13 Most Inspirational Quotes from Young Adult Literature

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”

Books can be the most amazing thing. While it’s true, they can be a great way to get away from the world and live someone else’s life with them for a while, they can also inspire us in our own lives. Book quotes can give us the inspiration and the courage to overcome our fears, or at least try anyway, or make us think about our lives in a different way. As identified by John Green in the above quote, we all have a book we wish the world would read, well at least those of us who love books anyway.

What is the point of writing a story if not to engage with an audience? Most authors publish there writing because they want the world to read there work and know the stories they have to tell and the advice they have to give. If not, they’d just keep their writing to themselves. So we may as well make the most of it, hadn’t we?

So below are some of my favourite quotes from books within the young adult genre. However, it is key to mention that these books are not just for people who are young adults they are applicable to pretty much anyone. I reckon most adults have watched if not read The Hunger Games or at least heard of it. This is because one of the best parts of this genre is it is all about people who are ending their childhood and beginning their adulthood, they are learning, growing in character and asking why. They are the people who are the future of the world, they will design the technology of the future, rule the world and write the books of the future. So, as these characters go through a crucial stage in their lives, we as readers, not just those of us who are within that age range, can allow their lives to inspire our own.

 

1. “Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.” – Divergent by Veronica Roth

I suppose I’m a little biased, as Tris Prior is my favourite book character, because I think she’s admirable, yet not totally unlike the rest of us, in that some of the things she goes through we do too and some of the ways she deals with her life are applicable to us as well. The rather laugh than cry thing is so common. Generally, if something has happened, then it has happened and quite simply, if you can laugh about it then why not? There is also the fact, that sometimes it is easier to laugh about something to stop yourself crying so that your mind can process it later. Let’s be fair, no one wants to humiliate themselves by crying in an awkward situation. So a bit of practical advice from Veronica Roth: if you can laugh or cry, why not just laugh?

 

2. “Some walks you have to take alone.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Now this is your pretty self-explanatory saying just for the fact that sometimes you just have to do some things by yourself. We all appreciate help, but there are some things that we need to do by ourselves for ourselves. And while our lives may not seem as messed up as Katniss’s, it is still universal. Though having said that, there may be known Capitol who organises Hunger Games as they do in the books, but kids die all the time in some countries.

 

3. “The world is not a wish-granting factory.” – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Well, it may seem cynical but that is not the point. We can’t expect our lives to be perfect all the time, because they never will be. Maybe we’ll be happier and more grateful if we don’t have that expectation. Anyway, that is just a cool little be humble reminder, so be humble.

 

4. “I know that the whole point—the only point—is to find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and fight for them, and refuse to let them go.” – Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Well, what can I say, because if that’s not what life is about, then what is it about then? Another way of looking at it is if we’re going to be on this Earth for around 80 years, then we may as well do something meaningful with our lives, we may as well leave our mark.

 

5. “Be sad, be sorry-but don’t shoulder it.” – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A lot of us automatically feel guilty for things that aren’t our fault or dwell on things that were our fault but that we need to get over but just learn from our mistakes for next time. I suppose if you know the story, you know the thing in the story is one of those things that would be pretty hard to forget, but still these things can be applied to our not so drastic lives. So a little reminder to not automatically blame yourself for everything.

 

6. “Count to three. Relax your mind. Now survive.” – The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Well, just a little survival tactic for you. The perfect quote for those moments when you just tell yourself to pull yourself together and give something the best you can. Granted, I know anyone who has read this book, will be thinking well, these are the words of a character who can only be described as insane and obsessed with giving people survival training. My response to that is, well there is always gold in the coal mine if you know where to look for it.

 

7. “You cannot change your journey if you are unwilling to move at all.” – Reached by Ally Condie

There’s a nice little motivational thought. So, what that is saying to you is if you set yourself a goal at the beginning of the year or just whenever, make sure you haven’t abandoned it or you won’t achieve what you set out for. It’s like getting out the ingredients to make a cake and expecting them to turn in to a cake all by themselves. I’m telling you, it’s just not going to happen.

 

8. “Always be a little kinder than you have to be.” – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

That one speaks for itself doesn’t it? Generally, you can never have too much kindness. Unless you get the unfortunate situation where people start taking advantage of it.

 

9. “It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

So basically, for your own good, please try not to fall apart. It’s very easier said than done, as most of us know but still. It’s also worth mentioning, mainly to remind Hunger Games fans, that was from a scene where Katniss was being shown the benefits of knot tying as a way of distracting the mind and helping to deal with extreme stress by Finnick. The relevance being that by tying knots you are holding things together just like you are trying to hold yourself together.

 

10. “…there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars” – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Yes, I know I’ve already quoted this book twice but some books are just good for quoting. John Green has a way of writing like that. I suppose the point of this one is, so many of us try to be perfect. But maybe we should just accept ourselves for who we are, because let’s be serious, nobody’s perfect.#

 

11. “If you want to live where people are not afraid of mice, you must give up living in palaces.” – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This may seem a weird quote, especially if you haven’t read the book, so allow me to contextualise. This quote is at the end of one of this story’s cool little analogies. This analogy is talking about a tiny little princess who falls in love with a mouse, but her family are horrified by it. The point is, sometimes you have to give up what you know to hold on to what you believe in.

 

12. “Some part of you is still that little boy who thinks to love is to destroy, but you’re learning, you’re learning every day.” City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

This is quite a hard quote to appreciate if you do not know the series, but again I shall explain. This is basically a quote from a scene where Clary, the main character for those of you who don’t know, is talking to her friend Jace who has had a very traumatic childhood to put it mildly and is worried that that will have affected his character. The point is, we all improve on our faults gradually and we have to just keep learning. [I would have shortened the quote and just quoted what could universally be understood, but it would ruin the quote quite a lot for those of us who know the book.]

 

13. “I belong to the people I love and they belong to me—they and the love and loyalty I give them form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.” – Allegiant by Veronica Roth

This is all about identity. What this is saying, is it’s okay to be different. Many people try to fit in or be “normal”, though, to be fair, I seriously don’t think anyone really actually knows what normal is. So, remember, it’s okay to be different.

Well, that brings me to the end of my selection of quotes. I know they are only from a few books, and that that there are multiple from some books, but those are just the books I personally find most inspiring.

I guess an important thing to say is thank you to authors for all the wonderful words they put together for us. I think we all agree they are fascinating to read and enjoyable to remember. So, on that note, I’ll end with a quote, Ally Condie’s thoughts on words:

“And it strikes me that this is how writing anything is, really. A collaboration between you who give the words and they who take them and find meaning in them, or put music behind them, or turn them aside because they were not what was needed.” Reached by Ally Condie