Check out the best Little Women quotes that celebrate love, sisterhood, ambition, and the strength of women across generations.
Little Women is a beloved coming-of-age novel by Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.
The story follows the lives of the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — as they navigate the joys and challenges of growing up, chasing their dreams, and supporting one another through love, loss, and personal growth.
Each sister reflects a unique aspect of womanhood: Meg’s elegance, Jo’s independence, Beth’s gentle spirit, and Amy’s artistic passion — capturing the journey of young women finding their place in a changing world.
The novel explores powerful themes of family, identity, love, grief, resilience, and self-discovery, making it a timeless literary classic that has touched readers for over 150 years.
In 2019, Little Women was adapted into a critically acclaimed film directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet.
The movie received multiple Academy Award nominations and was praised for its heartfelt, modern take on the classic story.
Whether you’re a fan of the book or the movie, these are the most famous and meaningful Little Women quotes that will move your heart and inspire your soul.
Top 10 Little Women Quotes By Louisa May Alcott
- “Let us be elegant or die!” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Little Women Quote - “Love is a great beautifier.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Quotes From Little Women - “Don’t try to make me grow up before my time…” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Little Women Quote - “I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Quote From Little Women - “For love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Little Women Quotations - “Life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Little Women Book Quotes - “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Best Little Women Quotes - “Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Famous Quotes From Little Women - “I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Quotes From Little Women Book - “Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Best Little Women Quotes
- “Be worthy love, and love will come.” ― Little Women
- “I like good strong words that mean something…” ― Little Women
- “Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow…” ― Little Women
- “You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one… if he’s the right one.” ― Little Women
- “Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally.” — Little Women
- “You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone.” ― Little Women
- “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.” ― Little Women
- “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
- “I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copybooks; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an end. (Jo March)” ― Little Women
- “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.” ― Little Women
Famous Quotes From Little Women
- “I’m happy as I am, and love my liberty too well to be in a hurry to give it up for any mortal man.”― Little Women
- “I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo, but I’ve learned not to show it. And I still hope not to feel it.” ― Little Women
- “Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.” ― Little Women
- “…often between ourselves and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is very hard to overcome.” ― Little Women
- “It takes people a long time to learn the difference between talent and genius, especially ambitious young men and women.” ― Little Women
- “…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.” ― Little Women
- “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.” ― Little Women
- “I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is the leaving you all. I’m not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven.” ― Little Women
- “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” ― Little Women
- “…she was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star.” ― Little Women
Little Women Book Quotes
- “Conceit spoils the finest genius.” ― Little Women
- “Money is a needful and precious thing.” ― Little Women
- “Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? (Marmee)” ― Little Women
- “I have nothing to give but my heart so full and these empty hands.” “They’re not empty now.” ― Little Women
- “Well, I am happy, and I won’t fret, but it does seem as if the more one gets the more one wants.” ― Little Women
- “…because talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.” ― Little Women
- “I want to do something splendid…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 someday.” ― Little Women
- “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
- “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.” ― Little Women
- “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
Little Women Movie Quotes
- “The world is hard on ambitious girls.” — Amy March, Florence Pugh
- “I care more to be loved. I want to be loved.” — Jo March, Saoirse Ronan
- “Life is too short to be angry at one’s sisters.” — Jo March, Saoirse Ronan
- “Writing doesn’t confer importance, it reflects it.” — Jo March, Saoirse Ronan
- “I try to be contented, but it is hard. I’m tired of being poor.” — Meg March, Emma Watson
- “I will not be the person you settle for just because you can’t have her.” — Amy March, Florence Pugh
- “Just because my dreams are different than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.” — Meg March, Emma Watson
- “If I’m going to sell my heroine into marriage for money, I might as well get some of it.” — Jo March, Saoirse Ronan
- “I believe we have some power over who we love. It isn’t something that just happens to a person.” — Amy March, Florence Pugh
- “Women have minds and souls as well as just hearts, and they’ve got ambition and talent as well as just beauty. And I’m sick of people saying love is all a woman is fit for.” — Jo March, Saoirse Ronan
Conclusion
What are your favorite Little Women quotes, lines, and dialogues listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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