Happy endings are the best endings, right? Not necessarily. Although the typical stories of a princess meeting a prince and the inevitable happily ever after are classic stories, some of the best stories are poignant, sad, and even heartbreaking.
There's a reason why most of these novels are widely accepted masterpiece. There's something about them that just makes our chests tighten, causes us to close our eyes, and forces us to whisper, "Wow." Your heart is heavy, but it doesn't feel strange. You feel like you've gone through an unforgettable, introspective journey that you can't possibly explain to anyone else.
So, without further ado, here are 29 of the most bittersweet, yet truly beautiful, quotes that I have ever come across in literature.
1. "We shall meet in a place where there is no darkness."
"1984" by George Orwell
2.
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. "The horror! The horror!"
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad
4.
"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte
5. "People never notice anything."
"Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
6. "I have to admit, an unrequited love is so much better than a real one. I mean it's perfect ... As long as something is never started, you never have to worry about it ending. It has endless potential."
"The Truth About Forever" by Sarah Dessen
7.
"1984" by George Orwell
8.
"Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky
9. "So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."
"Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky
10. "His cold eyes stared at me. At last he said wearily: 'I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.'"
"Night" by Elie Wiesel
11.
"If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
12.
"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery
13. "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
"Animal Farm" by George Orwell
14. "We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?"
"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
15. "You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself."
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
16. "I considered her my ally, because like me, she was imperfect."
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
17.
"Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Caroll
18. "Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?"
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
19. "Can't repeat the past? ...Why of course you can!"
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
20. "Pop, I'm nothing! I'm nothing, Pop. Can't you understand that? There's no spite in it anymore. I'm just what I am, that's all."
"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller
21.
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
22. "The more knowledge I gain, the more adult I feel. I never got this chance to become an adult."
"A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard
23.
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
24. "Lennie begged, 'Le's get that place now.' 'Sure right now. I gotta. We gotta.'"
"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
25. "Are you happy?"
"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
26.
"1984" by George Orwell
27. "Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. Fervently for a year she had prayed. Although somewhat discouraged, she was not without hope. To have something as wonderful as that would take a long, long time."
"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
28.
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak
29. "These violent delights have violent ends."
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare
