Literature has a unique power to encapsulate the human experience in a way that resonates across time, cultures, and individuals. Within the pages of countless novels lie phrases and sentences that capture the essence of life, love, loss, and the pursuit of meaning. This article gathers some of the most profound, moving, and memorable quotes from literature—words that have touched readers’ hearts and minds for generations. These quotes are organized into various themes, offering insights and reflections on life’s many facets.
Love and Romance: Eternal Affections
1. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
— Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (1847)
2. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.”
— Roald Dahl, The Witches (1983)
3. “I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”
— Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook (1996)
4. “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.”
— Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind (1936)
5. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
— Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (1847)
6. “It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight.”
— Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955)
7. “You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought.”
— Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company (1891)
8. “He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
— Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877)
9. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today.”
— David Nicholls, One Day (2009)
10. “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”
— Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper (2004)
See Also: 38 Inspiring Quotes of Trying Your Best
Life and Existence: The Human Condition
11. “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
— Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism (1891)
12. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
— Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892)
13. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
14. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
15. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
16. “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
17. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
— Allen Saunders, Reader’s Digest (1957)
18. “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”
— John Green, Looking for Alaska (2005)
19. “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
— Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption (1982)
20. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
— Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Courage and Perseverance: The Strength Within
21. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
22. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997)
23. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (1933)
24. “When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example.”
— Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist (2014)
25. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
— C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
26. “But still, like air, I’ll rise.”
— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978)
27. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
— Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
28. “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
— Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist (1988)
29. “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
— Dylan Thomas, Collected Poems (1952)
30. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
Wisdom and Reflection: Lessons Learned
31. “Not all those who wander are lost.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
32. “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
— Plato, Apology (399BC)
33. “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”
— André Gide, Autumn Leaves (1950)
34. “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
— Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)
35. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
— Ernest Hemingway, Letter to Harvey Breit (1951)
36. “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”
— Mark Twain, Letter to Mrs. Fairbanks (1895)
37. “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
38. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
— George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945)
39. “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
— Albert Camus, The Rebel (1951)
40. “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Loss and Grief: The Shadows of Life
41. “Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.”
— John Green, The Fault in Our Stars (2012)
42. “You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
— E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web (1952)
43. “The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.”
— Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha (1997)
44. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
— Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (1929)
45. “We need never be ashamed of our tears.”
— Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1861)
Conclusion
These quotes from some of the greatest novels in history remind us that literature has the power to convey truths about the human experience in ways that are both timeless and universal. Each quote is a small window into the vast landscape of human emotions, thoughts, and experiences, offering comfort, inspiration, or a moment of reflection. Whether dealing with love, loss, life, or perseverance, these words resonate with readers, reminding us of the shared human condition and the power of stories to illuminate the depths of our souls.