78 Deep Quotes from Classic Novels That’ll Change Your Outlook

Let’s talk about quotes from classic novels and how they can really change the way you look at life. These aren’t just pretty words – they’re nuggets of wisdom that have stuck with readers for generations. We’ve picked out 78 quotes that pack a real punch, covering everything from ancient Greek stories to books written just a few decades ago.

You’ll find quotes about love, fate, what makes us tick as humans, and how society works. Some might make you stop and think, others might hit you right in the feels. That’s the power of a good book – it can shake up how you see the world.

We’ve got lines from all the big names – Shakespeare, Austen, Tolstoy, Orwell, you name it. But don’t let that intimidate you. These quotes aren’t just for literature buffs. They’re for anyone who’s ever wondered about life’s big questions or just wants to see things from a new angle.

As you read through these quotes, think about how they relate to your own life. You might be surprised at how much these old books still have to say about what it means to be human today. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started with some words that might just change your life.

Deep Quotes From Greek and Roman classic Novels:

• “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius
• “Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.” – “The Odyssey” by Homer
• “I am a part of all that I have met.” – “Ulysses” by Alfred Tennyson
• “The descent to the Underworld is easy.” – “The Aeneid” by Virgil
• “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” – “Seneca’s Letters” by Seneca the Younger

Early Eastern literature Deep Quotes:

• “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.” – “Bhagavad Gita”
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu
• “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – “The Masnavi” by Rumi
• “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” – “The Dhammapada”
• “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.” – “The Analects” by Confucius
• “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” – “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu
• “To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind.” – “Dhammapada”
• “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare

Deep Quotes From 16th to 18th century novels :

• “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare
• “I think therefore I am.” – “Discourse on Method” by René Descartes
• “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare
• “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” – “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare
• “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” – “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare
• “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare
• Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” – “The Social Contract” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” – “The Republic” by Plato
• “Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.” – “Aristotle” by Aristotle
• “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” – “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – “Apology” by Plato
• “I know that I know nothing.” – “The Republic” by Plato
• “Man is the measure of all things.” – “Theaetetus” by Plato

Deep Quotes From The Victorian era novels:

• “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
• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
• “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” – “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë
• “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
• “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
• “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” – “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
• “I have not broken your heart – you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.” – “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë

Deep Quotes From American classics:

• “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” – “A Dream Within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe
• “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare
• “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.” – “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau
• “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” – “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë
• “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – “Middlemarch” by George Eliot

Pre-war literature Deep Quotes:

• The past is always tense, the future perfect.” – “Ulysses” by James Joyce
• “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” – “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
• “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch
• “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” – “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston
• “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
• “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” – “1984” by George Orwell
• “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” – “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway
• “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
• “For you, a thousand times over.” – “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• “We accept the love we think we deserve.” – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
• “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling

Deep Quotes FromPost-war novels:

• “The only people for me are the mad ones.” – “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac
• “It’s much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it.” – “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
• “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.” – “Dune” by Frank Herbert
• “Get busy living or get busy dying.” – “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King
• “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” – “The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger” by Stephen King
• “I am haunted by humans.” – “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
• “It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.” – “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller

Deep Quotes From Social commentary works:

• “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – “Animal Farm” by George Orwell
• “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” – “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison
• “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – “Looking for Alaska” by John Green
• “It was a pleasure to burn.” – “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
• “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print.” – “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
• “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” – “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

Deep Quotes From Love and relationships Novels:

• “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë
• “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” – “Autumn Leaves” by André Gide
• “I wish I knew how to quit you.” – “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx
• “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” – “Persuasion” by Jane Austen
• “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.” – “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult
• “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare nature and society:
• “It was a pleasure to burn.” – “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
• “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
• “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
• “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” – “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare
• “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” – “Man and His Symbols” by Carl Jung
• “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling
• “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” – “The Fellowship of the Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien

The quotes we’ve explored from classic novels offer timeless wisdom that remains relevant today. They challenge us to think deeply about life, love, society, and our place in the world. These insights have the power to change our outlook, inspiring us to see things from new perspectives and encouraging personal growth.

By delving into these classic works, we gain access to centuries of human experience and thought. The enduring nature of these quotes demonstrates the universal truths they contain, transcending time and culture to speak to readers across generations.

We encourage you to explore these novels in their entirety. While these quotes offer powerful insights, they are just a glimpse into the rich tapestry of ideas and storytelling that classic literature provides. Each book offers a unique journey, filled with characters, plots, and themes that can profoundly impact our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.