88 Iconic Katniss Everdeen Quotes

Katniss Everdeen, the fearless protagonist of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" trilogy, has captured the imagination of readers and moviegoers worldwide. Her journey through the dystopian world of Panem is not just a tale of survival and rebellion, but also a rich tapestry of profound thoughts and stirring moments. Whether she's standing defiantly against the Capitol's oppression or expressing her love and loyalty to those she holds dear, Katniss' words resonate with strength and vulnerability. In this curated collection, we celebrate the powerful quotes that define her character and continue to inspire fans to this day. Prepare to delve into the wisdom and wit of Katniss' most unforgettable lines that have left an indelible mark on popular culture.

1. “Deep in the meadow, hidden far awayA cloak of leaves, a moonbeam rayForget your woes and let your troubles layAnd when it's morning again, they'll wash awayHere it's safe, here it's warmHere the daisies guard you from every harmHere your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them trueHere is the place where I love you.” - Suzanne Collins

2. “You're punishing him over and over for things that are out of his control. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't have a fully loaded weapon next to you round the clock. But I think it's time you flipped this little scenario in your head. If you'd been taken by the Capitol, and hijacked, and then tried to kill Peeta, is this the way he would be treating you?" demands Haymitch.I fall silent. It isn't. It isn't how he would be treating me at all. He would be trying to get me back at any cost. Not shutting me out, abandoning me, greeting me with hostility at every turn.” - Suzanne Collins

3. “I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss," says Peeta. "Even if my mother isn't a healer."I'm jolted back in time, to another wound, another set of bandages. "You said that same thing to me in the first Hunger Games. Real or not real?""Real," he says. "And you risked your life getting the medicine that saved me?""Real." I shrug. "You were the reason I was alive to do it.” - Suzanne Collins

4. “You're alive," I whisper, pressing my palms against my cheeks, feeling the smile that's so wide it must look like a grimace. Peeta's alive.” - Suzanne Collins

5. “Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly. And I hate him for it.” - Suzanne Collins

6. “Why don't I just pretend I'm on camera, Plutarch?" I say."Yes! Perfect. One is always much braver with an audience," he says. "Look at the courage Peeta just displayed!"It's all I can do not to slap him.” - Suzanne Collins

7. “Plutarch rushes to reassure me. "Oh, no, Katniss. Not your wedding. Finnick and Annie's. All you need to do is show up and pretend to be happy for them.""That's one of the few things I won't have to pretend, Plutarch," I tell him.” - Suzanne Collins

8. “No. Now, shut up and eat your pears.” - Suzanne Collins

9. “At the moment, the choice would be simple. I can survive just fine without either of them.” - Suzanne Collins

10. “Technically, I am unarmed. But no one should ever underestimate the harm that fingernails can do. Especially if the target is unprepared.” - Suzanne Collins

11. “The question is, what are you going to do?" It turns out the question that's been eating away at me has only ever had one possible answer. But it took Peeta's ploy for me to recognize it. What am I going to do? I take a deep breath. My arms rise slightly - as if recalling the black-and-white wings Cinna gave me - then come to rest at my sides. "I'm going to be the Mockingjay.” - Suzanne Collins

12. “At a few minutes before four, Peeta turns to me again. "Your favorite colour . . . it's green?" "That's right." Then I think of something to add. "And yours is orange." "Orange?" He seems unconvinced. "Not bright orange. But soft. Like the sunset," I say. "At least, that's what you told me once." "Oh." He closes his eyes briefly, maybe trying to conjure up that sunset, then nods his head. "Thank you." But more words tumble out. "You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. You never take sugar in your tea. And you always double-knot your shoelaces." Then I dive into my tent before I do something stupid like cry.” - Suzanne Collins

13. “You here to finish me off, Sweetheart?” - Suzanne Collins

14. “I realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if Peeta dies. Me.” - Suzanne Collins

15. “One more time? For the audience?" he says. His voice isn't angry. It's hollow, which is worse. Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me.I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.” - Suzanne Collins

16. “You never know. Say the arena's actually a giant cake-""Say we move on," I broke in.” - Suzanne Collins

17. “He tilts his forehead down to rest against mine and pulls me closer. His skin, his whole being radiates heat from being so near the fire, and I close my eyes, soaking in his warmth. I breathe in the smell of snow-dampened leather and smoke and apples, the smell of all those wintry days we shared before the Games. I don't try to move away. Why should I anyway? His voice drops to a whisper. "I love you." That's why.” - Suzanne Collins

18. “All those months of taking it for granted that Peeta thought I was wonderful are over. Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly. And I hate him for it.” - Suzanne Collins

19. “Let the Seventy-forth Hunger Games begin, Cato, I think. Let them begin for real.” - Suzanne Collins

20. “Really, the combination of the scabs and the ointment looks hideous. I can't help enjoying his distress."Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" I say."It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" he asks."Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it," I say."Not if I keep looking at you," he says.” - Suzanne Collins

21. “There are much worse games to play.” - Suzanne Collins

22. “You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers."Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other.” - Suzanne Collins

23. “You love me. Real or not real?"I tell him, "Real.” - Suzanne Collins

24. “I raise my left arm and twist my neck down to rip off the pill on my sleeve. Instead my teeth sink into flesh. I yank my head back in confusion to find myself looking into Peeta’s eyes, only now they hold my gaze. Blood runs from the teeth marks on the hand he clamped over my nightlock.“Let me go!” I snarl at him, trying to wrest my arm from his grasp.“I can’t,” he says.” - Suzanne Collins

25. “Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear.” - Suzanne Collins

26. “Katniss. I remember about the bread.” - Suzanne Collins

27. “Because I can count on my fingers the number of sunsets I have left, and I don't want to miss any of them.” - Suzanne Collins

28. “A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but I can feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment, then. When we find out exactly just how alike we are, and how much he truly understands me."I'm with the Mockingjay," he says.” - Suzanne Collins

29. “Sometimes when I'm alone, I take the pearl from where it lives in my pocket and try to remember the boy with the bread, the strong arms that warded off nightmares on the train, the kisses in the arena.” - Suzanne Collins

30. “As we curve around into the loop of the City Circle, I can see that a couple of other stylists have tried to steal Cinna and Portia's idea of illuminating their tributes. The electric-light-studded outfits from District 3, where they make electronics, at least make sense. But what are the livestock keepers from Distric 10, who are dressed as cows, doing with flaming belts? Broiling themselves? Pathetic.” - Suzanne Collins

31. “Maybe the other tributes are out there beating one another senseless. Which would be fine.- Katniss -” - Suzanne Collins

32. “I pound on the glass, screaming my head off. Everyone ignores me except for some Capitol attendant who appears behind me and offers me a beverage.” - Suzanne Collins

33. “I had to do that. At least once.” - Suzanne Collins

34. “I think of the snarling, cruel exchange back on the hovercraft. The bitterness that followed. But all I say is "I can't believe you didn't rescue Peeta.""I know," he replies.There's a sense of incompleteness. And not because he hasn't apologized. But because we were a team. We had a deal to keep Peeta safe. A drunken, unrealistic deal made in the dark of night, but a deal just the same. And in my heart of hearts, I know we both failed."Now you say it," I tell him."I can't believe you let him out of your sight that night," says Haymitch.” - Suzanne Collins

35. “Maybe I'll be like the man in the Hanging Tree still waiting for an answer.' Gale who I have never seen cry has tears in his eyes. To keep them from spilling over. I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes and misery.” - Suzanne Collins

36. “Fire beats roses again.” - Suzanne Collins

37. “Get out!" He dodges the pillow I throw at him. "Go away! There's nothing left for you here!" I start to shake, furious with him. "She's not coming back! She's never ever coming back here again!" I grab another pillow and get to my feet to improve my aim. Out of nowhere, the tears begin to pour down my cheeks. "She's dead." I clutch my middle to dull the pain. Sink down on my heels, rocking the pillow, crying. "She's dead, you stupid cat. She's dead.” - Suzanne Collins

38. “Vorrei poter fermare il tempo e vivere così per sempre"Di solito questi riferimenti al suo imperituro amore nei miei confronti mi fanno sentire in colpa e a disagio. Ma mi sento così tranquilla e rilassata e al di là di qualsiasi preoccupazione per un futuro che comunque non avrò che mi lascio sfuggire due semplici parole: "Va bene"Sento il sorriso nella sua voce. "Allora sei d'accordo?""Sono d'accordo" dico io.” - Suzanne Collins

39. “Tu sei la ghiandaia imitratrice, Katniss. Finché sei viva, vive anche la rivoluzione.” - Suzanne Collins

40. “I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as tribute!” - Suzanne Collins

41. “Listen up. You're in trouble. Word is the Capitol's furious about you showing them up in the arena. The one thing they can't stand is being laughed at and they're the joke of Panem” - Suzanne Collins

42. “The beauty of this idea is that my decision to keep Peeta alive at the expense of my own life is itself an act of defiance. A refusal to play the Hunger Games by the Capitol's rules. My private agenda dovetails completely with my public one. And if I really could save Peeta... in terms of a revolution, this would be ideal. Because I will be more valuable dead. They can turn me into some kind of martyr for the cause and paint my face on banners, and it will do more to rally people than anything I could do if I was living. But Peeta would be more valuable alive, and tragic, because he will be able to turn his pain into words that will transform people.” - Suzanne Collins

43. “We could do it, you know," Gale says quietly."What?" I ask."Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale.I don't know how to respond. This idea is so preposterous.” - Suzanne Collins

44. “Twirl for me.” - Suzanne Collins

45. “Its hard to hate my prep team. They're such total idiots.” - Suzanne Collins

46. “Lady licking Prim's cheek. My father's laugh. Peeta's father with the cookies. The color of Finnick's eyes. What Cinna could do with a length of silk. Boggs reprogramming the Holo. Rue poised on her toes, arms slightly extended,like a bird about to take flight.” - Suzanne Collins

47. “I hear Peeta's voice in my head. She has no idea. The effect she can have.Obviously meant to demean me. Right? But a tiny part of me wonders if this was a compliment. That he meant I was appealing in some way. It's weird, how much he's noticed me. Like the attention he's paid to my hunting. And apparently, I have not been as oblivious to him as I imagined, either. The flour. The wrestling. I have kept track of the boy with the bread.” - Suzanne Collins

48. “In stark contrast to two nights ago, when I felt Peeta was a million miles away, I'm struck by his immediacy now. As we settle in, he pulls my head down to use his arm as a pillow; the other rests protectively over me even when he goes to sleep. No one has held me like this in such a long time. Since my father died and I stopped trusting my mother, no one else's arms have made me feel this safe.” - Suzanne Collins

49. “I don't know what I expected from my first meeting with Peeta after the announcement. A few hugs and kisses. A little comfort maybe. Not this. I turn to Haymitch. "Don't worry, I'll get you more liquor.” - Suzanne Collins

50. “I don't like self-righteous people," I say."What's to like?" says Haymitch, who begins sucking the dregs out of the empty bottles.” - Suzanne Collins

51. “I'm on a frosting sailboat, tossed around by blue-green waves, the deck shifting beneath my feet.” - Suzanne Collins

52. “And some small gnarled place inside me hated her for her weakness, for her neglect, for the months she had put us through. I had taken a step back from my mother, put up a wall to protect myself from needing her, and nothing was ever the same between us again.” - Suzanne Collins

53. “Don't. Don't let's pretend when there's no one around.” - Suzanne Collins

54. “I just...I just miss him. And I hate being so alone.” - Suzanne Collins

55. “For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.” - Suzanne Collins

56. “It made me realize how I needed to stop punishing her for something she couldn't help [...] because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them.” - Suzanne Collins

57. “I thought he wanted it, anyway," I say. "Not like this," Haymitch says. "He wanted it to be real.” - Suzanne Collins

58. “Shame isn't a strong enough word for what I feel. "You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know," Haymitch says.” - Suzanne Collins

59. “Time and tragedy have forced her to grow too quickly, at least for my taste, into a young woman who stitches bleeding wounds and knows our mother can hear only so much.” - Suzanne Collins

60. “There's something else there as well, something entirely her own. An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are.” - Suzanne Collins

61. “You'll never be able to let him go. You'll always feel wrong about being with me.” - Suzanne Collins

62. “Because it doesn't matter anymore, and because I'm so desperately lonely I can't stand it.” - Suzanne Collins

63. “No problem," Gale replies. "I wake up ten times a night anyway.""To make sure Katniss is still here?" asks Peeta."Something like that,"..."That was funny, what Tigris said. About no one knowing what to do with her.""Well, WE never have,"..."She loves you, you know," says Peeta. "She as good as told me after they whipped you.""Don't believe it,"Gale answers. "The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell...well she never kissed me like that.""It was just part of the show," Peeta tells him, although there's an edge of doubt in his voice."No, you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that's the only way to convince her you love her." There's a long pause. "I should have volunteered to take your place in the first Games. Protected her then.""You couldn't," says Peeta. "She'd never have forgiven you. You had to take care of her family. They matter more to her than her life."..."I wonder how she'll make up her mind.""Oh, that I do know." I can just catch Gale's last words through the layer of fur. "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without” - Suzanne Collins

64. “Stay with me.Always.” - Suzanne Collins

65. “In the end, the only person I truly want to comfort me is Haymitch, because he loves Peeta, too.” - Suzanne Collins

66. “if he goes and dies on me now, I know I'll go completely insane.” - Suzanne Collins

67. “Yes, they have to have a victor. Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers' faces. They'd have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully, while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country.” - Suzanne Collins

68. “I look down from the branch I'm perched on. The Careers look murderous. Now I smile.'How have things been with you?' I ask sweetly.” - Suzanne Collins

69. “Peeta,” I say lightly. “You said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?”“Oh, let’s see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair... it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up,” Peeta says.“Your father? Why?” I ask.“He said, ‘See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,’” Peeta says.“What? You’re making that up!” I exclaim.“No, true story,” Peeta says. “And I said, ‘A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could’ve had you?’ And he said, ‘Because when he sings... even the birds stop to listen.’”“That’s true. They do. I mean, they did,” I say. I’m stunned and surprisingly moved, thinking of the baker telling this to Peeta. It strikes me that my own reluctance to sing, my own dismissal of music might not really be that I think it’s a waste of time. It might be because it reminds me too much of my father.“So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent,” Peeta says.“Oh, please,” I say, laughing.“No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew—just like your mother—I was a goner,” Peeta says. “Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you.”“Without success,” I add.“Without success. So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck,” says Peeta. For a moment, I’m almost foolishly happy and then confusion sweeps over me. Because we’re supposed to be making up this stuff, playing at being in love not actually being in love. But Peeta’s story has a ring of truth to it. That part about my father and the birds. And I did sing the first day of school, although I don’t remember the song. And that red plaid dress... there was one, a hand-me-down to Prim that got washed to rags after my father’s death.It would explain another thing, too. Why Peeta took a beating to give me the bread on that awful hollow day. So, if those details are true... could it all be true?“You have a... remarkable memory,” I say haltingly. “I remember everything about you,” says Peeta, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re the one who wasn’t paying attention.”“I am now,” I say.“Well, I don’t have much competition here,” he says. I want to draw away, to close those shutters again, but I know I can’t. It’s as if I can hear Haymitch whispering in my ear, “Say it! Say it!”I swallow hard and get the words out. “You don’t have much competition anywhere.” And this time, it’s me who leans in.” - Suzanne Collins

70. “I am Cinna's bird, ignited, flying frantically to escape something inescapable. The feathers of flame that grow from my body. Beating my wings only fans the blaze. I consume myself, but to no end.Finally, my wings begin to falter, I lose height, and gravity pulls me into a foamy sea the color of Finnick's eyes. I float on my back, which continues to burn beneath the water, but the agony quiets to pain. When I am adrift and unable to navigate, that's when they come. The dead.The ones I loved fly as birds in the open sky above me. Soaring, weaving, calling to me to join them. I want so badly to follow them, but the seawater saturates my wings, making it impossible to lift them. The ones I hated have taken to the water, horrible scaled things that tear my salty flesh with needle teeth. Biting again and again. Dragging me beneath the surface.The small white bird tinged in pink dives down, buries her claws in my chest, and tries to keep me afloat."No, Katniss! No! You can't go!"But the ones I hated are winning, and if she clings to me, she'll be lost as well. "Prim, let go!" And finally she does.” - Suzanne Collins

71. “I search his eyes for the slightest sign of anything, fear, remorse, anger. But there's only the same look of amusement that ended our last conversation. It's as if he's speaking the words again. "Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen. I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other."He's right. We did.The point of my arrow shifts upward. I release the string. And President Coin collapses over the side of the balcony and plunges to the ground. Dead.” - Suzanne Collins

72. “You and me Haymitch.Very cozy.Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights sitting around the fire retelling old Hunger Games tale.-Peeta Mellark” - Suzanne Collins

73. “Our rocky ledge overlooking the valley. Perhaps a little less green than usual, but the blackberry bushes hang heavy with fruit. Here began countless days of hunting and snaring, fishing and gathering, roaming together through the woods, unloading our thoughts while we filled our game bags. This was the doorway to both sustenance and sanity. And we were each other's key.” - Suzanne Collins

74. “Only.. I want to do die as myself” - Suzanne Collins

75. “‎I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and cause all kinds of trouble.” - Suzanne Collins

76. “Ali sigurno razumije. Sigurno zna da se dogodilo nezamislivo, i da će preživljavanje iziskivati nekad nezamislive poteze. Jer više sati kasnije, kad se probudim u svom krevetu, na mjesečini vidim da je i on ondje. Šćućurio se pokraj mene, žute oči su mu na oprezu. Čuva me od noći.” - Collins Suzanne

77. “But there's nothing up there but the wounded!" I say. "Katniss" I hear the warning note in Haymitch's voice and know what's coming. Don't you even think about-!" I yank the earpiece free and let it hang from its wire.” - Suzanne Collins

78. “You'd have thought we planned it," says Peeta, giving me just the hint of a smile."Didn't you?" asks Portia. Her fingers press her eyelids closed as if she's warding off a very bright light."No," I say looking at Peeta with a new sense of apreciation. "Neither of us even knew what we were going to do before we went in.""And Haymitch?" says Peeta. "We decided we don't want any other allies in the arena.""Good. Then I won't be responsible for you killing off any of my friends with your stupidity," he says.” - Suzanne Collins

79. “Just one more thing. I kill Snow.” - Suzanne Collins

80. “Then Octavia drops to her knees, rubs the hem of a skirt against her cheek, and burst into tears. "It's been so long," she gasps, "since I've seen anything pretty.” - Suzanne Collins

81. “They recognize me. Of course they recognize me. My face is uncovered and I'm standing here outside of District 12 pointing an arrow at them. Who else would I be?” - Suzanne Collins

82. “I don't know how to make people like me. Cinna, how do you make people like you?” - Suzanne Collins

83. “I'm so tired, Katniss.” - Suzanne Collins

84. “But just before they cut back to the main newscaster, I see the unmistakable flash of that same mockingjay's wing. The reporter has simply been incorporated into the old footage. She's not in District 13 at all. Which begs the question, What is?” - Suzanne Collins

85. “He could have had his choice of any woman in the district. And he chose solitude. Not solitude – that sounds too peaceful. More like solitary confinement.” - Suzanne Collins

86. “Don't you see, Katniss, this will decide things. One way or the other. By the end of the day, they'll ether be dead or with us. It's...it's more than we could hope for!Well, that's a sunny view of our situation.” - Suzanne Collins

87. “Beetee's glad we find the plan hard to follow, because then our enemies will, too. Like your electricity trap in the arena? I ask.Exactly. And see how well that worked out? says Beetee.Well...not really, I think.” - Suzanne Collins

88. “I don’t stand a chance if he doesn't get better. You’ll never be able to let him go. You’ll always feel wrong about being with me.”“The way I always felt wrong kissing him because of you,” I say.Gale holds my gaze. “If I thought that was true, I could almost live with the rest of it.” - Suzanne Collins