39 Captivating Steampunk Quotes

In a world where Victorian elegance intertwines with futuristic innovation, steampunk emerges as a genre that captivates the imagination and transports us to an alternate reality. Its aesthetics, rich with bronze gears, steam-powered machinery, and an air of mystery, offer a unique lens through which we can explore themes of adventure, rebellion, and discovery. In this collection, we invite you to delve into 39 captivating steampunk quotes that beautifully encapsulate the essence of this enchanting world. Whether you're a seasoned aficionado or a curious newcomer, these quotes are sure to inspire and ignite the whimsical spirit of adventure within you.

1. “Steampunk is...a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun!” - George Mann

2. “Steampunk is...the love child of Hot Topic and a BBC costume drama” - Gail Carriger

3. “«I love both her and them. I have come to understand that she is what they are. A woman accepts a man, expecting that he will change. A man takes a woman, expecting that she will never change. They are both disappointed. Yet within this very disappointment is the primal source of all new men and all new women»” - Bruce Sterling

4. “OMG YOU GUYS it has come to my attention that SOMEONE on the internet is saying that my fictional 19th century zombies are NOT SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND. Naturally, I am crushed. To think, IF ONLY I’d consulted with a zombologist or two before sitting down to write, I could’ve avoided ALL THIS EMBARRASSMENT.” - Cherie Priest

5. “I tell you all the time, you will never be able to replace me with a brass and steam contraption.” - Maeve Alpin

6. “A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a sordid modern device with many complex working parts. Only engineers understand bombs” - Bruce Sterling

7. “Creff, my factotum, interrupted the breakfast he had brought me only a few minutes earlier and announced that a crazed Ethiope was at the door, presumably to buy a watch.” - K.W. Jeter

8. “He turned away from me, the better to hide the exclamation of annoyance which he muttered under his breath; I caught only what seemed to be the syllable cog (perhaps a reference to my mechanical trade) and the word succour (a prayer for divine assistance?).” - K.W. Jeter

9. “Here lies the body of Colonel Cornell’s. The rest of the fellow, I fancy, in hell is.” - Mark Hodder

10. “Indeed. I have often thought that when a man selects one word over another he often reveals far more of himself than he intended.” - Mark Hodder

11. “We do not need you. Do not come unless I call you.” Ricard crawled out of bed and shut the door as the steam men moved down the hall. “Dumb things.” Ricard - As Timeless As Stone” - Maeve Alpin

12. “A priest, who came from a land far away and wed priestess Seshat, used powerful magic for Pharaoh Tutimaeus. With his invention of a horseless chariot and magic men who blew steam, the Egyptians defeated the Hyksos warriors.” He felt his mouth quirk and a deep chuckle rolled from his belly. “Well, an Egyptian priest is a quite a step up from assistant to the conservator of the Louvre.” - As Timeless As Stone” - Maeve Alpin

13. “How dare you! What is your name? I shall make it a sin to be spoken.”The braveness of his chuckle and grin made me step back. “Garrett. My name is Garrett and please make my name a sin to speak. Maybe that way I won’t have people like you screaming out for people like me; for people like you are so ghastly and in need of saving too many times.” Lucy to Garrett from my Steampunk YA Romance book I have started.” - Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

14. “You better not be dead. This team is already overflowing with ankle spankers. I was looking forward to having more women around." Yara's eyelids fluttered open. She blinked a few times, focused on him, and frowned."Ankle spanker? The only thing you've got that'll reach that far is your ego.” - Lindsay Buroker

15. “What makes us the strongest tribe on the continent is the fact that a group that opposes these values--a group that would have mankind remain in the new dark ages--is permitted to grow, permitted to exist...and, after it becomes a violent terrorist organization, is allowed to live on it own lands, taken out of the lands of those it has attacked and continues to attack!" He had to stop speaking then--the applause was louder than even his amplified voice. "They expect that fear will drive us to become like them...closed-minded, blind, angry. Our society will remain open and free so long as I am standing upright," he continued, once the applause died down.” - Lia Habel

16. “I like stories about supervillains. They teach children that you can accomplish great things even when the whole world is against you.” - G.D. Falksen

17. “Just roll me in fairy dust and call me a unicorn.” - Lita Burke

18. “Goons were the lowest sort of homunculi, only superior to zombies.” - Lita Burke

19. “Let us fly, Madam Harpy Queen. Show me how you dance on the wind.” - Lita Burke

20. “Pearl spent the passing days buried so deep in the musty, dusty sorcery tomes that sometimes when she emerged, she spoke in archaic english. "Hast thou a light?" she'd asked him this afternoon when her study room had grown dark with gathering clouds.” - Gail Dayton

21. “Sespian opened his mouth, paused, closed it, then shook his head ruefully. "It's very easy to be drawn into what you're saying, and I catch myself wanting to nod and agree. Maybe I should take notes on your technique."Amaranthe blushed and felt like she should stutter an apology, but she hadn't done anything to be embarrassed about, had she?"It's her eyes", Sicarius said, startling her..Yara glanced over her shoulder at him, apparently, surprised to hear him speak, but soon turned her attention back to the tracks. She seemed to be believe she should remain silent for the discussion.Sespian scratched his jaw. "Yes, maybe so. They're like a doe's. Warm and earnest and...""Wholesome. Sicarius's eyes glinted, and Amaranthe scowled at him.” - Lindsay Buroker

22. “Many great things have been accomplished by the careful combination of keen minds and ardent spirits.” - G.D. Falksen

23. “Supervillain" means never having to say you're sorry” - G D Falksen

24. “I am tempted to incapacitate him with the hemlock and then castrate him.”Lena paled. “I don’t think that would be very wise,” she said. “And the only knife we own is what I use for the cooking. You’re not using that.”“I was planning on using a spoon,” Honoria replied.” - Bec McMaster

25. “«“I meant, tell me all about this steampunk thing!” Gavin broke in. “How does that concept work out for you people, here in Brazil?”“You don’t know about steampunk?” shouted Xavier, dubiously.“Well, I don’t read many novels! Because I’m kinda fully-booked already! But, obviously, you’re a science fiction writer at a Futurist conference! And I can see that you’re all dressed up like some fancy guy from the past, from the 19th century! So what gives with that? What is all that about?”»” - Bruce Sterling

26. “Clocks are the enemies of time... they are the gaolers of day and the turnkeys of night."Tom Thumb” - Lavie Tidhar

27. “They were all machines, he thought, just like La Mettrie had said in L'Homme Machine all those years ago. So he, Orphan, was a machine of flesh and blood, and Lucy, now, was made of something else, more complex perhaps- but they were the same and...They were in love.Sometimes that was enough.” - Lavie Tidhar

28. “Perdonerete, ma è piuttosto difficile parlare del proprio amico e di otto tentacoli che vi aggrediscono e si infilano sotto gli abiti, insinuandosi in posti che un gentiluomo non dovrebbe nominare.” - Daniela Barisone

29. “A steampunk nationBaby pollution rises up then the loving comes arraigning 'causeOur art's official and only partially artificialAnd our heart's in the middle of sharp hardened shards of metal butThere's not where it settlesBecause it's beating to the steaming of God's hottest pot or kettleAnd now we face it, this creation we made toTo save our craving for a synthetic rebelnation it'sOur safeway they make into a pathetic revelationIn our steampunk nationOur steampunk nation” - Criss Jami

30. “Living on steam isn't easy.” - Jessica Fortunato

31. “But there was nothing. No village or town as far as her eyes could strain. Nowhere for her saviours to come from and take her to; just fields and trees and the weeping arc of the river Greave all the way to the horizon. Just like in the books, Greaveburn was all there was; building and building until streets were foundations, roofs were floors, constantly climbing away from itself. now that Abrasia saw it, her dream of escape crumbled completely like an ancient map in her fingers. The horizon was the world's edge and there was nothing beyond it but mist and falling.Greaveburn stood alone on this little circle of earth, the river running around and into itself like a snake eating its tail. And Abrasia was doomed to watch the sun and stars trade places for all eternity.” - Craig Hallam

32. “Oh, it doesn't work at all. That's the problem! It's an endless, halting parade of inspections, bribes, and nonsense—but if you're aboard a Texas vessel, you'll find less inconvenience along the way." "It's because of their guns!" declared Mr. Henderson, once more escaping his reverie, bobbing out of it as if to gasp for air. "Concise, my love." Mrs. Henderson gave him a smile. "And correct. Texans are heavily armed and often impatient. They don't need to be transporting arms and gunpowder to create a great nuisance for anyone who stops them, so they tend to be stopped…less often.” - Cherie Priest

33. “We learned the seven traditional ways to make words unclear.""Seven? That many? Which was the most effective?""Poor grammar skills.” - Lita Burke

34. “Sometimes he felt as if he'd been born in the wrong century. The people of this time were all wrong for him, and he was all wrong for them. But he refused to become something he wasn't just for society's approval.” - Heather Massey

35. “And there on the piss-soaked cobbles, his back to the alley and his face to the wall, lay the object of their diplomatic mission: A sleeping drunk. Colt lay out his hand in a flourish. “Mr. Billings, may I introduce to you His Imperial Majesty Joshua Norton the First, Emperor of the United States of America and Protector of Mexico.” - Jordan Stratford

36. “Babbage's Three Laws of Difference EnginesFirst Law: A difference engine must have at least six cogs.Second Law: A difference engine must be able to operate a loom.Third law: A difference engine must be able to kill a man, should the mood so take it.” - Gideon Defoe

37. “Are we immortal?" he paused in his exploration of her skin.Mischief shone in her eyes. "Want me to shoot you and find out?” - A.W. Exley

38. “Well, look what the scamp has dragged home with her. Pirates, henchmen and naughty, naughty men—" A soft whack noise was followed by a startled squawk, as a tea towel hit Nessy in the face. She pulled the cloth down, shooting daggers at her lifetime companion."What was that for?"Nan tapped her chin. "You're drooling dear, might want to mop up a bit.” - A.W. Exley

39. “He could sit in the dust and dark of the carriage house and rot for the rest of his life. Clearly that's what he wished to do. It was not my place to get in the way of so profound a destiny.” - Kristin Bailey