Top 10 Memorable Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. How it works is that each Tuesday the host assigns a topic and then posts their top ten list that fits the topic. Every blogger can create their own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well and link to the host’s. The topic for April 30th, 2019 is: Inspirational/Thought-Provoking Quotes from Books. For this topic, I’m making a list of quotes from books written by authors I’ve not read before that make me want to pick them up immediately.

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.

I know this book will make me cry and will have a deep impact on me just based on these lines. I’m just saving it for the right reading mood.

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Besides, she was the Wraith – the only law that applied to her was gravity, and some days she defied that, too.

This is a very quotable novel yet I chose these lines not because they’re deep or flowery, but because they make me excited to read this book by filling my head with a thousand questions. Who is the Wraith? How did she get that name? How does she defy gravity? I feel like abandoning everything and picking up the book right now to satisfy my curiosity.

3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Hell is the absence of the people you long for.

Being an introvert, I’m quite comfortable in my own company, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t need people. This line made me shudder and also fits perfectly into a post-apocalyptic narrative, which is what the book is about.

4. The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

Sometimes it was hard to tell where the performance ended and the real self began – but what was this “real” self other than a set of performances?

This is one of those lines that are open to multiple interpretations. As someone who deals with the imposter syndrome every now and then, this hits close to home.

5. Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

You can decide you were wrong about something, and it doesn’t mean you were stupid. You just know more now.

Perfectionism is a ghost I’ve been trying to get rid of for a while now and this one is a helpful reminder that it’s okay to make mistakes as long you learn from them.

6. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Magic is forgetting that something ever was other than as you willed it.

This is another thought-provoking quote that has layered meanings. I think of it as a pragmatic person’s view of magic, which I don’t necessarily agree with but find it fascinating all the same.

7. The Power by Naomi Alderman

The truth has always been a more complex commodity than the market can easily package and sell.

In the information age we live in, it’s often hard to discern the truth from the noise. Even though this book has a futuristic, dystopian setting, this quote is relevant to the society we live in now, which I believe is the mark of good writing.

8. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it.

I have heard many readers praise Laini Taylor’s writing and while looking up quotes from this book, I found several that made me pause and absorb each word again. I’ve experienced moments like this and I loved the cadence of the sentence, so I picked this particular one.

9. A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews

Music is nothing unless it fills your soul with colour and passion and dreams.

There was a time when I was completely in love with music and kept up with all the latest songs and a time when I completely lost touch. It was rekindled recently when I stopped listening to the freshest hits and instead focused on seeking out the kind of music that personally appealed to me, so I truly understand what this quote means.

10. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth.

I love how this has both a literal and metaphorical meaning. Beauty is something external to most people but this holds true even when applied to the beauty within.

---

Do you make a note of the quotes you love while reading? Can you quote lines from your favourite books? What kind of quotes are you drawn to – inspiration, thought-provoking, emotional or some other type? Let’s discuss in the comments section below.

Pin it for later!