Most Memorable Passages Remembered

The following sentences are the excerpts you submitted as the *most memorable* passages in children's literature.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments at any time. I've put a sidebar link to this post.

When you're done here, you can also take a look at the Funniest Passages from children's literature or the Most Poetic Passages from children's literature.

MOST MEMORABLE PASSAGES:

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As Mo had said: writing stories is a kind of magic, too.

~Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

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But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.

~Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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Some pig.

~Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

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Everything has got a moral, if only you can find it.

~Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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The Duchess: Be what you would seem to be -- or, if you'd like it put more simply -- Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.

Alice: I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it.

~Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over.

~Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

~Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

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That was the thing. You just never knew. Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about. It was twenty minutes, or a hundred years, or just the instant, or any instant I wished would last and last. But there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening. Right then, as I ran with Wes into that bright sun, and every moment afterwards. Look, there. Now. Now. Now.

~The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

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So many versions of just one memory, an yet none of them were right or wrong. Instead, they were all pieces. Only when fitted together, edge to edge, could they even begin to tell the whole story.

~Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

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It wasn't my job to save anyone, anyway. Especially since I hadn't even been able to save myself.

~Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

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It was a beautiful day to grow up.

~Body Bags by Christopher Golden

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A girl looking for emotion could starve in L.A.

It seemed like every month that went by, every day older, life became more complicated. The rule for growing up seemed to be that no choice, no decision worth making was without some cost.

And even the most pleasant of dreams could be painful under the light of the morning sun.

~Sins of the Father by Christopher Golden

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Therein lay the problem.Life had altered in the wildest possible way, but it was imperative that they act as if nothing at all had happened.Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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They'd been standing like that for thirty seconds of forever.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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Inside, she said all of it.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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Books and pages and a happy place.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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Don't make me happy. Please, don't fill me up and let me think that something good can come of any of this.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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But a few other visions were there as well.

Come with me and I'll tell you a story.

I'll show you something.

~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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And here are the things I know: Time will never be what my watch says. Time passes too fast when you just want it to stop, and time passes too slow when all you wish for is a lifetime in a minute. It'll just never be what it really is, hands moving on a clock.

~Upstream by Melissa Lion

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"You could fill a book with the things you haven't seen." (Farouk)

"Books are already filled with them," I said, "And posters and television shows." (Sam)

~Swollen by Melissa Lion

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I counted in fours because if I stopped, the tears in my eyes would spill over.

~Swollen by Melissa Lion

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And so I waited in the library and touched the spines of the books I should have read long ago to make myself smart, to keep up with him.

~Swollen by Melissa Lion

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I turned the light off and listened in the silence for the voices of people I had loved within these walls.

~Swollen by Melissa Lion

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It's not home. It's people in a house.

~Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

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She kicked her heels like a little girl and waited for something to happen.

~The Nine Lives of Chloe King: The Stolen by Celia Thomson

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But I guess you don't see the planets when you're staring at the sun. You just get blindsided.

~Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

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I wonder if the ducks have missed me.

~The Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando

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"Courage is fear holding out for just a few minutes longer."

Quit It by Marcia Byalick

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Give me a glass slipper and I'd twist my ankle and shatter the shoe.

~Light Years by Tammar Stein

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That's the trouble with loving a wild thing. You're always left watching the door.

But you also get kind of used to it.

~East by Edith Pattou

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. . . But when a house is empty, then it's the house's turn. It holds all the emptiness and all the fullness of the years it has known, the footprints of all the people who have ever walked its rooms gather themselves. The air is expectant, waiting. Hushed. Hush. Listen to the house. What is it telling you?

~All Rivers Flow to the Sea by Alison McGhee

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You think you know your possibilities.

Then other people come into your life.

And suddenly there are so many more.

~The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

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In the library, Tiny is like a secret princess.

~The Queen of Cool by Cecil Castellucci

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The contentedness of the cat brought a smile to my face.

~AutumnQuest by Terie Garrison

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We got to pick at the last meeting. The ones who wanted to be Good got to stand in one corner of the room, the ones who wanted to be Evil in the other. The ones who wanted to be Good & Popular went to the third corner, and the ones who wanted to be Useful in the fourth.

~You & You & You by Per Nilsson

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See, I think it's important to know someone's story.

~Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

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I was born singing. Most babies cry. I sang an aria.

~Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

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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.

~Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

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"Get out of my way, you cakesniffers!" said a rude, violent and filthy little girl.

~The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

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There are few sights sadder than a ruined book.

~The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

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A new experience can be extremely pleasurable or extremely irritable, or somewhere in between, and you never know until you try it out.

~The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

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I used to think there were words for everything, in poems and books and plays that famous people had written, but there aren't. Words can help you to remember what it feels like to do things, but it's doing the things in the first place that counts. I don't want Words, Words, Words anymore, I want Life, Life, Life -- actual real reality.

~The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields

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"I'm sorry for arriving unannounced," said the bear. "The wind carried my umbrella all the way from my backyard to your backyard. I thought I would retreive it before it became a nuisance." He spoke with a slight panda accent.

Michael introduced himself. Then Addy introduced Karl because Karl was shy around bears he didn't know.

And this is how Addy, Michael, and Karl met Stillwater.

~Zen Shorts by Jon Muth

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There is no such thing as a perfect book or a perfect story.

~Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

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I expect to be learning to write till I die.

~Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

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"The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."

And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at least they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

~The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

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My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. Except I don't like Beatrice. I just like B and that's all.

~Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

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Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.

~Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

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It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.

~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

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“There are all kinds of courage,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

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“The truth.” Dumbledore sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

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Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign . . . to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.

~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

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That's what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library.

~Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

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My fingers tingle to grasp a pen — my brain teems with plots. I’ve a score of fascinating dream characters I want to write about. Oh, if there only were not such a chasm between seeing a thing and getting it down on paper!

~Emily Climbs by L. M. Montgomery

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To die will be an awfully big adventure.

~Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

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“What do these children do without storybooks?” Naftali asked.

And Reb Zebulun replied: “They have to make do. Storybooks aren’t bread. You can live without them.”

“I couldn’t live without them,” Naftali said.

~Naftali and the Storyteller and His Horse, Sus by Isaac Bashevis Singer

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She wished she was a famous writer already, and didn’t have to go through the unfamous stage.

~Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

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On every hand were what looked like thousands of books, ranged on shelves, stacks and stacks of them.

“Think of all those that we haven’t read yet!” said Abbie.

“Maybe some of them have magic inside, too!” said Fredericka.

“All of them, I should think,” said Barnaby, “one way or another.”

~Seven Day Magic by Edward Eager

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“I’m sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,” said Fledge.

“Wouldn’t he know without being asked?” said Polly.

“I’ve no doubt he would,” said the Horse. “But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked.”

~The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

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And then, I pulled out my notebook and wrote, and wrote, and wrote . . . The words moved like wheels across the paper. I didn’t count pages or minutes. Mom tapped on my door, and only then did I notice the sun had gone down and I was writing nearly in the dark . . . Where had I been?

“You’ve been sitting in here forever.” My mother flicked on the light switch and squinted at me. Had I? It was like magic, like Rip Van Winkle, who fell asleep and found himself a hundred years older when he opened his eyes.

~Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell

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Whatever he began to write seeped out of his head like ink running on damp paper. Where were the words he wanted? Why did they stay as dead as dry leaves?

~Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

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“Oh, Sara. It is like a story.”

“It is a story . . . everything is a story — I am a story. Miss Minchin is a story.”

~The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Because on some level, even though it never turns out to be true, and even though I should know better, I still expect life to be like the movies.

~The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

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Grown-ups were always worrying about money, she knew that, but what did you need if you could eat and sit in front of the fire and read books? That was what Silver would do with her money.

~Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson

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A beginning and an ending, though satisfying in their own individual ways, are simply that. A start and a conclusion, nothing more. It’s what comes in between that does the work, that builds the life and tells the story.

~Golden by Cameron Dokey

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“Any writer who really has the fire within him will find time to write, Julie,” said Uncle Haskell with the air of a man who knew that fire well. “What about Coleridge and Stevenson, what about dozens of others, sick in body and mind, suffering acute pain, but still finding the time and energy to write?”

~Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

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Margaret gripped herself in front.

“Do you know, I feel odd here. Do you think I’m going to be sick?”

Mrs. Beamish laughed.

“Not you. Just a bit of nerves that is. Put one foot on stage and it will all be gone.”

What Mrs. Beamish said proved quite true. The moment Margaret walked onto the stage all the funny feeling was gone.

~Thursday’s Child by Noel Streatfeild

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It is difficult for anyone to be a success in Shakespeare because there are so many people who love all Shakespeare’s work and have strong ideas as to how the different parts should be played.

~Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

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Odd as it may seem, there is a satisfaction unlike any other in creating an imaginary world and in pretending to be someone you are not.

~Shakespeare’s Scribe by Gary Blackwood

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When I got well into a part, my awareness of everything outside the boundaries of the stage faded away. The only thing real to me was the world of the play. It was like slipping into a two-hour dream.

~Shakespeare’s Scribe by Gary Blackwood

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“The Germans are dangerous,” he said seriously. “They can do terrible things to you and to all of us, because they have all the weapons. We have nothing.”

Charles stopped pacing and looked down at Dirk Jan.

“Yes, you have,” he said quietly. “You have right on your side. That’s the biggest weapon.”

~The Winged Watchman by Hilda von Stockum

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Wendy, Wendy, when you are sleeping in your silly bed you might be flying about with me saying funny things to the stars.

~Peter Pan by James Barrie

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"Once upon a time," she said, "there was a princess who knew she was meant for more than twirling her tresses and swooning."

~The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs

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Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

~Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

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The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances.

~To Build a Fire by Jack London

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Slow and steady wins the race.

~The Hare and the Tortoise by Aesop

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"It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully, "for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly."

~The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.

~I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

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I have the most wonderful library. Everyone falls in love with it. It's like a field of poppies - no one ever wants to leave.

~Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume

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She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she did not open her eyes for three days.

~Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

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To comprehend the difference between sentimentality and sentiment is the very kernel of wisdom, the true center of any worthwhile tale told.

~Cromwell’s Boy by Erik Christian Haurgaard

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Mommy and Daddy often say: ‘Post nubila, Phoebus,’ which is Latin, Mimmy, and it means: After the clouds comes the sun.

~Zlata’s Diary - A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic

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. . . Which would you rather be if you had the choice--divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever or angelically good?

~Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

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Gilbert Blythe wasn't used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure. She SHOULD look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and the big eyes that weren't like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school.

~Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

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Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene. This was an especially enjoyable one.

~Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

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Anne felt that life was really not worth living without puffed sleeves.

~Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

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. . . Were we really there half an hour? It seemed just a few minutes. But, you see, we have five years' lost conversations to catch up with, Marilla.

~Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

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. . . and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.

~Peter Pan by James Barrie

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You see, Wendy, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.

~Peter Pan by James Barrie

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The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east. Strange!

~The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. Barney Northrup had rented one of the apartments to the wrong person.

~The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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". . . And how is your pretty sister, the bomber?"Turtle never knew he knew.

~The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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Turtle turned to the window. The sun was rising out of Lake Michigan. It was tomorrow. It was the Fourth of July.

~The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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"Hi there, Alice," T. R. Wexler said. "Ready for a game of chess?"

~The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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"For how long?" I ask Papa,
trying to sound brave.

"Until . . .
Until . . ."
Papa pauses and looks at the ceiling
as if the answer to my question is above us.

Finally he tells me he just doesn't know the answer,
that these days we cannot plan the future
but instead must go day to day,
trusting that there will be an end to this situation,
that a better life is ahead.

~Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

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"Don't go for normal," Ari suggests. "Go for happy. Go for what want it to be instead of settling for what it is."

~Are We There Yet? by David Levithan

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For me, they are one more thing that belongs in someone else's story.

~Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr

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This ring was my sister's, and if once I wished she'd given it to me, I'll wear it forever precisely because she didn't.

~Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr

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Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing.

Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo.

~The Giver by Lois Lowry

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"And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!"

~The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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Mischief managed.

~Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

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