54 Memorable Literature Quotes

Literature has always had the unique power to touch our hearts, challenge our minds, and stir our souls. Across the centuries, authors have crafted words that resonate deeply, leaving lasting impressions etched upon our memories. In this exploration, we've gathered a selection of the top 54 most memorable quotes from literature. These timeless lines transcend the pages they were written on, offering wisdom, perspective, and inspiration. Whether you're a lifelong bibliophile or a casual reader, these quotes are sure to ignite a spark within and remind you of the profound impact of the written word.

1. “I ran across an excerpt today (in English translation) of some dialogue/narration from the modern popular writer, Paulo Coelho in his book: Aleph.(Note: bracketed text is mine.)... 'I spoke to three scholars,' [the character says 'at last.'] ...two of them said that, after death, the [sic (misprint, fault of the publisher)] just go to Paradise. The third one, though, told me to consult some verses from the Koran. [end quote]' ...I can see that he's excited. [narrator]' ...Now I have many positive things to say about Coelho: He is respectable, inspiring as a man, a truth-seeker, and an appealing writer; but one should hesitate to call him a 'literary' writer based on this quote. A 'literary' author knows that a character's excitement should be 'shown' in his or her dialogue and not in the narrator's commentary on it. Advice for Coelho: Remove the 'I can see that he's excited' sentence and show his excitement in the phrasing of his quote.(Now, in defense of Coelho, I am firmly of the opinion, having myself written plenty of prose that is flawed, that a novelist should be forgiven for slipping here and there.)Lastly, it appears that a belief in reincarnation is of great interest to Mr. Coelho ... Just think! He is a man who has achieved, (as Leonard Cohen would call it), 'a remote human possibility.' He has won lots of fame and tons of money. And yet, how his preoccupation with reincarnation—none other than an interest in being born again as somebody else—suggests that he is not happy!” - Roman Payne

2. “Omnipotence and omniscience are the end of power and knowledge.” - Dejan Stojanovic

3. “Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn’t live off fame, but rather deeds.” - Dejan Stojanovic

4. “The same word we love and hate, leaves in different directions, taking different paths.” - Dejan Stojanovic

5. “A smiling lie is a whirlwind, easy to enter, but hard to escape.” - Dejan Stojanovic

6. “After Homer and Dante, is a whole century of creating worth one Shakespeare?” - Dejan Stojanovic

7. “Either all lights are turned off or one inner light is missing.” - Dejan Stojanovic

8. “Say No! Accept the burdens of revenge.” - Dejan Stojanovic

9. “Wherever there is somebody else, a war is not far away.” - Dejan Stojanovic

10. “A breeze, a forgotten summer, a smile, all can fit into a storefront window.” - Dejan Stojanovic

11. “His Highness was always confident in his statements, especially about what he viewed for the first time.” - Dejan Stojanovic

12. “This dwarf still observes the world from his own self-imposed height.” - Dejan Stojanovic

13. “All those big words produce disgust today.” - Dejan Stojanovic

14. “Strangers are endearing because you don’t know them yet.” - Dejan Stojanovic

15. “The light teaches you to convert life into a festive promenade.” - Dejan Stojanovic

16. “We like to admit to only that which already glows, although it is nobler to support brightness before it glows, not afterwards.” - Dejan Stojanovic

17. “For a moment at least, be a smile on someone else’s face.” - Dejan Stojanovic

18. “Beyond all vanities, fights, and desires, omnipotent silence lies.” - Dejan Stojanovic

19. “There are countless circles of hell; believers never penetrate the ninth circle.” - Dejan Stojanovic

20. “Our desire to say more grows bigger and what to say about it, except that saying is not always about saying, growing is not always about growing.” - Dejan Stojanovic

21. “To transform a grimace into a sound sounds impossible, yet it is possible to transform a vision into music, to go outside an enslaved personality, to become impersonal by transforming into sand, into water, into light.” - Dejan Stojanovic

22. “There is a moonlight note in the Moonlight Sonata; there is a thunder note in an angry sky.” - Dejan Stojanovic

23. “Nature is an outcry, unpolished truth; the art—a euphemism—tamed wilderness.” - Dejan Stojanovic

24. “A word into the silence thrown always finds its echo somewhere where silence opens hidden lexicons.” - Dejan Stojanovic

25. “Senses empower limitations, senses expand vision within borders, senses promote understanding through pleasure.” - Dejan Stojanovic

26. “Total knowledge is annihilation Of the desire to see, to touch, to feel The world sensed only through senses And immune to the knowledge without feeling.” - Dejan Stojanovic

27. “There is something perfect to be found in the imperfect: the law keeps balance through the juxtaposition of beauty, which gains perfection through nurtured imperfection.” - Dejan Stojanovic

28. “We love the imperfect shapes in nature and in the works of art, look for an intentional error as a sign of the golden key and sincerity found in true mastery.” - Dejan Stojanovic

29. “In trying to be perfect, He perfected the art of anonymity, Became imperceptible And arrived nowhere from nowhere.” - Dejan Stojanovic

30. “Some people complain there are too many people on earth, Some people complain about secret societies, Some people accuse others of not being able to wake up early. Almost all people complain about something.” - Dejan Stojanovic

31. “Get out, but don't cause unneeded accidents.” - Dejan Stojanovic

32. “To hide feelings when you are near crying is the secret of dignity.” - Dejan Stojanovic

33. “To risk life to save a smile on a face of a woman or a child is the secret of chivalry.” - Dejan Stojanovic

34. “To go where no one else has ever gone before is the secret of heroism.” - Dejan Stojanovic

35. “It is beautiful to express love and even more beautiful to feel it.” - Dejan Stojanovic

36. “It is futile to spend time telling stories about the fleetness of each day.” - Dejan Stojanovic

37. “From what you didn’t say, lies that you did say.” - Dejan Stojanovic

38. “To sense the peace of extinguished passionHappiness in not knowing the ultimate knowledge” - Dejan Stojanovic

39. “Into the day as by dream I swim To the music of nourished meaning.” - Dejan Stojanovic

40. “You are not what you are; You are darkness Looking for light within.” - Dejan Stojanovic

41. “When the star dies, Its eye closes; tired of watching, It flies back to its first bright dream.” - Dejan Stojanovic

42. “He awaits himself while walking, out of the icy circle to escape.” - Dejan Stojanovic

43. “A hidden spark of the dream sleeps In the forest and waits In the celestial spheres of the brain.” - Dejan Stojanovic

44. “Vandals listen only when others are stronger.If vandals are equal or strongerTheir word is the last word.” - Dejan Stojanovic

45. “Life eats life to live.” - Dejan Stojanovic

46. “Neither alive nor dead; No one lets up, No one wins.” - Dejan Stojanovic

47. “Death swallows death.” - Dejan Stojanovic

48. “I am the shore and the ocean, awaiting myself on both sides.” - Dejan Stojanovic

49. “With me: one minus one = one; with you: it’s zero. Here lies the only difference.” - Dejan Stojanovic

50. “Through everything I have passed but nowhere I have been.” - Dejan Stojanovic

51. “From one bell all the bells toll.” - Dejan Stojanovic

52. “He will understand when it is too late that it is easier to love.” - Dejan Stojanovic

53. “Había leído lo bastante como para apreciar mi ingenio literario, pero no lo bastante como para identificar mis fuentes de conocimiento. Me encantan las mujeres así. Podía decirle cosas como: "La principal diferencia entre la felicidad y la alegría es que la felicidad es sólida, mientras que la alegría es líquida" y, escudándome en su ignorancia de Salinger, sentirme ingenioso, seductor y, porqué no decirlo, joven. Notaba que Ernie me miraba fijamente mientras yo me daba pisto, pero qué diablos, pensaba yo. Un hombre tiene derecho a flirtear.” - David Mitchell

54. “صار الحزن جدارا من الزجاج السميك بين قلبى والدنيا , أرى من خلاله وأسمع لكنى لا أشعر , لا بالفرح ولا بالألم , لا بالغم ولا بالنصر ولا بالكسر .صار قلبى مغلفا بالزجاج , لا يشعر .لكن كلما رماه أحد بحجر انكسر الزجاج وانغرس فى قلبى أكثر” - عز الدين شكرى فشير