Classic literature is a treasure trove of wisdom, wit, and profound insights into the human condition. The quotes from these timeless works offer glimpses into the minds of some of the greatest authors in history. Here, we present fifty of the best quotes from classic literature, each standing on its own as a beacon of literary brilliance.
William Shakespeare
1. “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” – Hamlet
2. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – As You Like It
3. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
4. “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” – Julius Caesar
5. “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” – Twelfth Night
Jane Austen
6. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – Pride and Prejudice
7. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!” – Pride and Prejudice
8. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” – Pride and Prejudice
9. “There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.” – Emma
10. “Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.” – Northanger Abbey
Charles Dickens
11. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – A Tale of Two Cities
12. “Please, sir, I want some more.” – Oliver Twist
13. “A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s self.” – A Tale of Two Cities
14. “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” – David Copperfield
15. “We need never be ashamed of our tears.” – Great Expectations
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Mark Twain
16. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
17. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Following the Equator
18. “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Pudd’nhead Wilson
19. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
20. “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” – The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson
Fyodor Dostoevsky
21. “The soul is healed by being with children.” – The Idiot
22. “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” – Crime and Punishment
23. “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” – Crime and Punishment
24. “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” – The Brothers Karamazov
25. “Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” – Notes from Underground
Leo Tolstoy
26. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Anna Karenina
27. “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.” – Anna Karenina
28. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – War and Peace
29. “We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” – War and Peace
30. “It’s much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it.” – Anna Karenina
Herman Melville
31. “Call me Ishmael.” – Moby-Dick
32. “It is not down on any map; true places never are.” – Moby-Dick
33. “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” – Moby-Dick
34. “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.” – Moby-Dick
35. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Moby-Dick
Emily Brontë
36. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Wuthering Heights
37. “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Wuthering Heights
38. “I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free.” – Wuthering Heights
39. “I cannot live without my soul.” – Wuthering Heights
40. “Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!” – Wuthering Heights
George Orwell
41. “Big Brother is Watching You.” – 1984
42. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – Animal Farm
43. “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” – 1984
44. “The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.” – 1984
45. “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – Animal Farm
F. Scott Fitzgerald
46. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – The Great Gatsby
47. “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” – The Great Gatsby
48. “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” – The Great Gatsby
49. “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.” – The Great Gatsby
50. “Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.” – The Great Gatsby
Conclusion
Classic literature endures not only for its storytelling but for the profound and timeless quotes that resonate across generations. These fifty quotes are but a small sample of the wealth of wisdom and insight contained within the pages of the world’s greatest literary works. From the enduring truths of Shakespeare to the poignant reflections of Dostoevsky, the words of these literary giants continue to inspire, provoke thought, and capture the complexities of the human experience. Each quote, in its own way, invites readers to delve deeper into the texts from which they come and discover the rich tapestry of ideas that have shaped our literary heritage.