Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" is a timeless classic that has captured the hearts of readers for generations. This beloved novel, set during the American Civil War, follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate the complexities of family, love, and personal growth. The story is rich with profound insights and memorable lines that continue to resonate with readers today. In this post, we delve into a curated collection of 37 unforgettable quotes from "Little Women" that encapsulate the novel’s warm spirit and enduring wisdom. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to the March sisters' world, these quotes offer a glimpse into the soul of a book that celebrates the beauty of life's simple moments and the strength of the human spirit.
1. “I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an "engaged" on the door and get into my nice red bath robe and furry slippers and pile all the cushions behind me on the couch, and light the brass student lamp at my elbow, and read and read and read. One book isn't enough. I have four going at once. Just now, they're Tennyson's poems and "Vanity Fair" and Kipling's "Plain Tales" and - don't laugh - "Little Women." I find that I am the only girl in college who wasn't brought up on "Little Women." I haven't told anybody though (that would stamp me as queer). I just quietly went and bought it with $1.12 of my last month's allowance; and the next time somebody mentions pickled limes, I'll know what she is talking about!” - Jean Webster
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. “Never take advice!” - Louisa May Alcott
5. “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
6. “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
7. “…the day had been both unprofitable and unsatisfactory, and he was wishing he could live it over again.” - Louisa May Alcott
8. “Don't try to make me grow up before my time…” - Louisa May Alcott
9. “…feeling as if all the happiness and support of their lives was about to be taken from them.” - Louisa May Alcott
10. “…in silence learned the sweet solace which affection administers to sorrow.” - Louisa May Alcott
11. “If life is often so hard as this, I don't see how we ever shall get through it…” - Louisa May Alcott
12. “such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to describe…” - Louisa May Alcott
13. “Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort that is.” - Louisa May Alcott
14. “…Jo loved a few persons very dearly and dreaded to have their affection lost or lessened in any way.” - Louisa May Alcott
15. “…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
16. “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
17. “Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to keep a secret…” - Louisa May Alcott
18. “…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
19. “…to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.” - Louisa May Alcott
20. “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
21. “Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally…” - Louisa May Alcott
22. “I hate ordinary people!” - Louisa May Alcott
23. “I'm afraid I couldn't like him without a spice of human naughtiness.” - Louisa May Alcott
24. “…often between ourselves and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is very hard to overcome.” - Louisa May Alcott
25. “The dirt is picturesque, so I don't mind.” - Louisa May Alcott
26. “I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.” - Louisa May Alcott
27. “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
28. “…because talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.” - Louisa May Alcott
29. “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
30. “…nothing seemed impossible in the beginning…” - Louisa May Alcott
31. “…nothing remained but loneliness and grief…” - Louisa May Alcott
32. “Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow…” - Louisa May Alcott
33. “I am lonely, sometimes, but I dare say it's good for me…” - Louisa May Alcott
34. “…wisely mingled poetry and prose.” - Louisa May Alcott
35. “It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” - Louisa May Alcott
36. “Ah! Thou gifest me such hope and courage, and I haf nothing to gif back but a full heart and these empty hands," cried the Professor, quite overcome.Jo never, never would learn to be proper, for when he said that as they stood upon the steps, she just put both hands into his, whispering tenderly, "Not empty now," and, stooping down, kissed her Friedrich under the umbrella.” - Louisa May Alcott
37. “Let the world know you are alive!” - Abigail May Alcott
