Literature Quotes

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

12844 quotes

G
"The pen's power exceeds the sword's might."
Garcilaso de la Vega
F
"Literature opens doors to infinite worlds"
Federigo Tozzi
F
"Literature preserves the human experience"
Federigo Tozzi
U
"Clarity of expression requires absolute poverty of decoration"
Ungaretti
U
"Each word is a grave and a birth simultaneously"
Ungaretti
"The poet speaks to all men because he speaks of nothing but truth and desire."
Salvatore Quasimodo
"Words are bridges between the islands of human consciousness."
Salvatore Quasimodo
"The language of poetry transcends all borders and speaks to the universal human condition."
Salvatore Quasimodo
"The written word immortalizes the fleeting moments of human experience."
Salvatore Quasimodo
E
"To write is to disappoint oneself constantly, yet begin again."
Eugenio Montale
E
"Language fails where feeling begins; this is where poetry is born."
Eugenio Montale
G
"The work of literature is to make us understand ourselves through others."
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
G
"Words are the inadequate instruments we use to pierce the darkness of solitude."
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
"A poet's duty is to transform the mundane into the magnificent through refined expression."
Luis de Góngora
"A kingdom of words is worth more than an empire of gold."
Luis de Góngora
"In the garden of language, words are seeds that grow in unexpected directions."
Luis de Góngora
G
"Literature is humanity speaking to itself across the chasms of time."
Garcilaso de la Vega
E
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Elio Vittorini
E
"Literature reflects the human condition."
Elio Vittorini
E
"Literature immortalizes human experience."
Elio Vittorini
E
"Language is the only homeland."
Eugenio Montale
"The poet's task is to name what others cannot see."
Salvatore Quasimodo
"The poet walks between two worlds: the seen and the eternal."
Salvatore Quasimodo
"In the spaces between words lies the deepest meaning."
Salvatore Quasimodo
G
"We read to discover that we are not alone in our thoughts."
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
P
"The true function of a writer is to produce a masterpiece of literature."
Pier Paolo Pasolini
P
"Literature reveals what society wishes to hide."
Pier Paolo Pasolini
F
"The writer captures not events but the feeling beneath them."
Federigo Tozzi
E
"Words are poor instruments for expressing the human soul."
Elsa Morante
E
"Literature is the voice of the voiceless."
Elsa Morante