100 Powerful Quotes from the Best Classic Literature

Classics are evergreen books that although written centuries ago, their themes are relevant even today. Their writing inspires many readers globally and some of their quotes are just worthy of being carved in stone and hung on your library wall for fond remembrance and inspiration.

Over my reading journey I have luckily read and loved many classics Indian and International. And some of them I haven’t loved but the author’s and characters’ words have stuck in my mind and accompany me even today.

So here’s my list of 100 of the best quotes taken from classic books.

The Most Famous Quotes from Literature

 The Impact of words and quotes

Words have an incredible power to influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

The right words can inspire, heal, or motivate, while the wrong ones can discourage or even destroy. Think about how a single quote can shift your perspective or define a moment. Whether it’s a personal mantra or a historical speech, words live in our minds, shaping how we see the world and ourselves.

Every word you use matters.

1. “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
2. “If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn't love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.”
   ― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
3. “After all, tomorrow is another day!”
   ― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
4. “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
   ― Arthur Conan Doyle; Corrections And Editor Edgar W. Smith; Illustrators, The Hound of the Baskervilles
5. “No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.”
   ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
6. “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
   ― Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
7. “All the girls in the world were divided into two classes: one class included all the girls in the world except her, and they had all the usual human feelings and were very ordinary girls; while the other class -herself alone- had no weaknesses and was superior to all humanity.”
   ― Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
8. “I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time.”
   ― Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
9. “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”
   ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
10. “All I want is a dress with puffy sleeves!”
    ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
11. We must take the good wherever we find it and try to remove the bad wherever it may be. - Letters from a father to his daughter – Jawaharlal Nehru
12. “You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
13. “Push yourself. Don't Settle. Just live well. Just LIVE.”.”- Me Before You Jojo Moyes
14. I have told you before that the idea of religion first came through the fear of the unknown. - Letters from a father to his daughter – Jawaharlal Nehru.
15. “At the temple there is a poem called "Loss" carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss, only feel it.” – Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Books offer a treasure trove of wisdom that you just can’t find anywhere else.

When you’re searching for that perfect quote or spark of inspiration, nothing beats diving into a book. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or even poetry, authors have already done the heavy lifting by crafting words that resonate deeply. It's like having a conversation with brilliant minds, across time and space, right at your fingertips.

Why settle for surface-level quotes online when you can dig into the rich soil of books?

1.  “The same question arose in every soul: "For what, for whom, must I kill and be killed?”
   ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
2. “You know, Watson, I don't mind confessing to you that I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal.”
   ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Return of Sherlock Holmes
3. “Be worthy love, and love will come.” – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
4. “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5. ““A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” – A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
6. “Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” – A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
7. “Love wins, love always wins.”- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
8. “The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live. .”- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
9. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
10. “If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. Life is the moment we are living now.” – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
11. “A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
12. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
13. “My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.” – We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
14. “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”- – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
15. “You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”- Me Before You Jojo Moyes

Some books are like an endless well of wisdom and motivation.

Whether you're looking to fuel your creativity or just need a daily dose of inspiration, certain books pack a punch with their memorable lines. Classics like "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, packed with life lessons, can shift your mindset in one quote. Then there's "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius for grounding stoicism, or "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert, where creativity takes the spotlight.

These books aren’t just to be read—they’re to be lived.

1. “At some point I was a Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men and Who Likes to Wear Lip Gloss and High Heels for Herself and Not For Men.” – We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
2. Perfect Love does that to a person, it changes you forever. – The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
3. You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love. – The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
4. “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” – Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier        
6. “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
8. As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” . – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
9. “No, darling! To die it's easy... But you have to struggle for life!” – The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
10. “Men are simpler than you imagine my sweet child. But what goes on in the twisted, tortuous minds of women would baffle anyone.” - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
11. “Love is never any better than the lover. ” – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
12. “Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever.” – Animal Farm by George Orwell
13. “Anger is better. There is a sense of being in anger. A reality and presence. An awareness of worth. It is a lovely surging.” -  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
14. “It is not for me to judge another man's life. I must judge, I must choose, I must spurn, purely for myself. For myself, alone.” – Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
15. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” – Animal Farm by George Orwell

Quotes are like small sparks that ignite big ideas.

In just a few words, they capture emotions, inspire action, and create a sense of connection. Whether it's a motivational line or a witty remark, a quote can resonate deeply, reaching across timelines and echoing in different minds. On social media, where attention spans are short, a well-timed quote can be the perfect conversation starter or mood booster.

Sharing quotes isn't just posting words; it's spreading a mindset.

1. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” – The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. “We accept the love we think we deserve.” – The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. “Who really said that India is a country? It is a continent – culturally vibrant, diverse in food and yet, distinctly Indian at heart. – Three Thousand Stitches by Sudha Murthy
4. “What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.” – Siddartha by Herman Hesse
5. “It's strange because sometimes, I read a book, and I think I am the people in the book.” – The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. “Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” – Of Mice and men by John Steinbeck
7. I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself. – Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 
8. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” – The Little Prince by Antoine de-Saint Exupery
9. “All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.” – The Little Prince by Antoine de-Saint Exupery
10. “What's happened to me,' he thought. It was no dream.” – Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
11. “Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.” – Night by Elie Wiesel
12. “To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” – Night by Elie Wiesel
13. “Where should I go?" -Alice. "That depends on where you want to end up." - The Cheshire Cat.” – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
14. “There is no crime in anyone’s blood any more than there is goodness in the blood of others. Criminals are not born. They are made by hunger, want and injustice.” – Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
15. “Why, why is anyone superior to another? Why are we all sinners?” – Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

Some books don’t just tell stories—they lace them with powerful quotes that hit you right in the feels.

These books use carefully selected quotes to enhance the narrative, making you think deeper or feel more connected to the characters. They pull from philosophy, poetry, or even pop culture, creating a unique rhythm between the story and the wisdom each quote holds. It’s like having mini epiphanies while enjoying a great tale.

Books that do this create a reading experience that’s both engaging and thought-provoking.

1. “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” – The Help by Kathryn Stockett 
2. “Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else.” – The Help by Kathryn Stockett 
3. "Knowing was a temptation. What you don't know won't tempt you." – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. "Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some." – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
5. “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” – Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6. “For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.” – Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
7. “He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” – Man’s Search for meaning by Viktor Frankl
8. “Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning.” – Man’s Search for meaning by Viktor Frankl
9. “He had been held to her by a beautiful thread which it pained him to spoil by breaking, rather than by a chain he could not break.”
   ―  Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
10. “We are but the veriest, sorriest slaves of our stomach. Reach not after morality and righteousness, my friends; watch vigilantly your stomach, and diet it with care and judgment. Then virtue and contentment will come and reign within your heart, unsought by any effort of your own; and you will be a good citizen, a loving husband, and a tender father—a noble, pious man.”
    ―  Three Men in a Boat by  Jerome K. Jerome
11. “There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do if he chooses, and that is his duty; not by manoeuvring and finessing, but by vigour and resolution. - Mr. Knightley”
    ―  Emma by Jane Austen
12. “Seaward ho! Hang the treasure! It's the glory of the sea that has turned my head.”
    ―  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
13. “It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn't even think. That's the whole trouble. When you're feeling very depressed, you can't even think.”
    ― The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. “Sometimes one is guided by what they say of themselves, and very frequently by what other people say of them, without giving oneself time to deliberate and judge.”
    ―  Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
15. “It is dreadful that one cannot tear our the past by the roots. We cannot tear it out but we can hide the memory of it.”
    ―  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Quotes are the perfect way to kickstart your day with purpose.

Grab a quote that resonates with you and tape it to your mirror, set it as your phone wallpaper, or stick it on the fridge. Every morning, as you go through your routine, you’ll have a little reminder of the mindset you want to cultivate. It doesn’t have to be long—just a simple phrase can keep you grounded and focused all day.

Incorporating quotes into your life is as easy as integrating them into things you already do.

1. “I'm afraid your principles on some points are eccentric.”―  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
2. “Toward the end of 1939, Liesel had settled into life in Molching pretty well. She still had nightmares about her brother and missed her mother, but there were comforts now, too. She loved her papa, Hans Hubermann, and even her foster mother, despite the abusages and verbal assaults. She loved and hated her best friend, Rudy Steiner, which was perfectly normal. And she loved the fact that despite her failure in the classroom, her reading and writing were definitely improving and would soon be on the verge of something respectable. All of this resulted in at least some form of contentment and would soon be built upon to approach the concept of Being Happy."―  The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak
3. “What a fool I was not to tear my heart out on the day when I resolved to avenge myself!”― The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
4. “That child of Hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred.”―  The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
5. “He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now. But he could see the prisms in the deep dark water and the line stretching ahead and the strange undulation of the calm. The clouds were building up now for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water, then blurring, then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea.”―  The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
6. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you.” —  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
7. “There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” —  The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” —  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
9. “A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well — or ill?” —  East of Eden by John Steinbeck
10. “Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all.” —  Beloved by Toni Morrison
11. “And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” —The Great Gatsby by  F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. “Ever’body’s askin’ that. ‘What we comin’ to?’ Seems to me we don’t never come to nothin’. Always on the way.” — The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
13. “Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” —  Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
14. “It is nothing to die; it is dreadful not to live.” —Les Misérables  by Victor Hugo
15. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” — Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
16. “Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.” —  Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
17. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” ―  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
18. “I had the epiphany that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that this was the secret of the universe.” —  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
19. “When you play the game of thrones you win or you die.” —  A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
20. “From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood.” — A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by  Betty Smith
21. “Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” — Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
22. “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” — Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
23. “We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.” — The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
24. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.” — The Witches  by Roald Dahl
25. "There is always something left to love.” ―  One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez