Defeated and heading home, Don Quixote admits he made his own luck, and not always wisely. Owning your fortune means owning your mistakes. Build deliberately.

    Don Quixote II.66, our translation from the Spanish

  3. Tell me who you walk with, and I'll tell you who you are.

    Sancho quotes this proverb about himself for following a madman. The company we keep shapes and reveals us. Look at your circle honestly.

    Don Quixote II.10, our translation from the Spanish

  4. No one is worth more than another unless they do more.

    Don Quixote cheers a beaten and gloomy Sancho with this line. Worth comes from deeds, not birth or title. Want to be more? Do more.

    Don Quixote I.18, our translation from the Spanish

  5. Read much and travel much, and you'll see much and know much.

    Don Quixote says this after seeing a fortune-telling monkey he would never have believed in. Books and roads both widen the world. Do plenty of each.

    Don Quixote II.25, our translation from the Spanish

  6. Diligence is the mother of good luck.

    Don Quixote calls this a common proverb, and says experience proves it. Care and effort bring good outcomes more often than chance. Do the work and luck tends to follow.

    Don Quixote I.46, our translation from the Spanish

  7. Where one door closes, another opens.

    Don Quixote says every proverb is true because it comes from experience. Last night's disappointment is today's opportunity. Watch for the next door.

    Don Quixote I.21, our translation from the Spanish

  8. Retreat is not running away.

    Sancho adds that waiting is not wise when the danger outweighs the hope. Knowing when to step back is part of courage. Live to fight on a better day.

    Don Quixote I.23, our translation from the Spanish