50 Iconic Great Gatsby Quotes That Still Hit Hard Today

Introduction

Quotes have the power to distill complex emotions, lessons, and energy into a single line that can pivot your mood or mindset. The Great Gatsby is full of such lines — sharp, elegiac, hopeful, and cautionary — that inspire ambition, warn against excess, and celebrate longing. Use these quotes when you need a push to keep going, a reminder of what matters, or a poetic nudge to reflect: for social captions, journal prompts, speeches, morning boosts, or quiet evenings of thought.

Motivational quotes

• "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
• "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Inspirational quotes

• "He smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Her voice is full of money." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Life wisdom quotes

• "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "They're careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat..." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams — not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Success & ambition quotes

• "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him..." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams..." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "He had come a long way to this lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "We drove on toward death through the cooling twilight." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Love & longing quotes

• "I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" — F. Scott Fitzgerald (on second chances and longing)
• "He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "There was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself that had gone into loving Daisy." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Daily inspiration quotes

• "I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "They're a rotten crowd... You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." — F. Scott Fitzgerald (a reminder to guard what matters)
• "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope." — F. Scott Fitzgerald (a daily practice for compassion)

Conclusion

A single line can reframe your day, steady your resolve, or remind you of the human truths that endure. The Great Gatsby’s language does that in spades — equal parts beauty and warning. Keep a few of these quotes handy: let them be prompts for action, reflection, or comfort, and watch how small reframings gradually transform your mindset and daily life.