120 Famous Author Quotes That Inspire
The written word has a unique power to both enlighten and motivate. For centuries, authors and poets have used their words to share wisdom and inspire new ways of thinking. Their works have uplifted countless readers through difficult times. This article shares 120 thought-provoking and meaningful quotes from some of history’s most celebrated writers.
The authors featured come from a wide range of cultures and periods in history. They touch on universal themes such as the human experience, life’s challenges and lessons, creativity and self-expression. By browsing the diverse selection of quotes, readers are sure to find insights that resonate with them. The quotes are organized into categories like love, hope, courage and personal growth to help navigate relevant life advice or perspectives.
Whether facing challenges of your own or simply looking to expand your mind, these author quotes offer motivation, comfort or alight a new perspective. Great writers gift their insights to benefit future generations, and this collection aims to pay homage to that legacy while also providing encouragement and inspiration to all those who view it.
– Words of Wisdom from Literary Legends
“A room without books is like a body without soul.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
“What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books.” – Thomas Carlyle
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” – Ray Bradbury
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
“The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author.” – Susan Sontag
“I cannot live without books.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all of the miseries of life.” – W. Somerset Maugham
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis
“If you are going to read only one book or have only one book read to you this year, I hope it will be ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E. B. White. It conveys respect for all life and teaches that what may seem insignificant is not so.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton
“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.” – Barbara Tuchman
“The ideal book is both beginning and end—an end to wander in and begin to wonder at.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
“The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man; nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall, nations perish, civilizations grow old and die out, and after an era new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on, still young, still as fresh as the day they were written.” – Vernon Louis Parrington.
“We read to know that we are not alone.” – C.S Lewis.
– Thoughtful Thoughts from Renowned Storytellers
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” – C.S. Lewis
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Cicero (Roman philosopher)
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” – William Faulkner
“In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.” – Terry Pratchett
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx
“Do not read much on any subject, until you have by hard work made the subject really your own.” – Walter Bagehot
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” – W. Somerset Maugham
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” – Albert Einstein
“I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.” – Charles Dickens
“Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.” – P.J. O’Rourke
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde
“Believe in life! Always believe in life! Do not believe in death, which is only a grim interruption.” – Colette
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
“Books are uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King
“To find yourself, think for yourself.” – Søren Kierkegaard
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” – Oscar Wilde
– Inspiring Insights from Iconic Novelists
“So many books, so little time.” – Frank Zappa
“True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of daily beauty, and, in the second place, from honest work and exertion.” – Jane Austen
“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.” – Jean Racine
“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” – Albert Einstein
“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“One day you will laugh about it.” – Max Lerner
“As long as you have something to give, you will never lack for someone desiring to receive it.” – Leo Tolstoy
“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” – Khalil Gibran
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – William Shakespeare
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” – Jimi Hendrix
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The best time for new beginnings is now.” – Brian Tracy
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” – Edgar Allan Poe
“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” – Lauren Bacall
“To fully enjoy rich and rewarding life, one must cultivate compassion and loving-kindness.” – Dalai Lama
“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
– Motivating Messages from Established Writers
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim.” – Harvey Fierstein
“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.” – Agnes Repplier
“Write to serve, not to be served.” – Anne Lamott
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” – Mark Twain
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not.” – Francois de La Rochefoucauld
“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli
“True friends are always together in spirit.” – L.M. Montgomery
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
“Whenever you are feeling down or alone, remember that someone out there is thinking of you, and hoping that you’re okay.” – Anonymous
“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” – Unknown
“I slept and dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and saw that life is all service. I served and saw that service is joy.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“The most important question is ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” – Nelson Mandela
“Take it step by step and be patient. In a little while you will find yourself on top of the ladder.” – Sid Dickens
– Uplifting Utterances from Preeminent Authors
– “Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
– “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” – Theodore Roosevelt
– “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” – e.e. cummings
– “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” – Mandy Hale
– “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
– “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln
– “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
– “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson
– “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
– “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.” – Pharrell Williams
– “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – Dalai Lama
– “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
– “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou
– “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
– “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
– “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Schuller
– “Falling down is an accident. Staying down is a choice.” – Bertolt Brecht
– “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
– Empowering Expressions from Prestigious Poets
“An idea can turn to dust or magic depending on the talent that rubs against it.” – William Gibson
“There is a voice inside you that whispers all day long, ‘I feel this is right for me, I know this was meant to be.’ ” – Rainer Maria Rilke
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” – Aristotle
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
“Fall seven times stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” – Stephen Chbosky
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
“With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble.” – C.S. Lewis
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – C.G. Jung
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Conclusion
In summary, the quotes shared offer profound insights from some of history’s greatest writers. They touch on themes like the power of words, the human spirit, and living purposefully. Reflecting on words from authors who explored life’s deepest questions can provide perspective and encouragement during our own journeys. As these authors showed through their work, understanding ourselves and cultivating compassion for others are keys to finding meaning and connection. I hope readers will contemplate these inspiring passages and allow them to spark new thoughts on how to navigate life’s challenges with empathy, courage and wisdom.
