25 Best Great Gatsby Quotes That Still Break Your Heart

Introduction

Quotes have the power to stop us in our tracks, to strip an emotion down to its raw core, and to remind us of what matters. The Great Gatsby is full of lines that inspire, caution, and haunt — perfect for moments when you need courage, clarity, or a little poetic truth. Use these quotes to lift your spirits, to reflect on choices, to caption a photo, or simply to sit with beautiful language that still breaks your heart.

Motivational quotes

• "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us." — The Great Gatsby
• "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" — The Great Gatsby
• "His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." — The Great Gatsby
• "He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy." — The Great Gatsby
• "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." — The Great Gatsby

Inspirational quotes

• "He smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it." — The Great Gatsby
• "I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." — The Great Gatsby
• "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." — The Great Gatsby
• "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." — The Great Gatsby
• "It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy — it increased her value in his eyes." — The Great Gatsby

Life wisdom quotes

• "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since." — The Great Gatsby
• "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." — The Great Gatsby
• "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." — The Great Gatsby
• "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money..." — The Great Gatsby
• "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity." — The Great Gatsby
• "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." — The Great Gatsby

Success & Ambition quotes

• "He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life." — The Great Gatsby
• "Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn..." — The Great Gatsby
• "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." — The Great Gatsby
• "So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight." — The Great Gatsby

Love & Heartbreak quotes

• "I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." — The Great Gatsby
• "They're a rotten crowd... You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." — The Great Gatsby
• "Her voice is full of money." — The Great Gatsby
• "You can't repeat the past." — The Great Gatsby
• "Daisy tumbled short of his dreams — not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." — The Great Gatsby
• "It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it." — The Great Gatsby

Daily reflection & short lines

• "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." — The Great Gatsby
• "I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." — The Great Gatsby
• "This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens." — The Great Gatsby
• "They're a rotten crowd." — The Great Gatsby

Conclusion

Quotes from The Great Gatsby condense longing, hope, regret, and ambition into a few unforgettable words. Keep them on your phone, post them where you’ll see them, or share them when a friend needs perspective. The right line at the right moment can shift your thinking, steady your heart, and turn ordinary days into moments of meaning.