Louisa May Alcott Quotes

“A real gentleman is as polite to a little girl as to a woman.”

“Because they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, and though I think I’ve a right to be hurt, I don’t intend to show it.”

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”

“I believe that it is as much a right and duty for women to do something with their lives as for men and we are not going to be satisfied with such frivolous parts as you give us.”

“I like good strong words that mean something.”

“It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them.”

“Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.”

“Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!”

“Nothing is impossible to a determined woman.”

“Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us – and those around us – more effectively. Look for the learning.”

“Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.”

“The emerging woman will be strong-minded, strong-hearted, strong-souled, and strong-bodied. Strength and beauty must go together.”

“The humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.”

“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”

“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”

“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.”

“Be worthy love, and love will come.”

“Don't try to make me grow up before my time…”

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

“I want to do something splendid... something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.”

“I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.”

“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”

“Let us be elegant or die!”

“Love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.”

“Love is a great beautifier.”

“Never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.”

“Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow…”

“You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one… if he’s the right one.”

“Human minds are more full of mysteries than any written book and more changeable than the cloud shapes in the air.”