32 Literary Quotes That Will Break Your Heart, But Only If You’ve Read the Book

I talk a big game for someone who has cried in a not-zero number of public spaces. If I ever try to tell you I “hardly ever cry,” just know that I am lying; I cry all the time. The reasons vary, and range in severity from “a beloved family pet has died” to “I forgot to bring chapstick and I’m fairly certain, in this moment, that no human being has ever suffered more.”

However, nothing gets me going quite like a really sad literary quote. There’s a terrible part of me that delights in all things heartbreaking, particularly when said thing doesn’t look heartbreaking on the surface. I love the idea that certain words in a certain order make zero sense to some people, but will bring others to emotional ruin.

Here are just a few quotes that will surely make you weep as if a beloved family pet has died AND you forgot to bring chapstick.