Literature Quotes

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

12844 quotes

M
"The greatest stories reveal truths that facts alone cannot convey."
Mario Vargas Llosa
"Language is not merely words; it is the soul of a people."
José María Arguedas
"To write is to resurrect the buried voices of the marginalized."
José María Arguedas
"Literature is the voice of those who have been silenced."
José María Arguedas
"The pen becomes a tool of liberation in the hands of the conscious writer."
José María Arguedas
"The power of the word lies in its ability to create new realities."
José María Arguedas
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Gabriel García Márquez
"A writer must write with absolute honesty or not write at all."
Gabriel García Márquez
C
"To understand a people, you must understand their stories."
Ciro Alegría
C
"Stories are the currency of understanding between strangers."
Ciro Alegría
C
"In storytelling, the powerless find their power."
Ciro Alegría
C
"To write about the voiceless is to become a voice."
Ciro Alegría
C
"The stories of the marginalized are the stories of humanity."
Ciro Alegría
C
"Every story preserved is a world saved from oblivion."
Ciro Alegría
C
"In storytelling, the dead are granted eternal life."
Ciro Alegría
J
"In literature, we discover the mirrors of our own hearts."
Jorge Isaacs
T
"La literatura es la ventana por donde vemos infinitos mundos."
Tomás Carrasquilla
T
"La literatura nos permite vivir vidas infinitas en una sola."
Tomás Carrasquilla
"To write is to bleed onto the page the suffering and joy of those who have no voice in the written word."
José María Arguedas
"In every marketplace, in every village, there exists a literature yet to be written."
José María Arguedas
"The margins of society contain the most vital stories."
José María Arguedas
"To write is to participate in the liberation of the human spirit."
José María Arguedas
A
"Literature serves no purpose if it does not speak truth to power."
Alcides Arguedas
A
"The soul of a nation is found in its stories."
Alcides Arguedas
A
"Literature is the archive of human consciousness."
Alcides Arguedas
F
"I write to exorcise my demons, to rid myself of the poison that accumulates in the soul."
Fernando Vallejo
F
"Writing is the only honest way to lie."
Fernando Vallejo
F
"The author is not the creator of the book; the book creates the author."
Fernando Vallejo
C
"Indigenous peoples are not obstacles to progress; they are keepers of a different kind of wisdom."
Ciro Alegría
C
"To tell the stories of indigenous peoples is to reclaim a truth that has been silenced."
Ciro Alegría