The Great Gatsby Quotes with Page Numbers

• In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. – Chapter 1, page 7
• Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. – Chapter 1, page 1
• Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had. – Chapter 1, page 1
• You can’t repeat the past. – Chapter 6, page 109
• So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. – Chapter 9, page 189
• I hope she’ll be a fool — that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. – Chapter 1, page 17
• There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired. – Chapter 4, page 69
• I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy. – Chapter 3, page 50
• I wasn’t actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity. – Chapter 1, page 9
• I married him because I thought he was a gentleman… I thought he knew something about breeding. – Chapter 2, page 34
• And I like being alone. Maybe loneliness is my specialty. – Chapter 2, page 51
• Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can! – Chapter 6, page 110
• He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it. – Chapter 1, page 8

Motivational Quotes from the Great Gatsby

• That’s my Middle West… the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark. – Chapter 1, page 8
• I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others, too. – Chapter 1, page 8
• He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand. – Chapter 1, page 10
• An Oxford man! Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit. – Chapter 4, page 65
• The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. – Chapter 1, page 18
• 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. – Chapter 1, page 17
• They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together. – Chapter 8, page 154
• He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles. – Chapter 3, page 50
• But you’re the one that wanted me to get some money. Your unreasonable family demands money, of all things. – Chapter 4, page 73
• 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. – Chapter 2, page 27
• Do you come to these parties often?The expression of pain left his face and coagulated into thought. – Chapter 3, page 48

Important Quotes Quotes from the Great Gatsby

• Her eyebrows had been plucked and then drawn on again at a more rakish angle but the efforts of nature toward the restoration of the old alignment gave a blurred air to her face. – Chapter 4, page 63
• No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart. – Chapter 5, page 97
• His determination to have Myrtle…was founded in nothing less solid than Gatsby’s romantic readiness. – Chapter 7, page 125
• She’s got an indiscreet voice… It’s full of — I hesitated. Her voice is full of money. – Chapter 7, page 127
• There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired. – Chapter 4, page 84
• You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me. – Chapter 4, page 82
• I’m thirty, I said. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor. – Chapter 5, page 91
• I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. – Chapter 6, page 117
• The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard–it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. – Chapter 1, page 5
• You’re revolting. Do you know why we left Chicago? I’m surprised they didn’t treat you to the story of that little spree. – Chapter 1, page 19

Best Great Gatsby Quotes

• You see, I think everything’s terrible anyhow… And I know. I’ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything. – Chapter 7, page 130
• You always look so cool, she repeated. She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. – Chapter 7, page 124
• Daisy, Daisy, Daisy! I’ll say it whenever I want to! – Chapter 7, page 125
• They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made. – Chapter 9, page 188
• They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together. – Chapter 8, page 160
• They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together. – Chapter 8, page 160
• And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes. – a fresh, green breast of the new world. – Chapter 5, page 91
• What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon?” cried Daisy, “and the day after that, and the next thirty years? – Chapter 7, page 130
• There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired. – Chapter 4, page 69
• He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles. – Chapter 3, page 50
• So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. – Chapter 9, page 189

FAQ The Great Gatsby Quotes with Page Numbers

How did Jay Gatsby’s perception of Daisy Buchanan influence his actions in Scott Fitzgerald’s novel?

Jay Gatsby’s view of Daisy Buchanan was deeply entwined with his ambitious dreams; he saw her as the embodiment of his desires and aspirations. His pursuit of Daisy was fueled by what he believed in the green light, representing his hopes and dreams across the bay from his mansion.

What is the significance of the phrase “must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams” in the context of the story?

This line highlights the critical realization that even during the intimate moments with Daisy, she could not live up to the idealized image that Gatsby had created. It reflects the colossal vitality of his illusion that Daisy represented something she could not possibly embody fully.

In “The Great Gatsby,” what does the green light symbolize for Jay Gatsby and how does it relate to his feelings for Daisy Buchanan?

The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of his idealized future, epitomized by Daisy Buchanan. It stands for his unyielding hope and the deep-seated belief that he can stretch out our arms farther and run faster to achieve his version of the American Dream, where he and Daisy can be together as he had once kissed this girl and aspired to be understood.

Can you discuss the metaphor “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” and its impact on the narrative?

This metaphor captures the essence of the elusive nature of Gatsby’s dreams. It conveys the idea that despite striving to stretch out our arms further and run faster, the dream eluded us, continually slipping away just as his perfect vision of life with Daisy remained out of reach.

What does Jordan Baker reveal about Daisy Buchanan’s character and her relationship with Jay Gatsby?

Jordan Baker provides insights that Daisy, despite the love she once had for Gatsby, is someone far more grounded in her present reality than the idealized future Gatsby envisions. She shares the detail that it must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy recognized the limits of their relationship, revealing the cracks in Gatsby’s grand dreams.

How does Scott Fitzgerald encapsulate Gatsby’s endless pursuit of his ideal in “The Great Gatsby”?

In one of the key quotes, Gatsby reflects on the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, saying it must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. This symbolizes the unreachable nature of his dreams, illustrating the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in his pursuit of what seemed very near yet ultimately eluded him.

What role does the green light play in the evolving relationship between Gatsby and Daisy?

The green light across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion is emblematic of his longing for Daisy, symbolizing both the physical and emotional distance between them. Gatsby’s dream of Daisy was a driving force in his life, always seeming close but just out of reach, a point underscored when he said to Daisy, “You always have a green light that burns at the end of your dock.”

How do Tom and Daisy’s actions reflect their character traits as described by Fitzgerald?

Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and then retreated behind their money or vast carelessness, leaving others to clean up the mess. This behavior reflects their inherent selfishness and disregard for the consequences of their actions, illustrating Fitzgerald’s critique of the moral decay among the elite.

In what ways does the phrase “must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” deepen our understanding of Gatsby’s motivations?

This phrase underscores the colossal vitality of Gatsby’s illusion—his dream of being with Daisy, which he pursued relentlessly. It highlights the tragic nature of his ambition, as it was a dream that, while seeming within reach, was always just beyond his grasp, thus driving his every action and decision.

Why is Nick’s judgment of Tom and Daisy significant in the novel?

Nick’s final judgment of Tom and Daisy is significant because it provides a moral framing of the story. He sees them as careless people who smash up things and others, and then retreat into their money. His assessment aligns with Fitzgerald’s critique of the upper class’s moral emptiness, underscoring a recurrent theme of ethical decay within the novel.