These essential quotes from your English literature texts will help...
Famous English Literature Quotes





An Inspector Calls Key Quotes
Mr Birling's capitalist arrogance shines through when he calls himself a "hard-headed man of business" and boasts about "lower costs and higher prices." His famous claim that the Titanic is "absolutely unsinkable" shows how wrong the wealthy can be about their supposed superiority.
The Inspector's warning cuts right to the heart of Priestley's message: "they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish." This prophetic statement hints at the world wars that would punish society's selfishness.
Eric and Gerald's behaviour reveals the ugly truth about privileged men. Eric admits "I threatened to make a row" and was "half drunk and goggled eyed," whilst Gerald describes how someone "had wedged her into a corner with that obscene fat carcass of his."
Exam Tip: Notice how Priestley uses dramatic irony - the audience knows Mr Birling's predictions are wrong, making his arrogance seem even more foolish.
The play's moral message emerges through contrasting attitudes. Whilst Mr Birling sees people "all mixed up together like bees in a hive" as a problem, Sheila recognises "these girls aren't cheap labour, they're people."

A Christmas Carol Essential Quotes
Scrooge's initial coldness is captured perfectly in Dickens' description: "solitary as an oyster" and "as dead as a door-nail." His miserly nature shows in classics like "Bah! Humbug!" and his cruel question "What reason do you have to be merry? You're poor?"
The supernatural elements create a haunting atmosphere. Marley's Ghost warns "I wear the chains I forged in life," built "link by link, yard by yard." The phantoms "slowly, gravely, silently approached" whilst "devils lurked and glared out menacing."
Scrooge's transformation is remarkable by the final stave. He becomes "light as a feather, happy as an angel" and "merry as a schoolboy." His promise "I'll raise your salary and endeavour to assist your struggling family" shows genuine change.
Remember: The five staves mirror the structure of a Christmas carol, with Scrooge's journey from spiritual death to rebirth.
Social criticism appears throughout, from Scrooge's heartless "decrease the surplus population" to the touching description of the Cratchit's Christmas: "it was a small pudding for a large family."

Power and Conflict Poetry Quotes
"Ozymandias" demolishes the myth of lasting power through vivid imagery. The "trunkless legs of stone" and "half sunk, a shattered visage lies" from an "antique land" show how even mighty rulers crumble to dust.
"London" exposes urban suffering with Blake's "chartered Thames" and the devastating "marks of weakness, marks of woe." The powerful image of blood running "down palace walls" connects royal luxury with common people's pain.
"Remains" brings modern conflict home with brutal honesty. The soldier describes someone "probably armed, possibly not" and carries "his bloody life in my bloody hands," showing how war trauma haunts veterans.
Analysis Focus: Notice how poets use contrasts - Ozymandias' former power versus present ruin, London's wealth versus poverty.
"War Photographer" captures the ethics of documenting suffering. "In his darkroom he is finally alone" with "a hundred agonies in black-and-white," whilst somewhere else "running children in a nightmare heat" face real terror.

Romeo and Juliet Crucial Quotes
The family feud drives everything in this tragedy. The "ancient grudge" creates "star-crossed lovers" whose love is "death-marked" from the very Prologue. Tybalt's hatred blazes through "Peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee!"
Romeo's passionate nature shows in both love and violence. He calls Juliet "the sun" but also engages in the brawl where Mercutio curses "A plague o' both your houses!" The Prince's warning proves true: "your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
Parental control crushes young love, with Lord Capulet's fury: "Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!" contrasting sharply with his earlier tenderness: "Come, come, my child, my only life." Lady Capulet pushes marriage: "the valiant Paris seeks you for his love."
Theme Alert: Shakespeare explores how ancient hatred destroys innocent love, making the young pay for their elders' mistakes.
Foreshadowing runs throughout, from Friar Lawrence's warning "these violent delights have violent ends" to the description of "fire-eyed fury." Even Juliet's plea "deny thy father and refuse thy name" hints at the tragic cost of their forbidden love.
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Famous English Literature Quotes
These essential quotes from your English literature texts will help you smash your GCSE exams. Whether you're analysing social responsibility in "An Inspector Calls," transformation in "A Christmas Carol," power struggles in conflict poetry, or tragic love in "Romeo and...

An Inspector Calls Key Quotes
Mr Birling's capitalist arrogance shines through when he calls himself a "hard-headed man of business" and boasts about "lower costs and higher prices." His famous claim that the Titanic is "absolutely unsinkable" shows how wrong the wealthy can be about their supposed superiority.
The Inspector's warning cuts right to the heart of Priestley's message: "they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish." This prophetic statement hints at the world wars that would punish society's selfishness.
Eric and Gerald's behaviour reveals the ugly truth about privileged men. Eric admits "I threatened to make a row" and was "half drunk and goggled eyed," whilst Gerald describes how someone "had wedged her into a corner with that obscene fat carcass of his."
Exam Tip: Notice how Priestley uses dramatic irony - the audience knows Mr Birling's predictions are wrong, making his arrogance seem even more foolish.
The play's moral message emerges through contrasting attitudes. Whilst Mr Birling sees people "all mixed up together like bees in a hive" as a problem, Sheila recognises "these girls aren't cheap labour, they're people."

A Christmas Carol Essential Quotes
Scrooge's initial coldness is captured perfectly in Dickens' description: "solitary as an oyster" and "as dead as a door-nail." His miserly nature shows in classics like "Bah! Humbug!" and his cruel question "What reason do you have to be merry? You're poor?"
The supernatural elements create a haunting atmosphere. Marley's Ghost warns "I wear the chains I forged in life," built "link by link, yard by yard." The phantoms "slowly, gravely, silently approached" whilst "devils lurked and glared out menacing."
Scrooge's transformation is remarkable by the final stave. He becomes "light as a feather, happy as an angel" and "merry as a schoolboy." His promise "I'll raise your salary and endeavour to assist your struggling family" shows genuine change.
Remember: The five staves mirror the structure of a Christmas carol, with Scrooge's journey from spiritual death to rebirth.
Social criticism appears throughout, from Scrooge's heartless "decrease the surplus population" to the touching description of the Cratchit's Christmas: "it was a small pudding for a large family."

Power and Conflict Poetry Quotes
"Ozymandias" demolishes the myth of lasting power through vivid imagery. The "trunkless legs of stone" and "half sunk, a shattered visage lies" from an "antique land" show how even mighty rulers crumble to dust.
"London" exposes urban suffering with Blake's "chartered Thames" and the devastating "marks of weakness, marks of woe." The powerful image of blood running "down palace walls" connects royal luxury with common people's pain.
"Remains" brings modern conflict home with brutal honesty. The soldier describes someone "probably armed, possibly not" and carries "his bloody life in my bloody hands," showing how war trauma haunts veterans.
Analysis Focus: Notice how poets use contrasts - Ozymandias' former power versus present ruin, London's wealth versus poverty.
"War Photographer" captures the ethics of documenting suffering. "In his darkroom he is finally alone" with "a hundred agonies in black-and-white," whilst somewhere else "running children in a nightmare heat" face real terror.

Romeo and Juliet Crucial Quotes
The family feud drives everything in this tragedy. The "ancient grudge" creates "star-crossed lovers" whose love is "death-marked" from the very Prologue. Tybalt's hatred blazes through "Peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee!"
Romeo's passionate nature shows in both love and violence. He calls Juliet "the sun" but also engages in the brawl where Mercutio curses "A plague o' both your houses!" The Prince's warning proves true: "your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
Parental control crushes young love, with Lord Capulet's fury: "Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!" contrasting sharply with his earlier tenderness: "Come, come, my child, my only life." Lady Capulet pushes marriage: "the valiant Paris seeks you for his love."
Theme Alert: Shakespeare explores how ancient hatred destroys innocent love, making the young pay for their elders' mistakes.
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