73 Memorable Quotes From Novels

In the vast world of literature, certain lines resonate with readers across generations, capturing the essence of the human experience in just a few words. These memorable quotes from novels can evoke emotions, provoke thought, and inspire change. They offer insights into the characters' minds and often reflect universal truths about life, love, and the complexities of the human condition. In this curated collection of 73 unforgettable quotes, we invite you to journey through the pages of some of the most beloved novels. Whether you're revisiting old favorites or discovering new gems, these quotes promise to leave a lasting impression.

1. “It began with a perfect plan. Shape-wise we had a circle, a simple uncomplicated curve to guide us comfortably from one thing to another, an easy predictable ride promising a natural progression from A to B, C and D, and so on until we reached our destination. But somewhere down that smooth line, I think around F, it all went pear-shaped.” - Ivana Hruba

2. “Isn't post-modernism really one big cover-up for the failure of the French to write a truly interesting novel ever since a sports car ate Albert Camus?” - John Leonard

3. “My head’ll explode if I continue with this escapism.” - Jess C. Scott

4. “bla..bla..” - aisya sofea

5. “You see that old woman? That will never happen to you. You will never grow old, and you will never die.And it means something else too, doesn't it? I shall never ever grow up.” - Anne Rice

6. “You can't really succeed with a novel anyway; they're too big. It's like city planning. You can't plan a perfect city because there's too much going on that you can't take into account. You can, however, write a perfect sentence now and then. I have.” - Gore Vidal

7. “One’s options in this world are as vast as the horizon, which is technically a circle and thus infinitely broad. Yet we must choose each step we take with utmost caution, for the footprints we leave behind are as important as the path we will follow. They’re part of the same journey — our story.” - Lori R. Lopez

8. “Millions cheer the warriorspilling blood across the ringwhile the one who stands for peaceis ridiculed and shamed.Must hearts forever sufferfrom ignorance and greed?Can bombs heal our soulsor set our spirits free?” - Aberjhani

9. “Suffering is tossed by handfuls over the multitudes, with most of it falling on some people and little or none of it on others.” - José Luis Peixoto

10. “So...Mason, Eddie, and Mia went to Spokane to hunt Strigoi?""Yes.""Holy shit. Why didn't you go with them? Seems like something you'd do."I resisted the urge to smack him. "Because I'm not insane! But I'm going to go get them before they do something even stupider.” - Richelle Mead

11. “On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony Burgess: "The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind." I've always found that inspiring because the written word, as an art form, is unlike any other: movies, TV, music, they're shared experiences, but books aren't like that. The relationship between a writer and a reader is utterly unique to those two individuals. The world that forms in your head as you read a book will be slightly different to that experienced by every other reader. Anywhere. Ever. Reading is very personal, a communication from one mind to another, something which can't be exactly copied, or replicated, or directly shared. If I read the work of, say, one of the great Victorian novelists, it's like a gift from the past, a momentary connection to another's thoughts. Their ideas are down on paper, to be picked up by me, over a century later. Writers can speak individually to readers across a year, or ten years, or a thousand. That's why I love books.” - Simon Cheshire

12. “But there is no doubt that to attempt a novel of ideas is to give oneself a handicap: the parochialism of our culture is intense. For instance, decade after decade bright young men and women emerge from their universities able to say proudly: 'Of course I know nothing about German literature.' It is the mode. The Victorians knew everything about German literature, but were able with a clear conscience not to know much about the French.” - Doris Lessing

13. “Sexual frenzy is our compensation for the tedious moments we must suffer in the passage of life. 'Nothing in excess,' professed the ancient Greeks. Why if I spend half the month in healthy scholarship and pleasant sleep, shouldn't I be allowed the other half to howl at the moon and pillage the groins of Europe's great beauties?” - Roman Payne

14. “Do we really mean it when we say ‘in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do us part or do we add a silent clause, ‘unless you shame me or disappoint me?’ What is the cost of unconditional love and how capable are we of giving that?” - Deirdre-Elizabeth Parker

15. “When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in bad condition in the particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is "So it goes.” - Kurt Vonnegut

16. “When he was in college, a famous poet made a useful distinction for him. He had drunk enough in the poet's company to be compelled to describe to him a poem he was thinking of. It would be a monologue of sorts, the self-contemplation of a student on a summer afternoon who is reading Euphues. The poem itself would be a subtle series of euphuisms, translating the heat, the day, the student's concerns, into symmetrical posies; translating even his contempt and boredom with that famously foolish book into a euphuism. The poet nodded his big head in a sympathetic, rhythmic way as this was explained to him, then told him that there are two kinds of poems. There is the kind you write; there is the kind you talk about in bars. Both kinds have value and both are poems; but it's fatal to confuse them. In the Seventh Saint, many years later, it had struck him that the difference between himself and Shakespeare wasn't talent - not especially - but nerve. The capacity not to be frightened by his largest and most potent conceptions, to simply (simply!) sit down and execute them. The dreadful lassitude he felt when something really large and multifarious came suddenly clear to him, something Lear-sized yet sonnet-precise. If only they didn't rush on him whole, all at once, massive and perfect, leaving him frightened and nerveless at the prospect of articulating them word by scene by page. He would try to believe they were of the kind told in bars, not the kind to be written, though there was no way to be sure of this except to attempt the writing; he would raise a finger (the novelist in the bar mirror raising the obverse finger) and push forward his change. Wailing like a neglected ghost, the vast notion would beat its wings into the void. Sometimes it would pursue him for days and years as he fled desperately. Sometimes he would turn to face it, and do battle. Once, twice, he had been victorious, objectively at least. Out of an immense concatenation of feeling, thought, word, transcendent meaning had come his first novel, a slim, pageant of a book, tombstone for his slain conception. A publisher had taken it, gingerly; had slipped it quietly into the deep pool of spring releases, where it sank without a ripple, and where he supposes it lies still, its calm Bodoni gone long since green. A second, just as slim but more lurid, nightmarish even, about imaginary murders in an imaginary exotic locale, had been sold for a movie, though the movie had never been made. He felt guilt for the producer's failure (which perhaps the producer didn't feel), having known the book could not be filmed; he had made a large sum, enough to finance years of this kind of thing, on a book whose first printing was largely returned.” - John Crowley

17. “The first inkling of this notion had come to him the Christmas before, at his daughter's place in Vermont. On Christmas Eve, as indifferent evening took hold in the blue squares of the windows, he sat alone in the crepuscular kitchen, imbued with a profound sense of the identity of winter and twilight, of twilight and time, of time and memory, of his childhood and that church which on this night waited to celebrate the second greatest of its feasts. For a moment or an hour as he sat, become one with the blue of the snow and the silence, a congruity of star, cradle, winter, sacrament, self, it was as though he listened to a voice that had long been trying to catch his attention, to tell him, Yes, this was the subject long withheld from him, which he now knew, and must eventually act on. He had managed, though, to avoid it. He only brought it out now to please his editor, at the same time aware that it wasn't what she had in mind at all. But he couldn't do better; he had really only the one subject, if subject was the word for it, this idea of a notion or a holy thing growing clear in the stream of time, being made manifest in unexpected ways to an assortment of people: the revelation itself wasn't important, it could be anything, almost. Beyond that he had only one interest, the seasons, which he could describe endlessly and with all the passion of a country-bred boy grown old in the city. He was beginning to doubt (he said) whether these were sufficient to make any more novels out of, though he knew that writers of genius had made great ones out of less. He supposed really (he didn't say) that he wasn't a novelist at all, but a failed poet, like a failed priest, one who had perceived that in fact he had no vocation, had renounced his vows, and yet had found nothing at all else in the world worth doing when measured by the calling he didn't have, and went on through life fatally attracted to whatever of the sacerdotal he could find or invent in whatever occupation he fell into, plumbing or psychiatry or tending bar. ("Novelty")” - John Crowley

18. “Already, Seattle is taking hold of her. She still holds Sedona in the dry tan of her skin and in her hair, but the fine mist of the Northwest is making its way to places she didn’t know were parched.” - Susan Wiggs

19. “aku tak habis mengerti, mengapa orang-orang gampang sekali mengata-ngatai pemerintah. Kalau bicara, sekehendak hatinya saja. Apa mereka kira gampang mengelola negara? Mengurusi ratusan juta manusia? Yang semuanya tak bisa diatur. Kalau mereka sendiri yang disuruh mengurusi negara, takkan becus juga!” - Andrea Hirata

20. “As we stood there, chest high in water, I felt like I was in the middle of my own romance novel.” - Em Bailey

21. “الوهم أرض رخوة كالحلم الذي لا نعمل على تحقيقه.” - محمد حامد

22. “الحب ذريعة لنتمسك بالحياة أكثر.” - محمد حامد

23. “الكل ينجح حين يشغله أمر الجودة ويتقن صنعته.” - محمد حامد

24. “...Love can give you the most exhilarating wonderful highs at times... ...Then there will be dives that will take all you have just to hold on... Quote on the Title Page of "Love TORN Asunder” - Elizabeth Funderbirk

25. “The sweet-smelling aroma of the island spices still hung in the air. It filled his nostrils and titillated his appetite all over again. His appetite drove him mad for something much more than food.” - Luke A.M. Brown

26. “Some things are just like riding a bicycle; you jump on, pedal, and hope you don’t fall.” - Henry Mosquera

27. “And they...LIVED! Life isn't always ‘Happily Ever After’, rather, loving FOREVER, regardless.” - Carmen DeSousa

28. “Amar es ponerse al cuello el nudo corredizo de la ilusión; adorar a alguien mientras pareces asfixiarte. Pero incluso el amor no correspondido, el amor fugaz, es mejor que nada.” - Susan Vreeland

29. “No sé, todavía qué es lo que separa el aprecio del amor.” - Jane Austen

30. “Los siglos pasados tuvieron y siguen teniendo sus propios poderes que el "modernismo" no puede suprimir.” - Bram Stoker

31. “El que ella no se lo reproche, no lo justifica a él. Solo demuestra que ella carece de algo, bien de prudencia, bien de sentimiento.” - Jane Austen

32. “God Hates divorce.""He hates cruelty even more."Caring For Eleanor” - Sonia Rumzi

33. “Matt was almost completely naked. A tattered loincloth and an ugly chain with a yellow diamond were his only apparel.” - Priya Ardis

34. “Someone once told me that we move when it becomes less painful than staying where we are".” - Anne Hines

35. “Beginikah rasanya saat benar-benar bahagia?” - Irin Sintriana

36. “Parenthood doesn’t improve one’s character, it exposes it.” - Leslie A. Gordon

37. “Why must some of us deliberate between brands of toothpaste while others deliberate between damp dirt and bone dust to quiet the fire of an empty stomach lining?” - Barbara Kingsolver

38. “Pembalasan paling indah yang sangat pedih adalah lewat novel.” - Helvy Tiana Rosa

39. “في جنون البشر موقفان متطرفان فقط... اللحظة التي يدرك فيها المرء عجزه، واللحظة التي يدرك فيها ضعف الآخرين، فإما أن يتبنى جنونه أو أن يخضع له.” - ياسمينا خضرا

40. “ليس بوسعنا أن نسقي بيد الزهرة التي نقطفها بيد أخرى!” - ياسمينا خضرا

41. “Somewhere there's someone who dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile. So, when you are lonely remember it's true: somebody, somewhere is thinking of you.” - Atul Purohit

42. “I love you more than depth of the ocean, but I can't let you feel the pain of it...lines from Love Vs destiny....” - Atul Purohit

43. “No matter how many miles I move away, my love will always remain within the boundary of your heartLines from Love Vs Destiny...” - Atul Purohit

44. “I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living in me and now I enjoy ever bit of my life and hope best for rest...something beyond lovelines from Love Vs Destiny...” - Atul Purohit

45. “We all fight for money, some for power, but most of all for love. But me, I fight to become a champion.” - Jonathan Anthony Burkett

46. “Writing consist of everything. whether your writing is of riddles, rimes, prose, trivial, general, of thought, or of feeling. indiscretions you've done or have fantasized about. love, deception, romance, fear, death, life, pain, & yes even happiness. writing is of a specific purpose & states a meaning within what is written.” - Michael Stuckey

47. “All cats are gray in the dark. And besides, her actions have less to do with her, and everything to do with you.” - Jaye Frances

48. “هو لا يفهم أن نفسيتي كإناء من "الكريستال" الرقيق تكفيه نقرة جافة ليتصدع إلى الأبد. لا، هو لا يفهم أن جهود حياته بأكملها لن تعيد الإناء إلى نقاءه الأصلي.” - كوليت خوري

49. “Do you think we can be friends?” I asked.He stared up at the ceiling. “Probably not, but we can pretend.” - Priya Ardis

50. “هل تتساءل أنت عن شكل وجهي؟ هل تراه في وجوه النساء؟ أنت لا تسألني شيئا.. كأنك تريد فقط أن تتحدث إلى شخص تعرف أنه يحب الاستماع إليك، ثم تطلب منه أن يدعو لك، كأنني متسولة تتصدق علي بكلماتك ثم قبل أن ترحل تطلب مني أن أدعو لك.” - لطيفة الحاج

51. “نحن حين نحب لا نتساءل على الأعمار، لا تشغلنا الظروف، لا تؤرقنا الحقائق، ولا تهمنا الصغائر.” - لطيفة الحاج

52. “Whatever is scaring you, bring it into the light. It's strength will fade” - Kerry Reichs

53. “The Americans have perfected weather forecasts: a model presents a model of the Earth, a map, and jabs at it with her pointer – here and here, this is going to happen. Voodoo.” - Péter Zilahy

54. “تنتظرين الآن متى تنقضي اللحظة و أنا في حالة توتر ، أحاول أن أقول كل ما بداخلي ، و أعلم أن اختصار ذلك يكون في أن تضعي أناملك على صدري ، أجزم أن يبللها الندى ، أرواحنا من ماء ، ونبضها مطر، وعطائها ورد، عانقيني بقوة ، دعيني أخضر أكثر ويفوح طهرك فيني ، ويتنفسني العالم ، العالم الكبير المختزل في ذاتك وحدك ، وحدك من أشعر بها ، وأجدها، وأعلم يقيناً أنها مني ، وأتجاهل كل شيء آخر بالمناسبة لا أعير اهتماماً لكل ما يعبرني من بعيد لذلك أبدو بليداً في الوقت الذي أتقين أني أقف في المنتصف عند مركز الحياة ، بالضبط عند نبضك فيني . حبيبتي .. أكثر من الحب أحبك” - محمد حامد

55. “هي- لماذا لا نستطيع تقليد الغرب في حبهم للحياة بهذه القوة؟هو -التخلف ولا شيء آخر . نحتاج إلى قرون أخرى لكي نرفع رؤوسنا قليلاً نحو الشمس” - واسيني الأعرج

56. “وربما لا أفارق فراشي وأحلم .. وأحلم أنك تأتين ونحتفل ، وأحلم بأن الحلم الذي كنت أتلوه على مسامع أوراقي يتحقق ، وأحلم أن الغد الجميل أقبل ، وأحلم أن الورد والعطر والمطر وأنا أربعة نمارس لعبة النرد على غيمة ، وأحلم أن أنام . . وتهدهدني الملائكة .” - محمد حامد

57. “Mungkin seperti inilah yang disebut cinta. Sesakit apa pun ia menyakitimu, kamu tetap tidak akan bisa begitu saja menghapus perasaan itu dari hatimu.” - Irin Sintriana

58. “..Cinta itu sesuatu yang misterius. Lebih misterius dari segitiga bermuda atau puncak gunung himalaya. Kita gak akan bisa menduganya..” - Luna Torashyngu

59. “How I would enjoy being told the novel is dead. How liberating to work in the margins, outside a central perception. You are the ghoul of literature.” - Don DeLillo

60. “Ardo,aku tidak meminta banyak padamu, aku tidak akan meminta uangmu, tidak waktumu dan tidak nyawamu, aku hanya minta tetaplah menjadi seperti Ardo yg aku kenal, tidak hanya hari ini, tetapi juga esok dan seterusnya” - Rangga Wirianto Putra

61. “Sometimes a girl's gotta be bad to be good.Murder in the Dog Park” - Jill Yesko

62. “As writers we live life twice, like a cow that eats its food once and then regurgitates it to chew and digest it again. We have a second chance at biting into our experience and examining it. ...This is our life and it's not going to last forever. There isn't time to talk about someday writing that short story or poem or novel. Slow down now, touch what is around you, and out of care and compassion for each moment and detail, put pen to paper and begin to write.” - Natalie Goldberg

63. “Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.” - Tom Clancy

64. “Beginning a novel is always hard. It feels like going nowhere. I always have to write at least 100 pages that go into the trashcan before it finally begins to work. It's discouraging, but necessary to write those pages. I try to consider them pages -100 to zero of the novel.” - Barbara Kingsolver

65. “A novel is just a story that hasn't yet discovered a way to be brief.” - George Saunders

66. “Looking back on my life, I sigh. The caprice of youth goes with the wind, I’ve no regrets.” - Roman Payne

67. “He saw the reflection of her face in a compact mirror as she painted on her re lips. She did it with such care, he had felt she was trapping something behind the colour.She had touched life, played with it a little, bit it was a slippery bugger,and finally we must close the door, and leave it behind.” - Rachel Joyce

68. “Aku tidak ingin cinta yang sejati. Tapi biarkan aku mencicipi cinta yang bukan sesaat. Biarkan aku berjuang dan bertahan di sana. Biarkan aku tersiksa untuk terus belajar bersetia. Aku rela tenggelam di sana, sebagaimana segelintir orang yang beruntung mendapatkannya.” - Puthut EA

69. “We read novels because we need stories; we crave them; we can’t live without telling them and hearing them. Stories are how we make sense of our lives and of the world. When we’re distressed and go to therapy, our therapist’s job is to help us tell our story. Life doesn’t come with plots; it’s messy and chaotic; life is one damn, inexplicable thing after another. And we can’t have that. We insist on meaning. And so we tell stories so that our lives make sense.” - John Dufresne

70. “Ia tampak begitu lembut, membuat semua orang yang berkata kasar padanya seperti berengsek kelas dunia.” - Ayuwidya

71. “There is a brilliant novel in all of us. Some imagine it…others live it. Authors dwell in an auspicious life by having the ability to fuse the two.” - Carl Henegan

72. “She didn’t think that by hanging a chandelier from the ceiling you made a room with a chandelier. She felt you’d made another world, which you could slip in and out of by some vague process of application” - Guy Mankowski

73. “I am a dash man and not a miler, and it is probable that I will never write a novel. So far the novels of this war have had too much of the strength, maturity and craftsmanship critics are looking for, and too little of the glorious imperfections which teeter and fall off the best minds. The men who have been in this war deserve some sort of trembling melody rendered without embarrassment or regret. I’ll watch for that book.” - J.D. Salinger