Quotes from Njal's Saga

384 pages

Rating: (3.4K votes)


“Those we murder with our mouths often live longest”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“She was endowed with great beauty for all those attributes that were outside her control, but it was said that in all characteristics for which she herself was responsible, she was utterly wicked”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“Few people are spoken of in the way they would choose”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“He snatched the cloak away and tossed a pair of blue trousers at Flosi, saying he would have greater need of them than a cloak. Why should I need them more? said Flosi. Skarp-Hedin replied, you certainly will if you are, as I have heard, the mistress of the Svinafell Troll, who uses you as a woman every ninth night”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“He will give you a friendly greeting in return and ask if you are a northerner. You reply that you are from Eyjafjord. He will then ask you whether there are a lot of good men up there, to which you reply, "a lot of perverts, that's about all”
― quote from Njal's Saga



“When Thorhall heard this he was so shocked that he could not speak a word. He sprang out of bed, snatched with both hands the spear that Skarp-Hedin had given him, and drove it deep into his own leg. The flesh and core of the boil clung to the blade as he gouged it out of his leg, and a torrent of blood and matter gushed across the floor like a stream. Then he strode from the booth without a limp, walking so fast that the messenger could not keep pace with him.”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“He had to wife Thorhillda Skaldwife; she had a sharp tongue of her own, and was given to jeering. Thrain loved her little.”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“Now Thrain Sigfus' son kept staring at Thorgerda Glum's daughter; his wife Thorhillda saw this, and she got wroth, and made a couplet upon him. "Thrain,”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“That's true," says Bergthora, "yet neither of us finds fault with the other for it; but Thorwald, thy husband, was not beardless, and yet thou plottedst his death." Then”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“Let me have two locks of your hair, and help my mother plait them into a bow-string for me. "Does anything depend on it asked Hallgerd". "My life depends on it replied Gunnar.”
― quote from Njal's Saga



“You have many qualities that make you as great a man as any other here at the Althing. In the first place, you are as well-born as all those who are descended from Ragnar Hairy-Breeks.”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“Cold is the counsel of women.”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“Eigi er það sættarrof," segir Njáll, "að hver hafi lög við annan því að með lögum skal land vort byggja en eigi með ólögum eyða.”
― quote from Njal's Saga


“This is a terribly dangerous journey" said Bjorn, "and few would have the courage to make it except you and me". His wife said, "if you let Kari down, you had better realise that you will never be allowed into my bed again, and that my kinsmen will force a division of property between us”
― quote from Njal's Saga


Popular quotes

“The Greek period inspired the greatest flowering of knowledge in human history, producing the forefathers of the entire Western intellectual tradition, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras and Euclid. It changed the world in ways both subtle and profound.”
― quote from Black Box Thinking: Why Some People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do


“Everyone has his price. It's just a case of making an offer that pleases him but doesn't hurt you too much. - Dad”
― Joseph Delaney, quote from The Spook's Apprentice


“Women in love are pathetic
and I cannot be bothered, for now,
I am back to metaphysics
and my armpits gather hair.”
― Mie Hansson, quote from Where Pain Thrives


“So …” Jack clears his throat. “We …”
Is Jack Coombs at a loss for words? I guess we don’t have to worry about the performance since the world is clearly going to end.”
― Elizabeth Eulberg, quote from Take a Bow


“An ending and a beginning now knotted up forever. He expected the hues of the world to change to reflect that, but the earth and heavens remained the same muted shades, and there was no tremble of anger from the trees. No weeping whisper of wind. No siren wailed in the distance. The woods were just the woods, and the dirt was just the dirt.”
― Sarah Pinborough, quote from Behind Her Eyes


Interesting books

The Family Fang
(21.7K)
The Family Fang
by Kevin Wilson
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
(3.4K)
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
by Markus Zusak
Deep Blue
(11.7K)
Deep Blue
by Jennifer Donnelly
The List of My Desires
(7.5K)
The List of My Desir...
by Grégoire Delacourt
The Good Luck of Right Now
(15.3K)
The Good Luck of Rig...
by Matthew Quick
The Country of the Pointed Firs
(2.3K)
The Country of the P...
by Sarah Orne Jewett

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.