Little Women Quotes

I never had a particularly strong craving to procreate, except for earlier fantasies of wanting to be Marmee in Little Women. ~ Anne Lamott

I find it poor logic to say that because women are good, women should vote. Men do not vote because they are good; they vote because they are male, and women should vote, not because we are angels and men are animals, but because we are human beings and citizens of this country. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Under the dolls were books, a dozen or so, that her mother must have grabbed at random; she wouldn't have known which were Eleanor's favorites. Eleanor was glad to see Garp and Watership Down. It sucked that Oliver's Story had made the cut, but Love Story hadn't. And Little Men was there, but not Little Women or Jo's Boys. ~ Rainbow Rowell

As girls gravitate to more contemporary fare and away from Little Women, they are missing a lot. Today's successors to Little Women seem to have overlooked two of the most important themes of Alcott's classic: companionate marriage and sisterhood. And many of them are missing the central premise altogether, namely that growing up means becoming a better person, one who can balance her own needs and desires with those of the people she loves. ~ Anne Boyd Rioux

The structure of 'March' was laid down for me before the first line was written, because my character has to exist within Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women' plotline. ~ Geraldine Brooks

Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queen's on thrones, without self-respect and peace. ~ Louisa May Alcott

I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them. ~ Louisa May Alcott

... the day had been both unprofitable and unsatisfactory, and he was wishing he could live it over again. ~ Louisa May Alcott

A man assumes that a woman's refusal is just part of a game. Or, at any rate, a lot of men assume that. When a man says no, it's no. When a woman says no, it's yes, or at least maybe. There is even a joke to that effect. And little by little, women begin to believe in this view of themselves. ~ Erica Jong

Okay, bye, ladies!" Susan said, waving to Emma and me as we left her house. "Remember, in two weeks make sure you've read Fifty Shades of Grey! And bring notes!" I waved goodbye to everyone. By the end of the night, we hadn't spoken one word about Little Women, but I felt extremely belittled by these women. ~ Brittainy C. Cherry

I wish I had no heart, it aches so… ~ Louisa May Alcott

I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman; and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience.
Marmee
Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott

Then there were her childhood book: Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, What Katy did next, Pollyanna - stories about girls who were good. All Pollyanna had ever done wrong was ruin her parasol. Beth in Little Women was so perfect she was only fit for heaven. Why were girls in novels exemplary, almost saintly? Grace preferred adventure stories, histories and romances about what to do if you were damned and female, tales about women who were kind, likeable and believable, who escaped unpunished. No thin Quakers with lace caps. No beatific consumptives coughing delicately. No unloved, eternally jolly orphans. Grace craved books about girls like herself: good women, normal women in a world bigger and more powerful than themselves. ~ Wendy Jones

Woman's rights should come by evolution, and not by revolution. I want a little woman's right tried first, and then, if the experience is bad, we can go back on our track; if good, forward. ~ Joseph Cook

Perhaps Louisa didn't need to detail what Marmee is so angry about nearly every day of her life. To be a woman is to know anger. To be underestimated, treated as inferior, have one's concerns classified as minor, to do all the work and receive none of the glory--how could one not feel angry? And yet in order to be a good woman who stands a chance at being loved and accepted, back then and still very much so now, one has to learn, as Marmee advises Jo, not to show it, even better not to feel it. Anger in a woman runs the risk of being pathologized, penalized, criminalized. A woman is supposed to bear the violence of patriarchy--both the bloody and the bloodless forms--with unflappable cheeriness (p.66) ~ Jenny Zhang

Marvelously entertaining, Gabrielle Donnellys The Little Women Letters evokes the spirit of Louisa May Alcotts Little Women with warmth and affection. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this wonderful book. ~ Jennifer Chiaverini

My husband has no more consideration for me than a dog, she said. He goes off and screws little girls with the other men and we sit home like good little women and wash their shirts and pack their bags for their sex trips. We keep their houses warm and clean for when they're ready to come home and shower off some other woman's perfume before tucking their children into bed. For years I've pretended I don't know where he goes, or who those girls are on the phone, but every time he comes home, I lie there in bed beside my husband, who doesn't touch me, who doesn't talk to me, who doesn't love me, and I pretend I can't smell some twenty-year-old's body on him ~ Grady Hendrix

... I can't help seeing that you are very lonely, and sometimes there is a hungry look in your eyes that goes to my heart. ~ Louisa May Alcott

After the dark I shall live again, and there will be women. The future holds the little women for me in the lives I am yet to live. And though the stars drift, and the heavens lie, ever remains woman, resplendent, eternal, the one woman, as I, under all my masquerades and misadventures, am the one man, her mate ~ Jack London

I remember realizing, when I did Little Women [1994], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was always boys - from David Copperfield to Lord of the Flies to Holden Caulfield. There were never young women going through adolescence or teen years; there were only little girls. ~ Winona Ryder

Ah! Thou gifest me such hope and courage, and I haf nothing to gif back but a full heart and these empty hands," cried the Professor, quite overcome.
Jo never, never would learn to be proper, for when he said that as they stood upon the steps, she just put both hands into his, whispering tenderly, "Not empty now," and, stooping down, kissed her Friedrich under the umbrella. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to describe ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

He was neither rich nor great, young nor handsome, - in no respect what is called fascinating, imposing or brilliant; and yet he was as attractive as a genial fire, and people seemed to gather about him as naturally as about a warm hearth. ~ Louisa May Alcott

The dirt is picturesque, so I don't mind. ~ Louisa May Alcott

I guess I'm the queen of the Web series. Yeah, right. I'm not at all. I'm on 'Leap Year,' and previously I've done 'Supermoms' and now AOL's 'Little Women, Big Cars.' That supposedly did very well. ~ Julie Warner

The Adventures of Dickson McCunn, Adam Bede, Eric or Little by Little, these and many others, old and new, good bad and indifferent were grist to Duggie's mill. He found a novel by Rhoda Broughton entitled Not Wisely But Too Well and read it all through. He read an abridged version of Robinson Crusoe, and Under Two Flags and Coral Island with equal concentration. He read Little Women and Wuthering Heights. Cheyney he found difficult, for the people seemed to speak an unfamiliar language, but he struggled on manfully all the same. Needless ~ D.E. Stevenson

I have nothing to give but my heart so full and these empty hands."
"They're not empty now. ~ Louisa May Alcott

I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an "engaged" on the door and get into my nice red bath robe and furry slippers and pile all the cushions behind me on the couch, and light the brass student lamp at my elbow, and read and read and read. One book isn't enough. I have four going at once. Just now, they're Tennyson's poems and "Vanity Fair" and Kipling's "Plain Tales" and - don't laugh - "Little Women." I find that I am the only girl in college who wasn't brought up on "Little Women." I haven't told anybody though (that would stamp me as queer). I just quietly went and bought it with $1.12 of my last month's allowance; and the next time somebody mentions pickled limes, I'll know what she is talking about! ~ Jean Webster

Life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Well, I am happy, and I won't fret, but it does seem as if the more one gets the more one wants ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

Wart hogs should sue for libel. It is a terrible name and they are fine fellows and devoted family men and it is rare to see one by himself; the little woman and the kiddies are usually close at hand. ~ Ilka Chase

Well, yeah! Now they're considered golden oldies, which is awesome. I was watching Little Women recently, and I didn't want to get up for fear of missing something. And Heathers is like my own Rocky Horror Picture Show; I recite the lines when it's on. It may seem odd, but I think it's because they're really good movies. ~ Winona Ryder

Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

The book "Little Women," what, is that about midgets? I freaking love midgets. ~ Jarod Kintz

... she'll go and fall in love, and there's an end of peace and fun, and cozy times together. ~ Louisa May Alcott

... marriage, they say, halves one's rights and doubles one's duties. ~ Louisa May Alcott

The clocks were striking midnight and the rooms were very still as a figure glided quietly from bed to bed, smoothing a coverlid here, settling a pillow there, and pausing to look long and tenderly at each unconscious face, to kiss each with lips that mutely blessed, and to pray the fervent prayers which only mothers utter. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Never let the sun go down upon your anger. ~ Roger N. Walsh

If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that's all that you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind: Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage. These are the things I cherish so in you. I so wish I could give my girls a more just world. But I know you'll make it a better place.
Marmee, Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott

…nothing seemed impossible in the beginning… ~ Louisa May Alcott

I'm afraid I couldn't like him without a spice of human naughtiness. ~ Louisa May Alcott

He was a faithful servant, and made himself so valuable to those who employed him that they will find it hard to fill his place. He was a good husband and father, so tender, wise, and thoughtful, that Laurie and I learned much of him, and only knew how well he loved his family, when we discovered all he had done for them, unsuspected and unassisted. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Why become well-versed in science and the arts if not to impress a lovely little woman? ~ Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch

Anne of Green Gables was cuddled up next to Huckleberry Finn; The Hunchback of Notre Dame was wedged tightly between Heidi and Little Women; and Nicholas Nickleby leaned in a familiar way against A Girl of the Limberlost. None of the books were in alphabetical order, which made it necessary to cock my head sideways to read each one of the spines. By the end of the third shelf I had begun to realize why librarians are sometimes able to achieve such pinnacles of crankiness: It's because they're in agony. If only publishers could be persuaded, I thought, to stamp all book titles horizontally instead of vertically, a great deal of unpleasantness could be avoided all round. ~ Alan Bradley

Oh, Jo. Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? You're ready to go out and – and find a good use for your talent. Tho' I don't know what I shall do without my Jo. Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it. ~ Louisa May Alcott

The first book I really loved was 'Little Women' - I'd have given anything for Beth to have been allowed to live; I remember crying very much over her death, trying to make the words change just by staring at them. I loved 'Anne of Green Gables,' too; 'What Katy Did;' and 'Peter Pan.' ~ Helen Oyeyemi

I hate ordinary people! ~ Louisa May Alcott

By Jove, it's great! Walk along the streets on some spring morning. The little women, daintily tripping along, seem to blossom out like flowers. What a delightful, charming sight! The dainty perfume of violet is everywhere. The city is gay, and everybody notices the women. By Jove, how tempting they are in their light, thin dresses, which occasionally give one a glimpse of the delicate pink flesh beneath!

"One saunters along, head up, mind alert, and eyes open. I tell you it's great! You see her in the distance, while still a block away; you already know that she is going to please you at closer quarters. You can recognize her by the flower on her hat, the toss of her head, or her gait. She approaches, and you say to yourself: 'Look out, here she is!' You come closer to her and you devour her with your eyes.

"Is it a young girl running errands for some store, a young woman returning from church, or hastening to see her lover? What do you care? Her well-rounded bosom shows through the thin waist. Oh, if you could only take her in your arms and fondle and kiss her! Her glance may be timid or bold, her hair light or dark. What difference does it make? She brushes against you, and a cold shiver runs down your spine. Ah, how you wish for her all day! How many of these dear creatures have I met this way, and how wildly in love I would have been had I known them more intimately.

"Have you ever noticed that the ones we would love the most distractedly ~ Guy De Maupassant

I am amazed how little women cry nowadays, and then apologetically. I worry when shame or disuse begins to steal away such a natural function. To be a flowering tree and to be moist is essential, otherwise you will break. Crying is good, it is right. It does not cure dilemma, but it enables the process to continue instead of collapsing. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

[To Oleg Cassini:] Just make sure no one has exactly the same dress I do ... I want all of mine to be original & no fat little woman hopping around in the same dress. ~ Jackie Kennedy

My first and most loved real novel was 'Little Women.' I identified with the Jo character even though we were opposites. Jo was very strong-minded and brave, and I was shy and kind of a wuss, everyplace but in my own home. I wanted to be Jo. She was my alter ego. I think reading that book gave me courage. ~ Rhea Perlman

(Theodore) Roosevelt confessed early fascination with "girls'stories" such as Little Man and Little Women and An Old-Fashioned Girl. ~ Doris Kearns Goodwin

Let the world know you are alive! ~ Abigail May Alcott

Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it. ~ Louisa May Alcott

There's only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today's society. Sometimes we are too machistas and we don't allow enough space to women. But women can see things from a different angle to us, with a different eye. Women are able to pose questions we men are unable to understand. Look out for this fact: she is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer. She couldn't put it into words but expressed it with tears. ~ Pope Francis

... often between ourselves and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is very hard to overcome. ~ Louisa May Alcott

By the time the lecture ended and the audience awoke, she had built up a splendid fortune for herself (not the first founded on paper) ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

Never take advice! ~ Louisa May Alcott

To the great delight of two ducks, four cats, five hens and half a dozen Irish children; for they were out of the city for now. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Love will make you show your heart someday... ~ Louisa May Alcott

To Jo's lively fancy, this fine house seemed a kind of enchanted palace, full of splendors and delights which no one enjoyed. She had long wanted to behold these hidden glories, and to know the "Laurence boy," who looked as if he would like to be known, if he only ever knew how to begin. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Never mind. Little girls shouldn't ask questions,' returned Jo sharply.
Now if there is anything mortifying to our feelings when we are young, it is to be told that; and to be bidden to 'run away, dear' is still more trying to us. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Who are your heroes?" asked Jo.
"Grandfather and Napoleon. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Smiling face of every little girl is the signature of God's presence. ~ Amit Ray

Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort that is. ~ Louisa May Alcott

I thought of all the summer evenings I'd spent sitting in the chairs under the trees beside the trailer, reading books that helped me escape Creek View, at least for a little while. Magical kingdoms, Russian love triangles, and the March sisters couldn't have been further away from the trailer park. ~ Heather Demetrios

... Jo valued the letter more than the money, because it was encouraging, and after years of effort it was so pleasant to find that she had learned to do something ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

... tomorrow was her birthday, and she was thinking how fast the years went by, how old she was getting, and how little she seemed to have accomplished. Almost twenty-five and nothing to show for it. ~ Louisa May Alcott

You men tell us we are angels, and say we can make you what we will; but the instant we honestly try to do you good, you laugh at us, and won't listen. which proves how much your flattery is worth. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Don't try to make me grow up before my time… ~ Louisa May Alcott

Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to keep a secret ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

Is that my boy?'
As sure as this is my girl! ~ Louisa May Alcott

They always looked back before turning the corner, for their mother was always at the window to nod and smile, and wave her hand to them. Somehow it seemed as if they couldn't have got through the day without that, for whatever their mood might be, the last glimpse of that motherly face was sure to affect them like sunshine. ~ Louisa May Alcott

To think of the part one little woman can play in the life of a man, so that to renounce her may be a very good imitation of heroism, and to win her may be a discipline. ~ George Eliot

... because talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing. ~ Louisa May Alcott

... on some occasions, women, like dreams, go by contraries. ~ Louisa May Alcott

There was a good deal of laughing, and kissing, and explaining, in the simple, loving fashion which makes these home festivals so pleasant at the time, so sweet to remember long afterward, then all fell to work.
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott ~ Louisa May Alcott

I'm not like the rest of you; I never made any plans about what I'd do when I grew up; I never thought of being married, as you did. I couldn't seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about at home, of no use anywhere but there. I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is leaving you all. I'm not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven. ~ Louisa May Alcott

You don't need scores of suitors. You need only one ... if he's the right one. ~ Louisa May Alcott

His radicalism took many forms. A vegetarian, he founded a commune, Fruitlands, so extreme in its Utopianism that members neither wore wool nor used animal manures, as both were considered property of the beasts from which they came. One reason the venture failed in its first winter was that when canker worms got into the apple crop, the nonviolent Fruitlanders refused to take measures to kill them. The Mr. March of Little Women departs from Bronson Alcott's biography in many important respects. Bronson was an educator, not a minister of religion (he is credited with inventing the concept of recess, and also for attempting one of the first racially integrated classrooms). ~ Geraldine Brooks

One of my favorite films is 1994's 'Little Women', with Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst. ~ Kara Hayward

I just wish I got a quarter every time someone clicks on 'Little Women, Big Cars.' We had a 125-page script for this show. We used the creator's house to shoot. But it's expensive to do these shows. They're eventually not going to be able to get the quality of actors. ~ Julie Warner

I don't believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we do, in spite of our burned hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight slippers that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them. ~ Louisa May Alcott

A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but remind them that while we wait we may all work, so these hard days need not be wasted. I know they will remember all I said to them, that they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women. ~ Louisa May Alcott

I am lonely, sometimes, but I dare say it's good for me ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

When I was a kid I adored Katharine Hepburn, especially when she played Jo, the ballsy sister in Little Women. All the kids in school started calling me "Jo." I also loved Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Sheridan, Bette Davis, Claire Trevor - I didn't know them but after seeing them in so many movies, I felt like I knew them. They weren't feminists, they were just strong women, and I always admired anyone who had some guts. All those sweet, quiet, polite, ladylike little things just bored me to death. Back then there were so many wonderful women's stories being filmed, and so many strong actresses. But by the time I started doing movies they were mostly making men's stories. It has always saddened me that I never got to work with directors like George Cukor and William Wyler, directors who could really pull such marvelous performances from actresses." - Jane Russell ~ Ray Hagen

What lady do you think prettiest?" Said Sallie.
"Margaret."
"Which do you like the best?"
"Jo, of course."
"What silly questions you ask!" and Jo gave a disdainful shrug as the rest laughed at Laurie's matter-of-fact tone ~ Louisa May Alcott

Then I read Little Women, and of course, like a lot of really young girls, I was very taken with Jo - Jo being the writer and the misfit. ~ Patti Smith

When we make little sacrifices we like to have them appreciated, at least ... ~ Louisa May Alcott

... she was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star. ~ Louisa May Alcott

... Jo loved a few persons very dearly and dreaded to have their affection lost or lessened in any way. ~ Louisa May Alcott

Men are cowards when it comes to the "eternally feminine": and the little women know it. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

The natures of men and women are very mixed and for me the most fascinating type of woman is the one who is a little masculine, has a little of the man in her, and the sort of man who is fabulous is the one who is a little woman too. It's impossible not to mix them! ~ Sonia Rykiel

Dear me! how happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries! ~ Louisa May Alcott

They have rejected that power and sought to convince women of the exact opposite, that they are powerless. ~ Frederick Lenz

The trouble with organizing a thing is that pretty soon folks get to paying more attention to the organization than to what they're organized for. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

My most cherished desire is to help our women come out of their routine chores and infuse in them the indefatigable spirit of adventure. ~ Samina Baig

After an epic search, I finally found something neither green nor fuzzy. It was a hot sausage link. I named it Peter, mostly because it seemed like the right thing to do. As soon as my java was piping hot I popped him into the microwave. hopefully the radioactive environment would sterilize Peter. No need to have little Peters running around, wreaking havoc. ~ Darynda Jones

She had courage enough, but little imagination; or she would not have forgotten joy, whatever the weight on her. ~ Robin McKinley