897 Quotes by Louisa May Alcott

I’m perfectly miserable; but if you consider me presentable, I die happy.

Being still too young to go often to the theater, and not rich enough to afford any great outlay for private performances, the girls put their wits to work, and necessity being the mother of invention, made whatever they needed.

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

When Laurie said ‘Good-by’, he whispered significantly, “It won’t do a bit of good, Jo. My eye is on you; so mind what you do, or I’ll come and bring you home.

I’ll behave like a Turveydrop see.

Rich people have no right to sit down and enjoy themselves, or let their money accumulate for others to waste. It’s not half so sensible to leave legacies when one dies as it is to use the money wisely while alive, and enjoy making one’s fellow creatures happy with it.

I’m tired of praise; and love is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.

I can’t get over my disappointment in not being a boy.

If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind: Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage. These are the things I cherish so in you. I so wish I could give my girls a more just world. But I know you’ll make it a better place. – Marmee.