Literature Quotes

Books change lives. Authors and readers reflect on the power of the written word.

12844 quotes

J
"Literature is the soul of a complete life."
Juvenal
P
"Literature preserves the wisdom of ages for those with eyes to see it."
Porphyry
P
"The ancient writers concealed profound truths in mythological narratives."
Porphyry
P
"The greatest literature speaks not to the intellect alone but to the eternal soul."
Porphyry
A
"Literature is the mirror of the soul."
Apuleius
M
"Literature captures the human spirit."
Martial
M
"Literature preserves human experience."
Martial
A
"Literature preserves the wisdom of the ages."
Ammianus Marcellinus
A
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Ammianus Marcellinus
A
"Literature is the voice of the voiceless."
Ammianus Marcellinus
S
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Suetonius
S
"A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper."
Suetonius
P
"Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable."
Plutarch
T
"Good writing is like good music: it should flow naturally."
Tacitus
J
"Literature preserves the voice of those long dead."
Juvenal
H
"The proper study of mankind is books."
Horace
M
"Literature holds the keys to understanding human nature."
Martial
M
"Literature is the mirror we hold up to society."
Martial
L
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Livy
L
"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
Livy
P
"Literature is the mirror of the soul."
Pliny the Younger
A
"The written word preserves what time would otherwise consume."
Ammianus Marcellinus
A
"The written record is humanity's rebellion against the oblivion of time."
Ammianus Marcellinus
S
"The written word outlives the spoken promise."
Suetonius
S
"Those who write history have the power to shape it."
Suetonius
T
"The written word preserves what spoken words cannot."
Tacitus
T
"Literature preserves the voice of ages long past."
Tacitus
M
"Literature is the conversation across centuries."
Martial
M
"Literature preserves the soul of civilization."
Martial
H
"Poetry brings new language into being and refreshes the words which are half dead."
Horace