Quotes from The Complete Fairy Tales

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“‎"Does all the beauty of the world stop when you die?"

"No," said the Old Oak; "it will last much longer - longer than I can even think of."

"Well, then," said the little May-fly, "we have the same time to live; only we reckon differently.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“She was so young that love was still a game to her. . . . She was being neither fair nor clever, but Babette was only nineteen years old.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“The good and the beautiful is not forgotten; it lives in legend and in song.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“The right sort (of story) come of themselves: they tap at my forehead and say 'Here we are.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“[...] and the pea was put in the museum, where it can still be seen, if no one has stolen it.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“But he hasn't got anything on," a little child said.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“But he hasn't got anything on!" the whole town cried out at last.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“A short time ago"—the Star's "short time ago" is called among men "centuries ago"—"my rays followed a young artist. It was in the city of the Popes, in”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“Then he would cry, but what nobody knows nobody cares for; so he would cry till he was tired, and then fall asleep; and while we are asleep we can feel neither hunger nor thirst. Ah, yes; sleep is a capital invention.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“looking old witch in the road. Her under-lip hung quite down on her breast, and she stopped and said, “Good”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“And now it worked much more evil than before; for some of these pieces were hardly so large as a grain of sand, and they flew about in the wide world, and when they got into people’s eyes, there they stayed; and then people saw everything perverted, or only had an eye for that which was evil. This happened because the very smallest bit had the same power which the whole mirror had possessed. Some persons even got a splinter in their heart, and then it made one shudder, for their heart became like a lump of ice.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“out-of-doors there was quite a snow-storm. “It is the white bees that are swarming,” said Kay’s old grandmother. “Do the white bees choose a queen?” asked the little boy; for he knew that the honey-bees always have one. “Yes,” said the grandmother, “she flies where the swarm hangs in the thickest clusters. She is the largest of all; and she can never remain quietly on the earth, but goes up again into the black clouds. Many a winter’s night she flies through the streets of the town, and peeps in at the windows; and they then freeze in so wondrous a manner that they look like flowers.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“in a single instant, can the consciousness of the sin that has been committed in thoughts, words, and actions of our past life, be unfolded to us. When once the conscience is awakened, it springs up in the heart spontaneously, and God awakens the conscience when we least expect it. Then we can find no excuse for ourselves; the deed is there and bears witness against us.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“And Kay and Gerda looked in each other’s eyes, and all at once they understood the old hymn: “The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet, And angels descend there the children to greet.” There sat the two grown-up persons; grown-up, and yet children; children at least in heart; and it was summer-time; summer, glorious summer!”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“child, looking through bubbles into the future; now those bright bubbles were all behind him. Once more he had”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“came to anything, very remarkable; and there they are for you." So saying, he gave Joanna the gingerbread man, who was still quite whole—and to Knud the broken maiden; but the children had been so much impressed by the story, that they had not the heart to eat the”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“only that the mermaids have no tears, and therefore they suffer more.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

“and from that day, even till now, all the storks have been called Peter. The”
― Hans Christian Andersen, quote from The Complete Fairy Tales

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“It was the first time i had been alone for five days. I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water. Each day without solitude weakened me. I took no pride in my solitude; but I was dependent on it. The darkness of the room was like sunlight to me.”
― Charles Bukowski, quote from Factotum

“The burning of a book is a sad, sad sight, for even though a book is nothing but ink and paper, it feels as if the ideas contained in the book are disappearing as the pages turn to ashes and the cover and binding--which is the term for the stitching and glue that holds the pages together--blacken and curl as the flames do their wicked work. When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .”
― Lemony Snicket, quote from The Penultimate Peril

“In this also we are men, that we think of the dead. Once it was not so, and when one of us died, he lay where he lay by the cave-mouth and we ran in and out there, not standing quite upright as we ran. Now we stand upright, and now also we think of the dead.

So, when the comrade lies there, we do not let him lie where he died. And we do not take him by the legs carelessly, and drag him into the forest for the foxes and woodrats to gnaw on. We do not cast him into the river carelessly for the stream to float him away.

No, but rather we lay him where the ground is hollowed out a little and there cover him with leaves and branches. So he shall return to the earth, whence all things came.

Or else we lay him to rest among the tree-branches, and give him to the air. Then, if the black birds come streaming from far to pluck at him, that too is right, for they are the creatures of the air.

Or else we give him to the bright and hot cleanliness of fire.

Then we go about our life as before, and soon we forget, like the beasts. But this at least we have done, and when we shall no longer do it, then we shall no longer be men.”
― George R. Stewart, quote from Earth Abides

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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.

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