Quotes

Famous book quotes from classic novels

These famous book quotes come from ten public-domain classics, from Pride and Prejudice to The Great Gatsby. Every line is copied word for word from the original text, with its chapter, so you can quote it with confidence.

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen, 1813

  • It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
    Chapter 1
  • I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.
    Chapter 5
  • You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.
    Chapter 34
  • Till this moment, I never knew myself.
    Chapter 36
  • I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle.
    Chapter 58

Frankenstein Mary Shelley, 1818

  • how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge
    Chapter 4
  • I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.
    Chapter 10
  • I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel
    Chapter 10
  • Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.
    Chapter 10
  • Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.
    Chapter 20

Moby-Dick Herman Melville, 1851

  • Call me Ishmael.
    Chapter 1
  • a damp, drizzly November in my soul
    Chapter 1
  • a man can be honest in any sort of skin
    Chapter 3
  • It is not down in any map; true places never are.
    Chapter 12
  • I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.
    Chapter 39

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925

  • just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.
    Chapter 1
  • that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.
    Chapter 1
  • Can’t repeat the past?
    Chapter 6
  • Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.
    Chapter 7
  • So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
    Chapter 9

Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë, 1847

  • Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?
    Chapter 23
  • I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will
    Chapter 23
  • Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation
    Chapter 27
  • Reader, I married him.
    Chapter 38

Little Women Louisa May Alcott, 1868

  • Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents
    Chapter 1
  • never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault
    Chapter 8
  • I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle
    Chapter 13
  • Housekeeping ain’t no joke.
    Chapter 11
  • I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.
    Chapter 44

A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens, 1843

  • “Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”
    Stave 1
  • Mankind was my business.
    Stave 1
  • I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
    Stave 4
  • I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy.
    Stave 5
  • God bless Us, Every One!
    Stave 5

Great Expectations Charles Dickens, 1861

  • Ask no questions, and you’ll be told no lies.
    Chapter 2
  • I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.
    Chapter 6
  • we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth
    Chapter 19
  • I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.
    Chapter 29

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll, 1865

  • and what is the use of a book,
    Chapter 1
  • Curiouser and curiouser!
    Chapter 2
  • Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!
    Chapter 2
  • we’re all mad here.
    Chapter 6
  • and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
    Chapter 12

Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë, 1847

  • I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas
    Chapter 9
  • he’s more myself than I am.
    Chapter 9
  • Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same
    Chapter 9
  • I am Heathcliff!
    Chapter 9
  • Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad!
    Chapter 16

Frequently asked questions

Are these quotes exact?

Yes. Each quote is copied from the public-domain text of the book on Project Gutenberg and checked word for word. We give the chapter for each one.

Can I use these quotes?

These books are in the public domain in the United States, so their text, including these quotes, is free to use there. It is still good practice to name the book and author.

Why are there no quotes from modern books here?

Modern books are protected by copyright. For now this page only includes public-domain classics, so every line can be quoted freely and exactly.

What is the most famous first line in a classic novel?

Two strong candidates are on this page: Pride and Prejudice's opening about a single man in want of a wife, and Moby-Dick's three-word opening, Call me Ishmael.

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Published 2026-10-27. Last checked 2026-10-27.