Explore key quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby. This collection highlights significant moments, themes, and character insights throughout the story. Ideal for students and literature enthusiasts, these quotes capture the essence of the Jazz Age and the American Dream. Delve into the complexities of love, wealth, and morality as depicted through the eyes of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Perfect for essay writing, discussions, or personal reflection.

Key Points

  • Features memorable quotes from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Highlights themes of love, ambition, and the American Dream.
  • Includes character insights from Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.
  • Perfect for literature students and essay preparation.
newtopiccyclegrowin
Author:F. Scott Fitzgerald
5 pages
Language:English
Type:Book Summary
Literature
newtopiccyclegrowin
Author:F. Scott Fitzgerald
5 pages
Language:English
Type:Book Summary
Literature
66
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The Great Gatsby Quotes
*All page numbers listed first are for the paperback, Scribner books.*
*All page numbers listed second are for the hardcover blue/gray books.*
Chapter 1
―Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven‘t had the advantages
that you‘ve had‖ (1, 1).
―In consequence, I‘m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also
made me the victim of not a few veteran bores…Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid
of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the
fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth‖ (1-2, 1).
―All right…I‘m glad it‘s a girl. And I hope she‘ll be a fool – that‘s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little
fool‖ (17, 17).
―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. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far
way, that might have been the end of a dock‖ (21, 21-22).
Chapter 2
―This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens;
where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men
who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air…the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and
stir up an impenetrable cloud‖ (23, 23).
―But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the
eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg‖ (23, ?).
―With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so
remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur‖ (30, 30-31).
―Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie‖ (33, ?).
―Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in impassioned voices
whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy‘s name‖ (37, 37).
Chapter 3
―I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby‘s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited‖ (41,
41).
―Absolutely real – have pages and everything. I thought they‘d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact they‘re
absolutely real. Pages and—here! Lemme show you‖
―He smiled understandingly – much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal
reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced – or seemed to face – the whole eternal
world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as
far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had
precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey‖ (48, 48).
―I see I have given the impression that the events…were all that absorbed me. On the contrary, they were merely casual
events in a crowded summer, and, until much later, they absorbed me infinitely less than my personal affairs‖ (55-56, ?).
―Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people
that I have ever known‖ (59, 60).
Chapter 4
―He‘s a bootlegger…One time he killed a man who had found out that he…‖ (61, ?)
―He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand‖
(64, 64).
―He looked at me sideways – and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying…‖ (65)
―She took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball, and only let me leave it in the soap-dish when she
saw that is was coming to pieces like snow‖ (76, ?).
Chapter 5
―Well, this would interest you. It wouldn‘t take up much of your time and you might pick up a nice bit of money. It
happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing‖ (83, 83).
―But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of
exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room‖ (89, 90).
―It makes me sad because I‘ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before‖ (92, 93-94).
―If it wasn‘t for the mist we could see you home across the bay…You always have a green light that burns all night at the
end of your dock‖ (92, ?).
―He seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light
had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near
to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock.
His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one‖ (93, 94).
―They had forgotten me, but Daisy glanced up and held out her hand; Gatsby didn‘t know me now at all. I looked once
more at them and they looked back at me, remotely, possessed by intense life‖ (96, 97).
Chapter 6
―I wonder where in the devil he met Daisy. By God, I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too
much these days to suit me. They meet all kinds of crazy fish‖ (103, 104).
―Tom was evidently perturbed at Daisy‘s running around alone, for on the following Saturday night he came with her to
Gatsby‘s party‖ (103-104, 105).
―He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‗I never loved you.‘ After she had obliterated
four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken‖ (109, 111).
―‗Can‘t repeat the past?‘ he cried incredulously. ‗Why of course you can!‘ He looked around him wildly, as if the past
were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. ‗I‘m going to fix everything just the way it was
before,‘ he said, nodding determinedly. ‗She‘ll see‘‖ (110, 111).
―He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that
had gone into loving Daisy‖ (110, 111).
Chapter 7
―Gatsby has dismissed every servant in his house a week ago and replaced them with half a dozen others…‗I wanted
somebody who wouldn‘t gossip. Daisy comes over quite often – in the afternoons‘‖ (113-114, 113-114).
―‗Her voice is full of money‘…That was it. I‘d never understood before. It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible
charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals‘ song of it…High in a white palace the king‘s daughter, the
golden girl…‖ (120, 120).
―‗She never loved you, do you hear?‖ he cried. ‗She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting
for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!‘‖ (130, 131).
―I found out what your‘ ‗drug-stores‘ were…He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in
Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That‘s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first
time I saw him, and I wasn‘t far wrong…That drug-store business was just small change…but you‘ve got something on
now that Walter‘s afraid to tell me about‖ (133-134, 134).
―You two start on home, Daisy…In Mr. Gatsby‘s car…Go on. He won‘t annoy you. I think he realizes that his
presumptuous little flirtation is over‖ (135, 135-136).
Chapter 8
―I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about and morning would be too late‖ (147, 147).
―He wouldn‘t consider it. He couldn‘t possible leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at
some last hope and I couldn‘t bear to shake him free‖ (148, 148).
―It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy – it increased her value in his eyes‖ (149, 148).
―She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby – nothing. He felt married to her, that was all‖
(149, 149).
―Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of
many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor‖ (150, 150).
―‗They‘re a rotten crowd…You‘re worth the whole damn bunch put together.‘ I‘ve always been glad I said that. It was
the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end‖ (154, 154).
―I told her she might be able to fool me but she couldn‘t fool God. I took her to the window…and I said ‗God knows what
you‘ve been doing, everything you‘ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can‘t fool God!‘…he was looking at the eyes
of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night‖ (159, 160).
―No phone message arrived…I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn‘t believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer
cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a
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FAQs

What does Gatsby's green light symbolize in the novel?
In *The Great Gatsby*, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future. It represents his desire to reunite with Daisy and the idealized version of his past with her. As the story progresses, Gatsby realizes that the green light, once a beacon of his aspirations, has lost its significance. The light becomes just a distant object, illustrating the unattainable nature of his dreams and the illusion of the American Dream itself.
How does Fitzgerald explore the theme of illusion versus reality?
Fitzgerald explores the theme of illusion versus reality throughout *The Great Gatsby* by contrasting the glamorous lives of the wealthy with the underlying emptiness and corruption. The characters, particularly Gatsby, present an illusion of success and happiness, but their realities are filled with deceit and moral decay. The novel suggests that the American Dream is often an illusion, as the pursuit of wealth and status leads to disillusionment and tragedy. This theme is encapsulated in Gatsby's tragic end, where his dreams ultimately lead to his downfall.
What is the significance of the valley of ashes in the story?
The valley of ashes in *The Great Gatsby* serves as a stark contrast to the opulence of East Egg and West Egg. It symbolizes the moral and social decay resulting from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth. The imagery of ashes and the 'ash-gray men' reflects the loss of the American Dream for many, highlighting the disparity between the rich and the poor. This desolate landscape underscores the consequences of greed and the emptiness that can accompany material success.
How does the character of Daisy Buchanan embody the theme of wealth and carelessness?
Daisy Buchanan embodies the theme of wealth and carelessness in *The Great Gatsby*. Her character is portrayed as beautiful and charming, yet deeply flawed and superficial. She represents the elite class's irresponsibility, as seen in her actions following Gatsby's death, where she retreats into her wealth, leaving chaos in her wake. Fitzgerald critiques the moral decay of the wealthy through Daisy, illustrating how her privileged lifestyle leads to a lack of accountability and genuine human connection.
What is the role of the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg in the novel?
The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg serve as a powerful symbol in *The Great Gatsby*, representing the idea of an omniscient observer. Positioned on a billboard overlooking the valley of ashes, they are often interpreted as the eyes of God watching over the moral decay of society. Characters in the novel, particularly George Wilson, see these eyes as a form of judgment, reflecting their own guilt and despair. This symbolism emphasizes the themes of moral decay and the search for meaning in a world driven by materialism.
What does Gatsby's belief about repeating the past reveal about his character?
Gatsby's belief that he can repeat the past reveals his deep-seated idealism and inability to confront reality. He clings to the hope that he can restore his relationship with Daisy to its former glory, believing that he can fix everything just as it was before. This desire illustrates his obsession with the past and highlights one of the novel's central themes: the futility of trying to recapture lost time. Gatsby's tragic flaw is his inability to let go of his dreams, ultimately leading to his downfall.
How does Fitzgerald portray the American Dream in the novel?
Fitzgerald portrays the American Dream in *The Great Gatsby* as an illusion that is ultimately unattainable. Through characters like Gatsby, who amasses wealth in pursuit of love and acceptance, the novel critiques the idea that success and happiness are guaranteed by material wealth. The characters' experiences reveal that the American Dream is corrupted by greed and moral decay, leading to disillusionment. The tragic outcomes for Gatsby and others underscore the notion that the pursuit of the American Dream can lead to destruction rather than fulfillment.

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