Welcome to a treasury of wisdom and insight, curated from the pens of English authors throughout history. From the romantic musings of Shakespeare to the sharp wit of Oscar Wilde, English literature has gifted us with an abundance of memorable quotes that resonate across generations. Within these pages, you will discover a collection of timeless words that capture the essence of human experience, from love and loss to triumph and adversity.
The English literary tradition spans centuries and encompasses a diverse array of voices, each offering unique perspectives on life, society, and the human condition. Whether it’s the poignant reflections of Jane Austen or the philosophical ponderings of George Orwell, the words of English authors have the power to inspire, provoke thought, and stir the imagination. As you delve into this collection, prepare to be transported through time and space, guided by the eloquence and insight of some of the greatest literary minds in history.
Below, you will find a selection of quotes by English authors that have stood the test of time. Feel free to copy them, pair them with imagery, or adorn them with stylish fonts to enhance their impact and share them with others. Let these words serve as both a source of inspiration and a reminder of the enduring power of literature to illuminate the human experience.
It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law. Thomas Hobbes
I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men; they are far superior and always have been. William Golding
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. Margaret Thatcher
If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. J. K. Rowling
Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best. Robert Baden-Powell
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. William Blake
If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. A. A. Milne
I’m always trying to show versatility. I’m juggling, and I’m flipping fire, and I’m chewing gum and rhyming at the same time… on a unicycle, while playing the drums. MF Doom
Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged. Samuel Johnson
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. William Shakespeare
A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Charles Dickens
A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants. Joseph Addison
Good manners don’t cost nothing. Lemmy
I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married. Elizabeth I
The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life. William Morris
I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse. Florence Nightingale
One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood. Agatha Christie
There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. Alfred Hitchcock
Life’s short. Anything could happen, and it usually does, so there is no point in sitting around thinking about all the ifs, ands and buts. Amy Winehouse
I think you can make fun of anything except things people can’t help. They can’t help their race or their sex or their age, so you ridicule their pretension or their ego instead. You can ridicule ideas – ideas don’t have feelings. You can ridicule an idea that someone holds without hurting them. Ricky Gervais
To err is human; to forgive, divine. Alexander Pope
Create a ladder of values and priorities in your life, reminding yourself of what really matters to you. Robert Greene
It is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. Douglas Adams
That’s the amazing thing about music: there’s a song for every emotion. Can you imagine a world with no music? It would suck. Harry Styles
That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind. William Wordsworth
In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. Paul McCartney
Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. John Lennon
The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. Richard Dawkins
If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton
Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’s buying far too many clothes. Vivienne Westwood
I love you the more in that I believe you had liked me for my own sake and for nothing else. John Keats
I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself. D. H. Lawrence
I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring. David Bowie
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. Alan Watts
Grief is the price we pay for love. Queen Elizabeth II
Down to Gehenna, or up to the Throne, He travels the fastest who travels alone. Rudyard Kipling
Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it. Terry Pratchett
All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. J. R. R. Tolkien
I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace. Thomas Paine
The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible. Arthur C. Clarke
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. Lewis Carroll
The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. Gilbert K. Chesterton
If you fell down yesterday, stand up today. H. G. Wells
Don’t send me flowers when I’m dead. If you like me, send them while I’m alive. Brian Clough
The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express. Francis Bacon
We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know. W. H. Auden
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. Kate Moss
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. John Wesley
Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty. Jacob Bronowski
Time and tide wait for no man. Geoffrey Chaucer
If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants. David Ogilvy
All things are subject to decay and when fate summons, monarchs must obey. John Dryden
A day without laughter is a day wasted. Charlie Chaplin
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Stephen Hawking
We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done. Alan Turing
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. Aldous Huxley
Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides. David Hare
A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. Charles Darwin
All mankind… being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions. John Locke
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. E. M. Forster