Here are the 121 best handpicked quotes from “Little Women” by Louisa Alcott:
From quotes by Jo March to quotes by Meg March to quotes by Theodore Laurence.
So if you want the best quotes from “Little Women” sorted by figure, then you’re in the right place.
Let’s jump right in!
My Favorite “Little Women” Quote
#1
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
— Little Women
I appreciate how Alcott delivers an empowering message to her readers by reminding us that facing challenges and even failures is not something to be afraid of; instead, they are keys to one’s self-growth and resilience.
This favorite quote of mine from the collection is also a line I wish someone had told me whenever I went through a rough patch in my life – perhaps it would have changed some of my perspectives in various situations.
This also reinforces the idea that life is indeed a transformative journey that teaches you how to weather the storms it throws your way and emerge triumphantly.
29 Quotes by No Specific Figure
#2
“The dirt is picturesque, so I don’t mind.”
— Little Women
#3
“Love will make you show your heart someday.”
— Little Women
#4
“Dear me! If only men and women would trust, understand and help as my children do, what a capital place the world would be!”
— Little Women
#5
“Simple, sincere people seldom speak much of their piety; it shows itself in acts rather than words, and has more influence than homilies or protestations.”
— Little Women
#6
“Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction which comes from hearty work of head or hand, and to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.”
— Little Women
#7
“The girls gave their hearts into their mother’s keeping, their souls into their father’s; and to both parents, who lived and labored so faithfully for them, they gave a love that grew with their growth, and bound them tenderly together by the sweetest tie which blesses life and outlives death.”
— Little Women
#8
“Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally.”
— Little Women
#9
“Led by her mother’s hand, she had drawn nearer to the friend who always welcomes every child with a love stronger than that of any father, tenderer than that of any mother.”
— Little Women
#10
“I could have been a great many things.”
— Little Women
#11
“Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and fall into a vortex, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.”
— Little Women
#12
“She preferred imaginary heroes to real ones, because when tired of them, the former could be shut up in the tin kitchen till called for, and the latter were less manageable.”
— Little Women
#13
“Jo’s eyes sparkled, for it’s always pleasant to be believed in, and a friend’s praise is always sweeter than a dozen newspaper puffs.”
— Little Women
#14
“I have nothing to give but my heart so full and these empty hands.”
— Little Women
#15
“Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort it is.”
— Little Women
#16
“Poor Meg seldom complained, but a sense of injustice made her feel bitter toward everyone sometimes, for she had not yet learned to know how rich she was in the blessings which alone can make life happy.”
— Little Women
#17
“A quick temper, sharp tongue, and restless spirit were always getting her into scrapes, and her life was a series of ups and downs, which were both comic and pathetic.”
— Little Women
#18
“John Brooke did his duty manfully for a year, got wounded, was sent home, and not allowed to return. He received no stars or bars, but he deserved them, for he cheerfully risked all he had, and life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom.”
— Little Women
#19
“Beauty, youth, good fortune, even love itself, cannot keep care and pain, loss and sorrow, from the most blessed for into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and sad and dreary.”
— Little Women
#20
“Don’t laugh at the spinsters, dear girls, for often very tender, tragic romances are hidden away in the hearts that beat so quietly under the sober gowns, and many silent sacrifices of youth, health, ambition, love itself, make the faded faces beautiful in God’s sight. Even the sad, sour sisters should be kindly dealt with, because they have missed the sweetest part of life, if for no other reason.”
— Little Women
#21
“I like to help women help themselves, as that is, in my opinion, the best way to settle the woman question. Whatever we can do and do well we have a right to, and I don’t think anyone will deny us.”
— Little Women
#22
“When we make little sacrifices we like to have them appreciated, at least.”
— Little Women
#23
“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”
— Little Women
#24
“Have regular hours for work and play. Make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”
— Little Women
#25
“Love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.”
— Little Women
#26
“Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadows.”
— Little Women
#27
“Let us be elegant or die!”
— Little Women
#28
“Be worthy, love, and love will come.”
— Little Women
#29
“Love is a great beautifier.”
— Little Women
#30
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
— Little Women
30 Quotes by Jo March
#31
“Yes, she does it very prettily, and never seems to go too far. I suppose it’s natural to some people to please without trying, and others to always say and do the wrong thing in the wrong place.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#32
“I don’t like favors; they oppress and make me feel like a slave. I’d rather do everything for myself, and be perfectly independent.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#33
“I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#34
“I almost wish I hadn’t any conscience, it’s so inconvenient. If I didn’t care about doing right, and didn’t feel uncomfortable when doing wrong, I should get on capitally.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#35
“I don’t believe I will ever marry. I’m happy as I am. And I love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#36
“I’d rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#37
“If I’m going to sell my heroine into marriage for money, I might as well get some of it.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#38
“If we are all alive 10 years hence, let’s meet, and see how many of us have got our wishes, or how much nearer we are then than now.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#39
“I am lonely sometimes, but I dare say it’s good for me.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#40
“I can’t afford to starve on praise.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#41
“I find it poor logic to say that because women are good, women should vote. Men do not vote because they are good, they vote because they are male, and women should vote, not because we are angels and men are animals, but because we are human beings and citizens of this country.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#42
“Helping one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#43
“I don’t like to doze by the fire. I like adventures and I am going to find some.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#44
“I’d have a stable full of Arabian steeds, rooms piled with books, and I’d write out of a magic inkstand, so that my works should be as famous as Laurie’s music. I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle, something heroic, or wonderful, that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous; that would suit me, so that is my favorite dream.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#45
“The humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#46
“I care more to be loved. I want to be loved.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#47
“Writing doesn’t confer importance, it reflects it.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#48
“I intend to make my own way in the world.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#49
“I like good, strong words that mean something.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#50
“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#51
“Don’t try to make me grow up before my time, Meg.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#52
“I could never love anyone as I love my sisters.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#53
“You will be bored of him in two years and we will be interesting forever.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#54
“I do think that families are the most beautiful things in all the world!”
— Jo March, Little Women
#55
“Life is too short to be angry at one’s sisters.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#56
“Women—they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#57
“It seems I could do anything when I’m passionate. I get so savage, I could hurt anyone and enjoy it.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#58
“I never wanted to go away, and the hard part is leaving you all. I’m not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#59
“I’ll try and be what he loves to call me, ‘a little woman,’ and not be rough and wild; but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else.”
— Jo March, Little Women
#60
“I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”
— Jo March, Little Women
6 Quotes by Meg March
#61
“Tomorrow I shall put away my ‘fuss and feathers,’ and be desperately good again.”
— Meg March, Little Women
#62
“I don’t want a fashionable wedding, but only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look and be my familiar self.”
— Meg March, Little Women
#63
“I try to be contented, but it is hard. I’m tired of being poor.”
— Meg March, Little Women
#64
“Just because my dreams are different than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”
— Meg March, Little Women
#65
“When you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful.”
— Meg March, Little Women
#66
“I’m not ambitious for a splendid fortune, but I know, by experience, how much genuine happiness can be had in a plain little house, where the daily bread is earned, and some privations give sweetness to the few pleasures.”
— Meg March, Little Women
4 Quotes by Beth March
#67
“So she enjoyed herself heartily, and found, what isn’t always the case, that her granted wish was all she had hoped.”
— Beth March, Little Women
#68
“For with eyes made clear by many tears, and a heart softened by the tenderest sorrow, she recognized the beauty of her sister’s life—uneventful, unambitious, yet full of the genuine virtues which smell sweet, and blossom in the dust, the self-forgetfulness that makes the humblest on earth remembered soonest in heaven, the true success which is possible to all.”
— Beth March, Little Women
#69
“I only do that for us. I don’t need anyone else to hear it.”
— Beth March, Little Women
#70
“You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone. Meg is the turtle-dove, and Amy is like the lark she writes about, trying to get up among the clouds, but always dropping down into its nest again. Dear little girl! She’s so ambitious, but her heart is good and tender, and no matter how high she flies, she never will forget home. I hope I shall see her again.”
— Beth March, Little Women
26 Quotes by Mrs. March
#71
“Go out more, keep cheerful as well as busy, for you are the sunshine-maker of the family, and if you get dismal there is no fair weather.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#72
“We are never too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Our burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far you can get before Father comes home.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#73
“Go on with your work as usual, for work is a blessed solace.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#74
“Time erodes such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind—your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#75
“There is truth in it, Jo, that’s the secret. Humor and pathos make it alive, and you have found your style at last. You wrote with no thoughts of fame and money, and put your heart into it, my daughter. You have had the bitter, now comes the sweet. Do your best, and grow as happy as we are in your success.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#76
“The sincere wish to be good is half the battle.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#77
“Don’t mind me. I’m as happy as a cricket here.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#78
“I hope you’ll do a great deal better than me. There are some natures too noble to curb, and too lofty to bend.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#79
“Thank God you’re home! Now I can be angry with you in person.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#80
“That is the secret of our home happiness. He does not let business wean him from the little cares and duties that affect us all, and I try not to let domestic worries destroy my interest in his pursuits. Each do our part alone in many things, but at home we work together, always.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#81
“We can’t give up our girls for a dozen fortunes. Rich or poor, we will keep together and be happy in one another.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#82
“Don’t neglect the husband for children, don’t shut him out of the nursery, but teach him how to help in it. His place is there as well as yours, and the children need him. Let him feel that he has a part to do, and he will do it gladly and faithfully, and it will be better for you all.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#83
“I’ve never understood saving jewelry until marriage. You should have something that’s just yours. Pretty things should be enjoyed.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#84
“Learn to know and value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty, Meg.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#85
“Don’t cry so bitterly, but remember this day, and resolve with all your soul that you will never know another like it.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#86
“Jo, don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Forgive her. Help each other. And you begin again tomorrow.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#87
“Girls have to go out into the world and make up their own minds about things.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#88
“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#89
“My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#90
“Your father, Jo. He never loses patience, never doubts or complains, but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him. He helped and comforted me, and showed me that I must try to practice all the virtues I would have my little girls possess, for I was their example. It was easier to try for your sake than for my own. A startled or surprised look from one of you when I spoke sharply rebuked me more than any words could have done, and the love, respect, and confidence of my children was the sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would have them copy.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#91
“I am angry nearly every day of my life.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#92
“You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#93
“My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#94
“Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing—but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I’d rather see you poor men’s wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self- respect and peace.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#95
“Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your faults.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
#96
“I don’t think secrets agree with me, I feel rumpled up in mind since you told me that.”
— Mrs. March, Little Women
17 Quotes by Amy March
#97
“We’ll all grow up someday, Meg, we might as well know what we want.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#98
“Don’t you feel that it is pleasanter to help one another, to have daily duties which make leisure sweet when it comes, and to bear and forbear, that home may be comfortable and lovely to us all?”
— Amy March, Little Women
#99
“People have been very kind to me, and whenever I see girls struggling along, as we used to do, I want to put out my hand and help them, as I was helped.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#100
“Ambitious girls have a hard time, Laurie, and often have to see youth, health, and precious opportunities go by, just for want of a little help at the right minute.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#101
“Because they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, and though I think I’ve a right to be hurt, I don’t intend to show it.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#102
“Try it and see. You needn’t shrug your shoulders, and think, ‘Much she knows about such things.’ I don’t pretend to be wise, but I am observing, and I see a great deal more than you’d imagine. I’m interested in other people’s experiences and inconsistencies, and though I can’t explain, I remember and use them for my own benefit. Love Jo all your days, if you choose, but don’t let it spoil you, for it’s wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can’t have the one you want. There, I won’t lecture any more, for I know you’ll wake up and be a man in spite of that hardhearted girl.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#103
“I will not be the person you settle for just because you can’t have her.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#104
“No, I’d be respected if I couldn’t be loved.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#105
“With all these good things to enjoy, you can find nothing to do but dawdle.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#106
“You laugh at me when I say I want to be a lady, but I mean a true gentlewoman in mind and manners, and I try to do it as far as I know how. I can’t explain exactly, but I want to be above the little meannesses and follies and faults that spoil so many women.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#107
“Talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#108
“Why be ashamed of what you want?”
— Amy March, Little Women
#109
“I believe we have power over who we love. It isn’t something that just happens to a person.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#110
“The world is hard on ambitious girls.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#111
“You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one, if he’s the right one.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#112
“I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.”
— Amy March, Little Women
#113
“I’m just a woman. And as a woman, I have no way to make money, not enough to earn a living and support my family. Even if I had my own money, which I don’t, it would belong to my husband the minute we were married. If we had children they would belong to him, not me. They would be his property. So don’t sit there and tell me that marriage isn’t an economic proposition, because it is.”
— Amy March, Little Women
4 Quotes by Theodore Laurence
#114
“I’ve loved you ever since I’ve known you, Jo, couldn’t help it, you’ve been so good to me. I’ve tried to show it, but you wouldn’t let me; now I’m going to make you hear, and give me an answer, for I can’t go on so any longer.”
— Theodore Laurence, Little Women
#115
“I saw a good many talented young fellows making all sorts of sacrifices, and enduring real hardships, that they might realize their dreams. Splendid fellows, some of them, working like heroes, poor and friendless, but so full of courage, patience, and ambition that I was ashamed of myself, and longed to give them a right good lift. Those are people whom it’s a satisfaction to help, for if they’ve got genius, it’s an honor to be allowed to serve them, and not let it be lost or delayed for want of fuel to keep the pot boiling. If they haven’t, it’s a pleasure to comfort the poor souls, and keep them from despair when they find it out.”
— Theodore Laurence, Little Women
#116
“Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say no when they mean yes, and drive a man out of his wits just for the fun of it.”
— Theodore Laurence, Little Women
#117
“By-and-by we shall take turns, for marriage, they say, halves one’s rights and doubles one’s duties.”
— Theodore Laurence, Little Women
2 Quotes by Aunt March
#118
“It is possible to be right and foolish.”
— Aunt March, Little Women
#119
“I may not always be right. But I am never wrong.”
— Aunt March, Little Women
2 Quotes by Mr. March
#120
“If he is old enough to ask the question, he is old enough to receive true answers. I am not putting the thoughts into his head, but helping him unfold those already there. These children are wiser than we are.”
— Mr. March, Little Women
#121
“Aim at the highest, and never mind the money.”
— Mr. March, Little Women