72 Historical Romance Quotes

Transport yourself to bygone eras where love defied the boundaries of time and societal norms with our curated collection of the top 72 historical romance quotes. These snippets of passion, longing, and forbidden love capture the essence of historical romance, enchanting readers with the intensity of emotions and the richness of past eras. Whether whispered in candlelit ballrooms or written in ornate letters, these quotes celebrate love in its most timeless and captivating form. Perfect for old-soul romantics and history enthusiasts alike, each quote invites you to journey through love stories that transcend time.

1. “Lying on the floor, with the carved panels of the ceiling flickering dimly above, I found myself thinking that I had always heretofore assumed that the tendency of eigh­teenth-century ladies to swoon was due to tight stays; now I rather thought it might be due to the idiocy of eighteenth-century men. ” - Diana Gabaldon

2. “Happy? Most of the time? Happiness is always a fleeting thing," he said, "It never rests upon anyone as a permanent state, though many of us persist in believing in the foolish idea that if this would just happen or that we would be happy for the rest of our lives. I know moments of happiness just as most other people do. Perhaps I have learned to find it in ways that would pass some people by. I feel the summer heat here at this moment and see the trees and the water and hear that invisible gull overhead. I feel the novelty of having company when I usually come here alone. And this moment brings me happiness.” - Mary Balogh

3. “Over time, this unspoken attration continued to blossom, refusing to dwindle or fade, though they had little opportunity to foster or nourish it. Slowly and patiently, Robert's sheer persistence in the chase had revealed his heart, and Charlotte came to realize the nameless thing between them was love.” - Emery Lee

4. “He'd missed matching wits with her. "Shall we duel with our lips?" "You may find yourself eating grass for breakfast.” - Vicky Dreiling

5. “This man was different from all others; he was forbidden fruit, the outsider. Her mother had trained her well, but she had never told her what to do if a man set her heart to throbbing like the hooves of a runaway horse.” - Constance O'Banyon

6. “I wondered what he would have thought if he'd known that I'd gleaned most of my information from reading historical romance novels.” - Nicole Luiken

7. “He kissed her. Without warning, without permission. Without even deciding to do it, but simply because he couldn't have done anything else. He needed that breath she was holding. It belonged to him, and he wanted it back.” - Tessa Dare

8. “Midnight Omen Deja vu" - Because everyone should experience love in the Caribbean...at least once in a lifetime.” - Marti Melville

9. “Her lips found his and a stab of exquisite desire shot through him. This is what he's been waiting for all this time. Not a stolen embrace. A gift, freely given. One that he would keep forever in some small part of his soul.” - Courtney Milan

10. “They had pulled me from the hemorrhaging, dying body of my mother and turned me over to the care of the man who was not my father. He had taken me home to their tiny apartment above the old hardware store and done what little he knew to take care of me. It took less than six weeks for him to realize his mistake. Maybe even less than six hours, but he never abandoned me. He clung to me as though I was the last remnant of some great and powerful love. And that gave me hope that maybe my mother was really something else and not just some girl who got knocked up by a guy whose name she didn’t even know. She was something special, someone worthy of a man’s loyalty and devotion.--Rocky Evans” - Gwenn Wright

11. “My life is hard. No one would rob me of that. The clothes I am wearing came out of a knotted up black plastic trash bag from a resale shop downtown. And not the downtown where shiny cars wink at you in the sunlight. If a car winks at you in this area it’s being driven by a person you would be best to avoid. My side of downtown is crumbling and skirted by chain link fences.--Rocky Evans” - Gwenn Wright

12. “Daniel, I did not knowwhat I wanted when I was agirl. And then I was a fool in every sense of the word. And now that I am a woman grown, I know that I love you and I want this son of yours, and our children who will come. I have seen a woman break her heart for love: my Queen Mary. I have seen another break her soul to avoid it: my Princess Elizabeth. I don't want to be Mary or Elizabeth, I want to be me: Hannah Verde Carpenter.""And we shall live somewhere that we can follow our belifs without danger," he insisted."Yes," I said, "in the England that Elizabeth will make.” - Philippa Gregory

13. “Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.” - Myrna Ericksen

14. “We can talk about our dreams all night, Lisette. We can talk forever, for the rest of our lives, living one adventure after another, I promise. But not now, my darling Lisette. For now, all I can think of is the brilliance of yet another ancient Greek, Sophocles. He said, 'One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life-that word is love.' I love you, Lisette. You bring my life joy I've never known. Please, marry me.” - Kasey Michaels

15. “..he wanted her.And at another time, as another man, he would have her. Without hesitation. As lover. . . as more.” - Sarah MacLean

16. “I love you," she murmured. The words ... it was as though an entire sun had exploded in his chest.He'd been ridiculous. His thrashing thoughts, his grand confusion and torment and helplessness -- it was only love, had always been love, he supposed. It was no precipice he stood at, or rather precipices have little meaning when one finally acknowledges that one has wings. Connor stepped off."I love you, too."Such grave, inadequate words for what it was he felt.” - Julie Anne Long

17. “We have to get out of here, Bram. Before they take our bollocks and use them for pincushions.” - Tessa Dare

18. “I would rather be a cripple and have your love for all of a single moment than to live as I am without ever having it.” - Lorraine Heath

19. “And if you ever - and I do mean ever - try to leave me, I’m goin’ with you.” - Catherine Anderson

20. “All things in Fiji are paid for in blood.” - Lance Morcan & James Morcan

21. “I will find her.""And when you do?" Roger asked."I will make her mine," the warrior answered in a hard, determined voice. "She will be mine."The vow was made.” - Julie Garwood

22. “He didn’t deserve compassion. Sympathy. Not even understanding. He deserved worse, far worse than he had ever been given.” - V.S. Carnes

23. “With time, grief has a way of slipping down in the crevices of your heart. It never really leaves; it just makes room for more.” - Nancy B. Brewer

24. “Look. Isn't he beautiful?"Drew's expression softened. "Ah, Nellie. He's bald, pink, and has no teeth. What's so beautiful about that?"Nellie's laugh tinkled out like musical chimes while she covered the babe back up.” - Deeanne Gist

25. “You next," he said. "Out of those clothes and into bed."She nodded but didn't move from Sally's side. The thought of undressing exhausted her. Where would she find the strength such a task would require?"I'm filthy. I'll ruin the new bed.""I'll bring you some fresh water.""I've no clothes to change into."His grin was downright wicked. "I know."A short laugh escaped her.” - Deeanne Gist

26. “Lord Randall barreled inside, brandishing his cane in Drew's face."You beggarly knave, I was told this marriage was in name only! Who gave you permission to consummate the vows?""Theodore Hopkin, governor of this colony, representative of the kind, and it's going to cost you plenty, for that daughter of yours is nothing but trouble. What in the blazes were you thinking to allow her an education?"Drew bit back his smile at the man's shocked expression. Nothing like landing the first punch.Lord Randall furrowed his bushy gray brows."I knew not about her education until it was too late."Drew straightened the cuffs of his shirt. "Well, be prepared to pay dearly for it. No man should have to suffer through what I do with the constant spouting of the most addlepated word puzzles you could imagine."-----------------------------------------"I require fifteen thousand pounds."Lord Randall spewed ale across the floor. "What! Surely drink has tickled your poor brain. You're a FARMER, you impudent rascal. I'll give you five thousand."Drew plopped his drink onto the table at his side, its contents sloshing over the rim. A satisfied smile broke across his face."Excellent." He stood."When will you take her back to England with you? Today? Tomorrow?"The old man's red-rimmed eyes widened. "I cannot take her back. Why, she's already birthed a child!" Drew shrugged. "Fifteen thousand or I send her AND the babe back, with or without you.” - Deeanne Gist

27. “You were kidnapped not?""I was kidnapped.""You were forced not into marriage?""I was forced into marriage.""You want not an annulment?""I want not an annulment.” - Deeanne Gist

28. “He wants a fifteen thousand pound settlement.""Fifteen thousand!""He says you're a great deal of trouble."She hesitated for one startled moment before choking back a laugh."I am.""I thought so." He leveled Drew a look. "If I pay you the fifteen thousand, do you swear to keep her?"Drew reared back his head. "Forever?"Her father scowled. "Forever.""Oh, I suppose." He gave a long-suffering sigh. "If I must."She bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from laughing outright.” - Deeanne Gist

29. “Their daughter scrunched up her hands and legs, waving them wildly in the air. He opened his palm, allowing the babe to kick his hand."Is she like a puppy?"Constance choked. "What!"He looked up. "Will she get her spots later?"Laughter bubbled up from within her as she playfully whacked him on the shoulder. "Yes. Yes, I'm afraid she will. As soon as the sun touches her skin, the freckles will appear."A delicious two-dimple grin spread across his face. "Good. I find I'm rather partial to freckled redheads.” - Deeanne Gist

30. “… Looking at her, I think I know better what romantic love is.”… she asked, “What is it?”“It is parental love,” he answered thoughtfully. “Wanting to protect and keep the other person safe. As well as the love of friendship - esteeming the other person, even desiring each other’s company beyond all others. And it is lust,” he said, meeting her eyes, and was rewarded with seeing them darken, her breath becoming slightly unsteady, one little word jerking her out of her clinical assessment. He smiled, a predatory, seductive grin. “The physical needing of the other person, the quickened pulse, the sweaty heat.” His hand, which still rested on hers, began slowly moving, his fingers dancing over her skin. “Combining them makes the result greater than its individual parts. Because it produces something else. It creates … a steadiness. A strength. I can’t explain it well - being only an outside observer - but I only know that out of my friends' relationships, my sister‘s marriage is the epitome of grace.” - Kate Noble

31. “Would you like me to court you?” the earl finally asked.YES. She smoothed her hands over her skirts to keep from confessing it aloud. “I would like to know if you are,” she replied. “Or what your intentions are, if you aren’t.”“My intentions . . .” His slow smile acted like a torch held to her skin. She felt prickly with heat and yet transfixed by the glowing allure of it. “I intend to have you, Maggie, in every way a man can have a woman. I want your hand in mine while we dance. I want you laughing beside me in the theater. I want you lying naked in my arms at night. And I want you standing beside me in church, saying ‘I will.’ ” - Caroline Linden

32. “The sun had just slipped behind the trees and evening cast its dark, smoky shadow.” - Nancy B. Brewer

33. “I can hear my steps echo as I follow him to the end of the hall. The door to the small closet under the steps is standing ajar. He closes the door and latches it.” - Nancy B. Brewer

34. “He is dressed in a long, white robe and in his hand is a white cap. I draw up as he passes down the hall; he does not see me. Shortly I hear a horse leaving. There is much I do not know about him, but tonight I know one of his secrets. He is a midnight rider.” - Nancy B. Brewer

35. “It was a warm and natural feeling to be there. We were not black or white people. We were just people bound together by love and understanding. As I walked out of that church, I felt like I had rediscovered my inner peace.” - Nancy B. Brewer

36. “Because I can only love you entirely. With everything I am, and everything I ever will be. Body, mind, heart, soul.” - Victor Bramwell, Earl of Rycliff.” - Tessa Dare

37. “I been running up a bill with the devil ever since, and now he's come to collect on the debt.” - Steven B. Weissman

38. “It was enough to drive me mad. I was no longer myself and yet I was so much more me than I had ever been before. ~Katherine Demure” - Gwenn Wright

39. “The curtains were not yet drawn and with the moonlight spreading across the room, I could see clearly. I undressed and slipped a soft cotton gown over my naked body. I pulled the blanket off the foot of my bed, covered my shoulders and wa...lked out on the balcony. The cool night air blowing through my hair served as a reminder that only a hint of summer remained in this year of 1860.” - Nancy B. Brewer

40. “Ne uplići se u ono što te se ne tiče.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

41. “Sreća mora doći. Sunce na nebu skrivaju oblaci i javljaju olujama da i ljudi strepe, ali (...) sunce je tamo iza oblaka! Ono mora izaći na čistinu. Mora, samo čekaj i vjeruj da dolazi...” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

42. “Pravda ne da svoje djece, a svaki pravednik krvno je čedo pravednosti.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

43. “Da nema kukolja, rodila bi čista pšenica.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

44. “Jadna mudrost koja traga za vječnom mladošću, a nije ni pokušala tražiti dobrotu.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

45. “Srcu se ne da zapovijedati.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

46. “Sve je iščezlo iz njegova osjećaja, samo je ostalo ono što ga veže s njome. Sav svijet nekud je nestao, samo je ona živa. Sve mu je mračno, samo njezine oči svijetle. Sve je crno, samo njezino lice je bijelo. Svi su zanijemjeli, samo njezin glas romoni oko njega, po dvorcu, kao žubor potočića niz brdo guste šume...” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

47. “Čovjek može uvijek biti tvrd, uvijek je kao kamenita gora, samo u jednom jedinom je priroda s nama infamna: u ljubavi nas podmuklo izigrava, izruguje nam se. Zaustavi u tren oka svu volju i misao i ostavlja nas bespomoćne između neba i zemlje, makar samo na jedan trenutak. Jedna sekunda je dovoljna da te izbriše, pretvori u sretnika ili zločinca.” - Marija Jurić Zagorka

48. “Although most advice should be distrusted, particularly when it comes from myself . . . keep an open mind, Miss Hathaway. One should never look a rich husband in the mouth." - St. Vincent” - Lisa Kleypas

49. “As she reached back for the buckle, her fingers met Mr. Meisner’s. She jumped. “I can do this... Sir.”“Ah.” He brushed aside her fingers. “I see you’ve at least remembered the sir.”“One always calls gentlemen that, just as you--”With only a rustle of cloth to warn her, his teeth met in the lobe of her ear, sending a spark into her middle. Like the melt of winter snow, she felt heat pool in her lower body. Her fingers curled against her collarbone where her hands still rested either side of her neck.“I’m not a gentleman, Faith.” - Cari Silverwood

50. “The heavy smell of incense gave me an uneasy feeling as if I had walked into a tomb” - Nancy B. Brewer

51. “Have you always been this skilled with women?" - Joseph to Iain” - Pamela Clare

52. “Oh! my dearest love, why are our pleasures so short and so interrupted? How long is this to last?Know you, my best Mary, that I feel myself, in your absence, almost degraded to the level of the vulgar and impure. I feel their vacant, stiff eyeballs fixed upon me, until I seem to have been infected with their loathsome meaning--to inhale a sickness that subdues me to languor. Oh! those redeeming eyes of Mary, that they might beam upon me before I sleep! Praise my forbearance--oh! beloved one--that I do not rashly fly to you, and at least secure a moment's bliss. Wherefore should I delay; do you not long to meet me? All that is exalted and buoyant in my nature urges me towards you, reproaches me with the cold delay, laughs at all fear and spurns to dream of prudence. Why am I not with you?” - Michael Kelahan

53. “I do not know her as you do, but I have shared each step of this journey with her, watched her fight for her life, and held her each night while she slept. I cannot help but care for her."And suddenly Connor was glad Joseph had chosen to sleep in the loft.” - Pamela Clare

54. “[Iain, addressing the Rangers at the end of the French & Indian war]"Never has the world see a war as this one, but you turned the tide of it, spillin' your blood to keep frontier families safe. Years from now, people will remember the Rangers, the sacrifices you made, the battles you fought, the victories you won. I pray that peace will follow you all your days.” - Pamela Clare

55. “Annie is my wife, and she will remain wi' me as my wife, subject only to my rule. I will suffer no man to dishonor her or lay hand upon her so long as I live.” - Pamela Clare

56. “He didn't see the look his brothers shared or overhear the vow they made to one another--that if any one of the four of them were to make it back from Ticonderoga, it would be Iain.” - Pamela Clare

57. “You think to judge me, MacKinnon? I've littered the ground wi' the corpses of men like you."Iain raised his blade and smiled. "You've never met a man like me.” - Pamela Clare

58. “You think Diana would come to your bed?” Ned threw his head back and laughed. “You’re mad! First of all, she would never break her marriage vows. Secondly, she’s certainly deduced by now what a whoremonger you are. She wouldn’t touch you with gloves, my friend.” from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (DEVIL DEVERE book #3)” - Victoria Vane

59. “Nicholas broke the seal and scanned the contents. He looked up at Marcus with a chuckle. “Why, it appears you may get your wish for perpetual bachelorhood after all. She wants to end your engagement.”Marcus started from his chair. “The hell she does! What’s possessed her?”“Perhaps she realizes your extreme reluctance to tie the knot after waiting…what is it? Five years since your betrothal announcement?”“Six,” Marcus snapped. “But who’s counting.”“Perhaps Miss Trent?” Nick needled with a quirk of his lips.- A BREACH OF PROMISE” - Victoria Vane

60. “I never would have conceived that he would finally succumb to marriage. How did you ever convince him?”“I must actually credit Lady Russell. She explained to me that a man desires above all things to think himself his own master. Thus, I had only to convince Marcus that marrying me was entirely his own idea.”-A BREACH OF PROMISE” - Victoria Vane

61. “Damn, but it was a night, Ned! Now, not to be outdone, it appears our reverend mother Hayes is inspired by Captain Cook's latest voyage to the South Pacific.""I give the woman credit for creativity." Ned laughed. "Have you read John Hawkesworth's account of the voyage?"Ludovic's brows lifted ever so slightly. "Come now, Ned, do I truly look like a man who entertains himself with books?” - Victoria Vane

62. “Ned seemed so different from any other man of her acquaintance, and, certainly, the antithesis of the rake she had set her sights on. She had chosen DeVere as her best prospect, yet after only this short time in Ned's company, she couldn't help fervently wishing that he was DeVere. She should feel triumphant that her goal was within easy reach... In truth, it was as if her appetite had been whetted for beefsteak...only to be served liver instead.-A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE” - Victoria Vane

63. “I stop to brace myself against the walls, which are painted with the fingerprints of family.” - Nancy B. Brewer

64. “You don't have to say a thing except yes. You don't have to do anything, either, I'm quite willing to plan it all." "You?""Yes me.""You'd plan all of it? Even the wedding?""Why not?""You don't even like to plan your own breakfast."He grinned. "You mean more to me tban bacon.""More than [i]bacon?[/i] I'm honored.""You should be, my foolish pea brain.” - Karen Hawkins

65. “Today’s breakfast consist of rice and a piece of bread fried in a bit of salt pork grease. At least I have my memories of grand banquets and fine foods, but this is all the children have ever known. I suppose it is best not to have anything to compare.” - Nancy B. Brewer

66. “There isn’t going to be a ‘next lover,’” Grant said automatically, outraged by the idea. “I’m the only man she’s going to have.” - Lisa Kleypas

67. “Pleasure suffused her and she snuggled deeper into his arms, her heart clenching when he tightened his hold on her. After a while his breathing slowed and his hold relaxed. Convinced he slept, she whispered, "You should have been my first." A small ache pinched her heart.His chest vibrated beneath her hand, sending a thrilling shiver up her spine as his deep voice rumbled through the air, "I'll be your last.” - Sophie Jordan

68. “I'm familiar with the myth, I'm merely surprised that a femalewould be familiar with the classics.""You must have a very limited experience with my sex," Alexandrasaid, surprised. "My grandfather said most women are every bit asintelligent as men."She saw his eyes take on the sudden gleam of suppressed laughterand assumed, mistakenly, that he was amused by her assessment offemale intelligence rather than her remark about his inexperiencewith women.” - Judith McNaught

69. “Rule three? You mean there's more?” - Shehanne Moore

70. “She had covered herself in frost, so every part of her grew cold and would not feel, because of that single part that longed to hear that word, yet had never known the hope, or expectation, that it would.” - Shehanne Moore

71. “I was shy,” said six-foot-one of bashful male. He grunted as a sharp, feminine elbow thudded inconspicuously into his side.” - Anne Gracie

72. “Lord Carradice managed to look wicked, smug, and saintly, all at the same time.” - Anne Gracie