Turkish Bicycle Community understand that the bicycle is more than just a means of transportation or sports equipment. It’s also a philosophy of life, a symbol of freedom, and an inspiring companion. In this section, we share with you the thoughts and unforgettable quotes about cycling from many prominent figures from around the world, from scientists and writers to philosophers and athletes.
Quotes That Will Inspire You
These quotes have been carefully compiled by the “White Library,” a group of volunteers from the Çanakkale Bicycle Platform. Each one offers a unique perspective on the role and meaning of cycling in our lives.
Life, Freedom, and Exploration: Reflections on the Bicycle
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving.” – Albert Einstein, Scientist
“A bicycle tour is a flight from unhappiness.” – James E. Starrs, Scientist
“Buy a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live it.” – Mark Twain, Author
“When you’re down, when the day seems dark, when work becomes monotonous, when even hope seems pointless, get on your bicycle and go for a ride along the road. Thinking of nothing but the ride you’re doing…” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Author
“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I don’t despair for the future of the human race.” – Herbert George Wells, Author
“Bicycle paths will grace Utopia.” – Herbert George Wells, Author
“After your first day riding a bike, a dream like this is inevitable. A sense of movement takes over your leg muscles, as if you’re going round and round. And you’re pedaling through dreamland on these wonderful dream bikes that change shape and grow.” – Herbert George Wells, Author
Exploring by Bicycle: The Real Way of Traveling
“You learn the best face of a country by cycling. Because you have to pedal, sweat, and traverse hills with great difficulty, swinging freely from them. This way, you remember everything as it really was. But when you’re driving a car, you’re only impressed by the high peaks, and you can’t remember the lands you’ve crossed as well as you can on a bicycle. If you travel through a country by car rather than by bicycle, you won’t have such clear memories.” – Ernest Hemingway, Author
“Traveling by bicycle is much more enjoyable than traveling by car. You see things around you better, and cycling keeps you in shape.” – Ernest Hemingway, Author
“Even a trip around the world begins with the turn of a single pedal.” – Scott Stoll, The Man Who Pedaled the World
“It’s the unknown around the bend that keeps my wheels turning.” – Heinz Stücke, a traveler who has been cycling around the world for over 50 years
Philosophy and Art: The Deep Meanings of the Bicycle
“I call my bike my friend. I have quiet conversations with it. And of course, I give it special attention. So whenever I get home, I turn it over, find a clean rag, and polish the hubs and spokes. Then I clean and re-grease the chain. This leaves ugly stains on the stone floor. My mother complains, begging me to spread newspaper under the wheel before I start cleaning. Sometimes she gets so exasperated that she says to me with disdain, ‘I’m surprised you don’t take that object to bed with you!’ And I retort—’If I had a decent room and a big enough bed, I would.’ – Henry Miller, Author
“To own a bicycle is to be able to look at it first, then to touch it. But touching it may be insufficient; what’s required is to mount the bike and ride it. But this unconditional riding is similarly insufficient; what’s required is to use the bike to get somewhere. And that leads us to longer rides.” – Jean-Paul Sartre, Author
“If constellations had been named in the 20th century, one of them would undoubtedly have been the bicycle.” – Prof. Carl Sagan, Author
“The truth is, because of the bicycle, women were able to go out on their own, wander away from home, and savor the dangerous pleasures of freedom. And because of the bicycle, that oppressive corset dress that prevented pedaling was no longer there, but was now in the museum.” – Eduardo Galeano, Author
“A realistic person is said to have ‘feet on the ground.’ But for a cyclist, the opposite is true. He is always off the ground. ‘A bicycle is an object that can remain balanced when moving. So, for it, the normal state is not rest, but motion. In a sense, the bicycle is a precursor to Einstein’s modern scientific conception of the world…'” – Wolfgang Rupert, Author
“A revolution is like a bicycle. If its wheels don’t turn, it falls over.” – Marjane Satrapi, Author
“I don’t ride a bicycle for pleasure. I ride to get somewhere, but I don’t mean to get home. I mean, I ride to get myself somewhere.” – William Saroyan, Author
“Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. It has gears that most of us never use.” – Charles M. Schulz, Author
“Mankind reached the pinnacle of its skill when it invented the bicycle. A machine of precision and balance for the benefit of humanity. (Unlike the subsequent inventions of machines that benefit humanity), the more mankind used the bicycle, the fitter his body became. A device that the human mind, at least for once, created that benefits its users while not harming or inconveniencing others. Progress should have stopped the day the bicycle was invented.” – Elizabeth West, Author
“Indeed, the bicycle is the most effective product design ever.” – Hugh Pearman, Author
“There is beauty in silence, and there is silence in beauty. You can find both in the bicycle.” – Mehmet Murat İldan, Author
“Melancholy is incompatible with cycling.” – James E. Starrs, Author
Lessons in Politics, Sports and Life
“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bicycle.” – John F. Kennedy, Politician
“No hour spent on the saddle is ever wasted.” – Winston Churchill, Politician
“I enjoy riding a bicycle built for two by myself.” – Harry S. Truman, Politician
“Life is like riding a bicycle. As long as you keep pedaling, you won’t fall off.” – Claude Pepper, Politician
“A bicycle is a fascinating vehicle. Its passenger is also its engine.” – John Howard, Politician
“When my legs hurt, I say: Shut up, leg! Do what I tell you!” – Jens Voigt, Cyclist
“It never gets easier, you just go faster.” – Greg LeMond, Cyclist
“The pain when you quit a race is much greater than the pain during it…” – Lance Armstrong, Cyclist
“Why does a child love a bike? Because a bike is freedom and liberty. It’s man’s first wheeled mount. A bike is freedom, without rules or grown-ups.” – Lance Armstrong, Cyclist
“None of you know what the Tour de France is like; it’s like being a martyr… In fact, the Crucifixion has fourteen stages, while here there are fifteen. We suffer from the beginning to the end.” – Henri Pélissier, Cyclist
“Falling is part of cycling, just as crying is part of love.” – Johan Museeuw, Cyclist
Inspiring Thoughts and Calls
“I can teach you to ride a bike, do you dare? But if they say we can’t start without accepting that falling is part of learning.” – A. Ali Ural, Author
“Life has been generous; if a bike leaning against a wall is waiting for you on the street, don’t be too late to learn to ride a bike, child. As you grow and get heavier, it will become harder for the person helping you to balance the bike, chase you, and catch you when you fall. Perhaps you’ll despise riding a bike as childish. The road will grow in your eyes, and you won’t be able to trust your knees. While there’s time, pedal the pedals. If the road is empty, you can go fast. But don’t let go of your hands. Freedom lies not in hands abandoned to the void, but in hands that know where to hold on.” – A. Ali Ural, Author
“Think of bicycles as a powerful art form about to save the world.” – Grant Petersen, Author-Bicycle Designer
“The first time I grasped something was when I learned the art of pedaling.” – Seamus Heaney, Poet
“To own a bicycle is to be able to look at it first, then to touch it. But touching may be insufficient; what is required is to mount the bike and ride. But this unpaid riding is similarly insufficient; what is required is to use the bike to get somewhere. And this leads us to longer rides.” – Jean-Paul Sartre, Author
Sincerely,
Turkish Cycling Community | Turkish Bicycle Center