Great Quotes from Modern Literature

Many literature buffs love to share quotes, but most of these excerpts come from classic novels. Modern literature has plenty of quotable moments too, so fans of good writing shouldn't forget about these unique little sayings either.

"I liked that sentence then and I like that sentence now but then I had no way of making any sense of it, I could only keep it in my mind's eye, where it rested and grew in the embryo that would become my imagination."

This line comes from See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid. It might be a little confusing at first, but actually that's the point. The author is praising the aesthetics of the English language and reminding us that sometimes how we perceive a sentence is every bit as important as the original intent of the author of it.

"The world gets grimy and the love object is in stark relief from its surroundings. This is love, a pretty thing on an ugly street and why wouldn't you pick it up if it appeared in a taxi cab."

Daniel Handler really shows off his sense of dry wit in his 2006 novel entitled Adverbs. Daniel talks about love as though it were some kind of physical object that could be picked up off the street. Comparing an emotion to something like a shiny penny on a dirty roadway is something most authors wouldn't do, which really helps this quote to stand out from the crowd.

"It's strange: When you're trying to impress a person, you can't see that person well."

Benjamin Nugent wrote this line in his novel Good Kids, and it really sums up the fact that any time someone wants to impress someone they end up going well out of their way to act differently since they're trying to impress a perception of a person rather than the real individual.

"Some things went out of style, but caution was always smart."

Jeanine Basinger's novel I Do and I Don't is the source for this deceptively intelligent quote about how acting cautious is always good no matter what the situation.

"You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."

While this sentiment is something that people have constantly promoted, Jojo Moyes put it in especially clear terms in Me Before You. Living every day as though it were one's last is something that most people talk about, but few people actually ever take truly seriously.