Quotes from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Nothing's perfect, the world's not perfect. But it's there for us, trying the best it can; that's what makes it so damn beautiful.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Humankind cannot gain something without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. This is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world that exists outside ourselves and our dreams.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Water: 35 liters, Carbon: 20 kg, Ammonia: 4 liters, Lime:1.5 kg, Phosphrus: 800 g, salt: 250g, saltpeter:100g, Sulfer: 80g, Fluorine: 7.5 g, iron: 5.6 g, Silicon: 3g, and 15 other elements in small quantities.... thats the total chemical makeup of the average adult body. Modern science knows all of this, but there has never been a single example of succesful human trasmutation. It's like there's some missing ingredient..... Scientists have been trying to find it for hundreds of years, pouring tons of money into research, and to this day they don't have a theory. For that matter, the elements found in a human being is all junk that you can buy in any market with a child's allowence. Humans are pretty cheaply made.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Well, it's like that myth about the hero. He made wings out of wax so he could fly, but when he got too close to the Sun, to God, the wax melted and he crashed to the ground”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Is it alright to believe in the future where everyone can live in happiness?”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Ed, "I hate deserts. There is nothing but sand *collapses* If there was some grass I could turn it into bread. I'm starving! Huh? Hey! Al' where'd you go? Al? Hey!"

Al, "Down here! *Al's hand emerges from the sand beneath Ed and grabs Ed's leg*"

Ed, "AHH!!"

Al, "I sunk again. . ."

(cut to later, after Ed dug Al out)

Al, "I get full."

Ed, "Full of what? *kicks Al and sand falls out of his chest plate and buries Ed*"

Al, "Hahahaha. . .hahaha. . .haha. . . ha. . . *still laughing, inches away from Ed*"

Ed, "*bursts out of sand and starts running after Al* Get back here!"

Al, "What are you going to do?"

Ed, "Nothing!"

Al, "Than why are you chasing me?"

Ed, "Stop and you'll find out!"

Al, "I promise I won't get buried again!"

Ed, "Not unless it's by me!"

Al," Ed!"

Ed, "Rrrrrrrrr!”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Teachings that do not speak of pain have no meaning...because humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“To obtain something, something of equal value must be lost.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Life will come to an end, a return to dust from which we came... The spirit becomes memories living in the minds of people.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“Okay, I'm gonna do something slightly illegal now, so you just look the other way for a second.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“A painless lesson is one without any meaning, one who does not sacrifice anything cannot achieve anything.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

“There once was a hero who flew too close to the sun. His wings of wax fell apart and he plummeted to the earth.”
― Hiromu Arakawa, quote from Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 1

About the author

Popular quotes

“Many people who have progressively lowered their personal standards in an attempt to win social acceptance and life’s comforts bitterly resent those of philosophical bent who refuse to compromise their spiritual ideals and who seek to better themselves.”
― Epictetus, quote from The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

“Then what in your opinion is a good story?'

'What it's always been, monkey,' Ganesha said. 'One dhansu conflict. Some chaka-chak song and dance. Grief. Love. Love for the lover, love for the mother. Love for the land. Comedy. Terror. One tremendous villain whom we must love also. All the elements properly balanced and mixed together, item after item, like a perfect meal with a dance of tastes. There you have it.”
― Vikram Chandra, quote from Red Earth and Pouring Rain

“What can an artist use but materials, such as they are? What can he light but the short string of his gut, and when that's burnt out, any muck ready to hand?”
― Annie Dillard, quote from Holy the Firm

“There are many reasons for a person to lie, but to have a reason to tell the truth, you much have a deep belief, and great courage.”
― Susan Campbell Bartoletti, quote from The Boy Who Dared

“And last are the few whose delight is in meditation and understanding; who yearn not for goods, nor for victory, but for knowledge; who leave both market and battlefield to lose themselves in the quiet clarity of secluded thought; whose will is a light rather than a fire, whose haven is not power but truth: these are the men of wisdom, who stand aside unused by the world.”
― Will Durant, quote from The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers

Interesting books

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.