116 Inspirational Louisa May Alcott Quotes

Louisa May Alcott, the brilliant mind behind the beloved classic "Little Women," continues to inspire readers around the world with her wisdom and wit. Her words resonate through time, offering insights on love, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams. Whether you are familiar with her stories or just discovering her work, her quotes offer timeless inspiration that enriches the heart and mind. In this collection, we explore 116 of Alcott's most moving and thought-provoking quotes, capturing the essence of her literary legacy and inspirational spirit. Join us as we delve into her words, which remain just as powerful today as they were in her time.

1. “I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is the leaving you all. I'm not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven.” - Louisa May Alcott

2. “Dear me! how happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!” - Louisa May Alcott

3. “I like good strong words that mean something…” - Louisa May Alcott

4. “But, like all happiness, it did not last long…” - Louisa May Alcott

5. “Never take advice!” - Louisa May Alcott

6. “I like adventures, and I’m going to find some.” - Louisa May Alcott

7. “So she enjoyed herself heartily, and found, what isn't always the case, that her granted wish was all she had hoped.” - Louisa May Alcott

8. “Never mind. Little girls shouldn't ask questions,' returned Jo sharply.Now if there is anything mortifying to our feelings when we are young, it is to be told that; and to be bidden to 'run away, dear' is still more trying to us.” - Louisa May Alcott

9. “Well, I am happy, and I won't fret, but it does seem as if the more one gets the more one wants…” - Louisa May Alcott

10. “…the day had been both unprofitable and unsatisfactory, and he was wishing he could live it over again.” - Louisa May Alcott

11. “…trying to extinguish the brilliant hopes that blazed up a word of encouragement.” - Louisa May Alcott

12. “I don't think secrets agree with me, I feel rumpled up in mind since you told me that…” - Louisa May Alcott

13. “Don't try to make me grow up before my time…” - Louisa May Alcott

14. “November is the most disagreeable month in the whole ear,' said Margaret, standing at the window one dull afternoon, looking out at the frostbitten garden.'That's the reason I was born in it,' observed Jo pensively, quite unconscious of the blot on her nose.'If something very pleasant should happen now, we should think it a delightful month,' said Beth, who took a hopeful view of everything, even November.” - Louisa May Alcott

15. “…feeling as if all the happiness and support of their lives was about to be taken from them.” - Louisa May Alcott

16. “…the little girls wore a grave, troubled expression, as if sorrow was a new experience to them.” - Louisa May Alcott

17. “…in silence learned the sweet solace which affection administers to sorrow.” - Louisa May Alcott

18. “I wish I had no heart, it aches so…” - Louisa May Alcott

19. “If life is often so hard as this, I don't see how we ever shall get through it…” - Louisa May Alcott

20. “such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to describe…” - Louisa May Alcott

21. “…she'll go and fall in love, and there's an end of peace and fun, and cozy times together.” - Louisa May Alcott

22. “Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort that is.” - Louisa May Alcott

23. “…Jo vanished without a word. Rushing upstairs, she startled the invalids by exclaiming tragically as she burst into the room, 'Oh, do somebody go down quick; John Brooke is acting dreadfully, and Meg likes it!” - Louisa May Alcott

24. “…Jo loved a few persons very dearly and dreaded to have their affection lost or lessened in any way.” - Louisa May Alcott

25. “life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom.” - Louisa May Alcott

26. “…possessed of that indescribable charm called grace.” - Louisa May Alcott

27. “…she was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star.” - Louisa May Alcott

28. “By the time the lecture ended and the audience awoke, she had built up a splendid fortune for herself (not the first founded on paper)…” - Louisa May Alcott

29. “Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to keep a secret…” - Louisa May Alcott

30. “…Jo valued the letter more than the money, because it was encouraging, and after years of effort it was so pleasant to find that she had learned to do something…” - Louisa May Alcott

31. “…to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.” - Louisa May Alcott

32. “When we make little sacrifices we like to have them appreciated, at least…” - Louisa May Alcott

33. “I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them.” - Louisa May Alcott

34. “Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally…” - Louisa May Alcott

35. “I hate ordinary people!” - Louisa May Alcott

36. “I'm afraid I couldn't like him without a spice of human naughtiness.” - Louisa May Alcott

37. “…often between ourselves and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is very hard to overcome.” - Louisa May Alcott

38. “The dirt is picturesque, so I don't mind.” - Louisa May Alcott

39. “I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.” - Louisa May Alcott

40. “Love covers a multitude of sins…” - Louisa May Alcott

41. “In her secret soul, however, she decided that politics were as bad as mathematics, and that the mission of politicians seemed to be calling each other names…” - Louisa May Alcott

42. “…because talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.” - Louisa May Alcott

43. “Amy's lecture did Laurie good, though, of course, he did not own it till long afterward; men seldom do,—for when women are the advisers, the lords of creation don't take the advice till they have persuaded themselves that it is just what they intended to do; then they act upon it, and, if it succeeds, they give the weaker vessel half the credit of it; if it fails, they generously give her the whole.” - Louisa May Alcott

44. “…nothing seemed impossible in the beginning…” - Louisa May Alcott

45. “…nothing remained but loneliness and grief…” - Louisa May Alcott

46. “Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow…” - Louisa May Alcott

47. “…I can't help seeing that you are very lonely, and sometimes there is a hungry look in your eyes that goes to my heart.” - Louisa May Alcott

48. “…tomorrow was her birthday, and she was thinking how fast the years went by, how old she was getting, and how little she seemed to have accomplished. Almost twenty-five and nothing to show for it.” - Louisa May Alcott

49. “…marriage, they say, halves one's rights and doubles one's duties.” - Louisa May Alcott

50. “…wisely mingled poetry and prose.” - Louisa May Alcott

51. “…on some occasions, women, like dreams, go by contraries.” - Louisa May Alcott

52. “It takes so little to make a child happy, that it is a pity in a world full of sunshine and pleasant things, that there should be any wistful faces, empty hands, or lonely little hearts.” - Louisa May Alcott

53. “…we're twins, and so we love each other more than other people…” - Louisa May Alcott

54. “…and Aunt Jo retired, satisfied with the success of her last trap to catch a sunbeam.” - Louisa May Alcott

55. “…Mrs. Jo sat smiling over her book as she built castles in the air, just as she used to do when a girl, only then they were for herself, and now they were for other people, which is the reason perhaps that some of them came to pass in reality — for charity is an excellent foundation to build anything upon.” - Louisa May Alcott

56. “I don't see why God made any night; day is so much pleasanter…” - Louisa May Alcott

57. “…for no matter how lost and soiled and worn-out wandering sons may be, mothers can forgive and forget every thing as they fold them into their fostering arms. Happy the son whose faith in his mother remains unchanged, and who, through all his wanderings, has kept some filial token to repay her brave and tender love.” - Louisa May Alcott

58. “It's very singular how hard it is to manage your mind,' said Demi, clasping his hands round his knees, and looking up at the sky as if for information upon his favorite topic.” - Louisa May Alcott

59. “We live in a beautiful and wonderful world, Demi, and the more you now about it the wiser and the better you will be.” - Louisa May Alcott

60. “…the child's heart bled when it was broken.” - Louisa May Alcott

61. “Oh, that is the surprise. It's so lovely, I pity you because you don't know it…” - Louisa May Alcott

62. “…young minds cannot be driven…” - Louisa May Alcott

63. “Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use to expect anything,' said Mrs. Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are good and useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's very natural to wish them to be brilliant and successful.” - Louisa May Alcott

64. “It is a merciful provision my dears, for it takes three or four women to get each man into, through, and out of the world. You are costly creatures, boys, and it is well that mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you would perish off the face of the earth,' said Mrs. Jo solemnly…” - Louisa May Alcott

65. “Prosperity suits some people, and they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and are the sweeter for a touch of frost.” - Louisa May Alcott

66. “I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest things in the world…” - Louisa May Alcott

67. “Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only bloomed; and a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about us,' answered Mrs. Amy, shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin with much the air of dainty satisfaction the girl used to show in a new dress.Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh; for life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her troubles both within and without.” - Louisa May Alcott

68. “…notoriety is not real glory.” - Louisa May Alcott

69. “…she rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of their children.” - Louisa May Alcott

70. “The youngest, aged twelve, could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away, feeling as so many of us have felt when we discover that our idols are very extraordinary men and women.” - Louisa May Alcott

71. “Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party of girls, one fell into my arms and said, "Darling, love me!" I wanted to shake her,' answered Mrs. Jo, wiping her pen with energy.” - Louisa May Alcott

72. “…misfortune was much more interesting to her than good luck.” - Louisa May Alcott

73. “…having learned that people cannot be moulded like clay…” - Louisa May Alcott

74. “I do like men who come out frankly and own that they are not gods.” - Louisa May Alcott

75. “Men are always ready to die for us, but not to make our lives worth having. Cheap sentiment and bad logic.” - Louisa May Alcott

76. “…but I never shall be very wise, I'm afraid.” - Louisa May Alcott

77. “Young people think they never can change, but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very few die of broken hearts.” - Louisa May Alcott

78. “Oh dear, life is pretty tough sometimes, isn't it?” - Louisa May Alcott

79. “…I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were not,' laughed Mrs. Jo…” - Louisa May Alcott

80. “Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much better.” - Louisa May Alcott

81. “Better lose your life than your soul…” - Louisa May Alcott

82. “I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile me awfully…” - Louisa May Alcott

83. “…books are always good company if you have the right sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs. Jo made a bee-line to the well-laden shelves, which were the joy of her heart and the comfort of her life.” - Louisa May Alcott

84. “…for action is always easier than quiet waiting.” - Louisa May Alcott

85. “…for it is a very solemn thing to be arrested in the midst of busy life by the possibility of the great change.” - Louisa May Alcott

86. “Love should not make us blind to faults, nor familiarity make us too ready to blame the shortcomings we see.” - Louisa May Alcott

87. “…growing pale and sober with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided; for, like all young people, she was sure that her whole life could be settled by one human creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully Providence trains us by disappointment, surprises us with unexpected success, and turns our seeming trials into blessing.” - Louisa May Alcott

88. “I'm tired of praise; and love is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.” - Louisa May Alcott

89. “On, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober as she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the expressive face that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere and kindly was it. 'I only want to find out if I have talent enough to go on, and after years of study be able to act well in any of the good plays people never tire of seeing. I don't expected to be a Mrs. Siddons or a Miss Cameron, much as I long to be; but it does seem as if I had something in me which can't come out in any way but this. When I act I'm perfectly happy. I seem to live, to be in my own world, and each new part is a new friend. I love Shakespeare, and am never tired of his splendid people. Of course I don't understand it all; but it's like being alone at night with the mountains and the stars, solemn and grand, and I try to imagine how it will look when the sun comes up, and all is glorious and clear to me. I can't see, but I feel the beauty, and long to express it.” - Louisa May Alcott

90. “…what splendid dreams young people build upon a word, and how bitter is the pain when the bright bubbles burst.” - Louisa May Alcott

91. “Mrs. Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady called love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and autumn, when winter gayety and summer idleness produce whole bouquets of engagements, and set young people to pairing off like the birds.” - Louisa May Alcott

92. “We don't choose our talents; but we needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just what we want.” - Louisa May Alcott

93. “…but mortal man was helpless there…” - Louisa May Alcott

94. “…had an hour of silent agony that aged him more than years of happy life could have done.” - Louisa May Alcott

95. “The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often happens, just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good resolutions, and dreams of a better life.” - Louisa May Alcott

96. “…a woman's always safe and comfortable when a fellow's down on his luck.” - Louisa May Alcott

97. “…I wanted to show that the mother was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick girls and runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old women also.” - Louisa May Alcott

98. “…that's what old people are here for, — else their experience is of little use.” - Louisa May Alcott

99. “…proved that woman isn't a half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.” - Louisa May Alcott

100. “…she never had what she wanted till she had given up hoping for,' said Mrs. Meg.” - Louisa May Alcott

101. “…courage and devotion always stir generous hearts, and win admiration…” - Louisa May Alcott

102. “And mother-like, Mrs. Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in tender lamentations over the happy scapegrace…” - Louisa May Alcott

103. “Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.” - Louisa May Alcott

104. “Dan clung to her in speechless gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love, — that divine gift which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek it.” - Louisa May Alcott

105. “…men never forgive like women.” - Louisa May Alcott

106. “Perhaps it would have been better if he had killed me; my life is spoilt.” - Louisa May Alcott

107. “Don't take it away! It's only a fancy, but a man must love something…” - Louisa May Alcott

108. “…he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his former self…” - Louisa May Alcott

109. “…the violin — that most human of all instruments…” - Louisa May Alcott

110. “The emerging woman ... will be strong-minded, strong-hearted, strong-souled, and strong-bodied...strength and beauty must go together.” - Louisa May Alcott

111. “Come, Philander, let us be a marching, Every one his true love a searching,"Would be the most appropriate motto for this chapter, because, intimidated by the threats, denunciations, and complaints showered upon me in consequence of taking the liberty to end a certain story as I liked, I now yield to the amiable desire of giving satisfaction, and, at the risk of outraging all the unities, intend to pair off everybody I can lay my hands on.” - Louisa May Alcott

112. “That was all I wanted!" whispered Polly, in a tone which caused him to feel that the race of angels was not entirely extinct.” - Louisa May Alcott

113. “.....and I shall think her very mean indeed if she does not give me some of her gloves, for she has many of them, I've seen them myself.......and as you can see, I took the hint.......but not much love went into THAT package did it, my dear?” - Louisa May Alcott

114. “I don't believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we do, in spite of our burned hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight slippers that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them.” - Louisa May Alcott

115. “They always looked back before turning the corner, for their mother was always at the window to nod and smile, and wave her hand to them. Somehow it seemed as if they couldn't have got through the day without that, for whatever their mood might be, the last glimpse of that motherly face was sure to affect them like sunshine.” - Louisa May Alcott

116. “Let the world know you are alive!” - Abigail May Alcott