15 Little Women Quotes
From Jo's opening grumble about Christmas to Amy learning to sail her ship: the March family in their own words, checked against the text.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868) is in the public domain. Every quote here is copied from the original text, with who says it, so you can use it with confidence.
Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents.
I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship.
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.
Love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy.
Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.
I like good strong words that mean something.
I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.
Don't try to make me grow up before my time, Meg. It's hard enough to have you change all of a sudden. Let me be a little girl as long as I can.
I do think that families are the most beautiful things in all the world!
Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing, but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for.
Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.
Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for everyone. It keeps us from ennui and mischief, is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion.
When you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful.
It takes two flints to make a fire.
Housekeeping ain't no joke.
Reading Little Women? Save the lines you love as you go, with the free Parch app.
Not in the book
Famous lines people credit to Little Women that aren't in the novel.
“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts…”
Jo's speech in Greta Gerwig's 2019 film. It was written for the film and isn't in the novel.
Save the lines that stop you mid-page
Reading Little Women? Parch keeps every quote attached to the book it came from, scans a line straight from the page, and turns any of them into a card to share. Free on iPhone and Android.
Questions about Little Women quotes
What is the first line of Little Women?
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled by Jo as she lies on the rug in the opening chapter.
Who says "I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship"?
Amy March, near the end of the novel, talking about her marriage to Laurie.
Is "Women, they have minds and they have souls" from the book?
No. It is from Jo's speech in the 2019 film directed by Greta Gerwig. It sounds like Alcott, but it was written for the screen.
What does Beth say about love?
Near the end of her illness she tells Jo that "love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy."