36 Inspiring Young Adult Fiction Quotes

Young adult fiction has a magical way of capturing the essence of adolescence—its struggles, triumphs, and the exhilarating feeling of endless possibilities. Within the pages of these beloved books, readers find not only an escape but often encounter words that resonate deeply with their own experiences and dreams. Whether you're seeking motivation, comfort, or a spark of innovation, the right quote can offer a powerful connection to the story and to yourself. In this collection, we've gathered some of the most inspiring quotes from young adult fiction, showcasing the wisdom, courage, and hope that define this captivating genre. Get ready to be inspired by the voices that continue to shape and influence the hearts of young and adult readers alike.

1. “Oh for craps sake. You're not dying again, are you? It's seriously inconvenient when you do that." -Aphrodite” - P.C. Cast

2. “I used to think that's what love was: knowing someone so well he was like a part of you.” - Lauren Oliver

3. “Here's one of the things I learned that morning: if you cross a line and nothing happens, the line loses meaning. It's like that old riddle about a tree falling in a forest, and whether it makes a sound if there's no one around to hear it. You keep drawing a line farther and farther away, crossing it every time. That's how people end up stepping off the edge of the earth. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to bust out of orbit, to spin out to a place where no one can touch you. To lose yourself--to get lost. Or maybe you wouldn't be surprised. Maybe some of you already know. To those people, I can only say: I'm sorry.” - Lauren Oliver

4. “I was too proud to show him how hurt I was.” - Kate Le Vann

5. “When our eyes made contact it was like being slapped, I just wanted to recoil” - Kate Le Vann

6. “Only where children gatheris there any real chance of fun.” - Mignon McLaughlin

7. “A fit, healthy body—that is the best fashion statement” - Jess C. Scott

8. “For a moment, I’m captivated. He’s seducing me with his eyes. A nervous flutter swims through my stomach. I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. Pounding. Constricting. I swallow hard.” - Lauren Hammond

9. “Maybe I’m stupid. Maybe I’m just as evil as he is by keeping my mouth shut. But he told me once that I was different. And I can’t help but hope that me being different is the one thing in this world that can save him from what he fears the most…Himself.” - Lauren Hammond

10. “Too long, much too long.” - Jessica Verday

11. “Writing is easy, its marketing that is truly hell!” - L.A. Jones

12. “Something else you should really know about me. When I get nervous, my fingers shake. I’ve noticed this a lot recently. When mother and father argue and their voices are falling around the small family apartment, when their voices are banging against my bedroom door, I can feel my fingers start to move. I tell my fingers to stop and, sometimes, they do. But if I look at my hands closely, once I’ve told them to stop, and I try to focus on keeping them as still as possible, I notice that they are still moving.” - Kerem Mermutlu

13. “My mother always said that I was born out of a bottle of vinegar instead of born from a womb and that she and my father bathed me in sugar for three days to wash it off. I try to behave, but I always go back to the vinegar.” - Maggie Stiefvater

14. “My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.” The idea being if you thought and dreamed about the way you wanted your life to be -- if you just envisioned it long enough, it would come into being.But as hard as I had manifested Astrid Heyman with her hand in mine, her blue eyes gazing into mine, her lips whispering something wild and funny and outrageous in my ear, she had remained totally unaware of my existence. Truly, to even dream of dreaming about Astrid, for a guy like me, in my relatively low position on the social ladder of Cheyenne Mountain High, was idiotic. And with her a senior and me a junior? Forget it. Astrid was just lit up with beauty: shining blonde ringlets, June sky blue eyes, slightly furrowed brow, always biting back a smile, champion diver on the swim team. Olympic level. Hell, Astrid was Olympic level in every possible way.” - Emmy Laybourne

15. “I know you may feel so far that circumstances have directed your path, but right now I want you to know that you do have a choice.” - Larry Itejere

16. “They were rebellious through their artistic expression and their uplifting spirits” - Evan Meekins

17. “He is a free man, not because is in a poition of political power and influence that you will never be able to achieve, and not because he has more character and heart in his fingertip than you have in your entire being, but because he is a man, and is thus entitled to be free.” - Evan Meekins

18. “Hate did not give way to heroism.” - Evan Meekins

19. “A book is a wonderful present. Though it may grow worn, it will never grow old.” - Jane Yolen

20. “No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama."-Inside Out and Back Again” - Thanhha Lai

21. “But when you don't follow them up with any action, they're completely pointless. They're just sounds and syllables. But they mean absolutely nothing.” - J. Sterling

22. “Something was bleeding… and something was broken. It was my heart… because I had to leave you. (Chase to Rayne)” - Kimberly Brockman

23. “Boys don’t gossip.”“Pah! You don’t know us as well as you think.”This was a disturbing prospect.” - Jennifer Echols

24. “It’s not really wine,” he said. “It’s Diet Coke. And if anyone ever serves you brown wine with a foamy head, send it back.” - Jennifer Echols

25. “He grinned at me and whispered, “I’m going to kiss you now. It’ll be a big one, so don’t hit me.” - Jennifer Echols

26. “Say it again,” he says.“That whole drawn-out speech?” I remember something about a solar system, but I’m too light-headed to recite the entire thing all over again.He steps closer. “No. The part about you fallin’ for me.” - Simone Elkeles

27. “Carlos, are we in complete understanding with each other?”“Yeah,” I say. “As long as it’s not in your house and you don’t know about it, you’re okay with us messin’ around.”“I know you’re joking with me. You are joking with me, aren’t you?”“Maybe.” - Simone Elkeles

28. “I have to protect you,” he says softly.” - Simone Elkeles

29. “Listen, I don’t know what the hell happened between you and Marco. To be honest I don’t really want to know, ’cause if I did I’d probably want to kick the shit outta him.”“I don’t need you to protect me.”“What if I want to?” - Simone Elkeles

30. “A text pops up on the screen. It’s from Luis. I can’t help but grin when I read his perfectly thought-out message.Luis: Hey” - Simone Elkeles

31. “There is a part of me that no one ever sees.I hide behind a mask of heavy make-up and ever-changing hair and clothing. I try to reinvent myself. It doesn’t work. There are times when I am bone-crushingly sad. I just want to curl into a ball and hide from the rest of the world. But, I plaster on a smile and play the game for my family and friends. They call me a free spirit.I wish I were free. I feel like I am imprisoned by my own mind.” - Julia Crane

32. “The ice cold fear I’d felt, not knowing if Wyatt was alive, pressed into the wall with other girls and surrounded by guys who were unspeakably brave, hit my body again in a wave. This was trauma—the gift that keeps on giving.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

33. “I found I could only glance at him for tiny moments and then I had to look away. He was perfect enough to hurt my feelings for a long time, and I wanted to let him.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

34. “On the best nights, he’d appear outside the bookstore window and wait for me to unlock the door. He usually hadn’t had time to shower between doing things with cattle and horses and coming to find me, and he looked older than us and stronger than us.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

35. “We all think when we’re young that we want excitement and highs and passion. To hell with ordinary.”I smiled and she chuckled. “But when we find ourselves in these adult bodies,” she said. “When we wise up a little, or get slapped in the face by life, we realize we just want all things to be equal.” She put the heels of her hands together near her heart like the Yoga prayer position. “And we want to understand them better.” - Laura Anderson Kurk

36. “Finally, her father spoke. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t understand how this could have happened. She’s only fifteen; I didn’t even know she was sexually active.” Mallory’s father, normally in control, was on the verge of tears. He refused to look at his daughter, his little girl. As much as he had preached abstinence to her, he still kept a watchful eye over her, yet here they were, facing the unthinkable. He wanted to know when this happened, and with whom—but those questions would have to wait.” - Tracy L. Darity