Quotes from Divergent

Veronica Roth ·  487 pages

Rating: (2.4M votes)


“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Peter would probably throw a party if I stopped breathing.'

'Well,' he says, 'I would only go if there was cake.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent



“Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I have something I need to tell you," he says. I run my fingers along the tendons in his hands and look back at him. "I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though."
"That's sensible of you," I say, smiling too. "We should find some paper so you can make a list or a chart or something."
I feel his laughter against my side, his nose sliding along my jaw, his lips pressing my ear.
"Maybe I'm already sure," he says, "and I just don't want to frighten you."
I laugh a little. "Then you should know better."
"Fine," he says. "Then I love you.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I am selfish. I am brave.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent



“You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong."

He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin.

"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.

His dark eyes lifting to mine, he adds, "But I resist it."

"Why..." I swallow hard. "Why is that your first instinct?"

"Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating." He releases me but doesn't pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. "Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Then I realize what it is. It's him. Something about him makes me feel like I am about to fall. Or turn to liquid. Or burst into flames.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Politeness is deception in pretty packaging.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“It must require bravery to be honest all the time.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless.
I am Divergent.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent



“Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Moths," repeats Will. "You're afraid of moths?"

"Not just a cloud of moths," she says, "like...a swarm of them. Everywhere. All those wings and legs and..." She shudders and shakes her head.

"Terrifying," Will says with mock seriousness. "That's my girl. Tough as cotton balls."

"Oh, Shut up.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Can you be a girl for a few seconds?"
"I'm always a girl" I frown.
"You know what I mean. Like a silly, annoying girl"
I twirl my hair around my finger. "Kay.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Who cares about pretty? I'm going for noticeable.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Four flips the gun in this hand, presses the barrel to Peter's forehead, and clicks a bullet into place. Peter freezes with his lips parted, the yawn dead in his mouth. "Wake. Up," Four snaps. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent



“Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined. I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me.

But if I saw her, I wouldn't recognize her.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“I feel his heartbeat against my cheek,as fast as my own.
"Are you afraid of me, too, Tobias?"
"Terrified," he replies with a smile.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“You know, most boys would enjoy being trapped in close quarters with a girl." I roll my eyes.
"Not claustrophobic people, Tris.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“One Choice

One Choice, decided your friends.

One Choice, defines your beliefs.

One Choice, determines your loyalties - Forever.

ONCE CHOICE CAN TRANSFORM YOU”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent



“You think giving you a hug would give away too much?" he says.
"You know," I say. "I really don't care."
I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his.
It is the best moment of my life.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“People tend to overestimate my character," I say quietly. "They think that because I'm small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can't possibly be cruel. But they're wrong.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“For a few minutes we kiss, deep in the chasm, with the roar of water all around us. And we rise, hand in hand, I realize that if we had both chosen differently, we might have ended up doing the same thing, in a safer place, in gray clothes instead of black ones.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


“Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it.”
― Veronica Roth, quote from Divergent


About the author

Veronica Roth
Born place: in The United States
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“After a moment or two a man in brown crimplene looked in at us, did not at all like the look of us and asked us if we were transit passengers. We said we were. He shook his head with infinite weariness and told us that if we were transit passengers then we were supposed to be in the other of the two rooms. We were obviously very crazy and stupid not to have realized this. He stayed there slumped against the door jamb, raising his eyebrows pointedly at us until we eventually gathered our gear together and dragged it off down the
corridor to the other room. He watched us go past him shaking his head in wonder and sorrow at the stupid futility of the human condition in general and ours in particular, and then closed the door behind us.

The second room was identical to the first. Identical in all respects other than one, which was that it had a hatchway let into one wall. A large vacant-looking girl was leaning through it with her elbows on the counter and her fists jammed up into her cheekbones. She was watching some flies crawling up the wall, not with any great interest because they were not doing anything unexpected, but at least they were doing something. Behind her was a table stacked with biscuits, chocolate bars, cola, and a pot of coffee, and we headed straight towards this like a pack of stoats.

Just before we reached it, however, we were suddenly headed off by a man in blue crimplene, who asked us what we thought we were doing in there. We explained that we were transit passengers on our way to Zaire, and he looked at us as if we had completely taken leave of our senses.
'Transit passengers? he said. 'It is not allowed for transit passengers to be in here.'
He waved us magnificently away from the snack counter, made us pick up all our gear again, and herded us back through the door and away into the first room where, a minute later, the man in the brown crimplene found us again.

He looked at us. Slow incomprehension engulfed him, followed by sadness, anger, deep frustration and a sense that the world had been created specifically to cause him vexation. He leaned back against the wall, frowned, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
'You are in the wrong room,' he said simply. `You are transit passengers. Please go to the other room.'

There is a wonderful calm that comes over you in such situations, particularly when there is a refreshment kiosk involved. We nodded, picked up our gear in a Zen-like manner and made our way back down the corridor to the second room. Here the man in blue crimplene accosted us once more but we patiently explained to him that he could fuck off.”
― Douglas Adams, quote from Last Chance to See


“Just because it's broken doesn't mean it loses its importance. And I figured I'd give it to you one day when you realized it was okay to make mistakes.”
― Jessica Sorensen, quote from The Secret of Ella and Micha


“Virtue lies in our power, and similarly so does vice; because where it is in our power to act, it is also in our power not to act...”
― Aristotle, quote from The Nicomachean Ethics


“When she was taken from me it was like the death of a world, an infinite number of futures coming to an end.”
― John Connolly, quote from Every Dead Thing


“From this vantage point in the summer, the countryside below is a dreaming checkerboard over which it seems that one could, with a running start, spread one's arms and fly.”
― Jenna Blum, quote from Those Who Save Us


Interesting books

The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft
(11.5K)
The Complete Works o...
by H.P. Lovecraft
The Pilot's Wife
(79.2K)
The Pilot's Wife
by Anita Shreve
Forever Princess
(31.1K)
Forever Princess
by Meg Cabot
One False Note
(45.9K)
One False Note
by Gordon Korman
Crush
(22.5K)
Crush
by Lacey Weatherford
Fairest
(74.2K)
Fairest
by Marissa Meyer

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.