The Best Compliments from Books
The best compliments from books range from declarations of love to descriptions of friendship. Some are messages of admiration. Others offer encouragement. Sometimes writers or characters in books have the exact words to compliment each other. And that’s part of the reason quotes are so amazing. They can perfectly capture the feelings you don’t know how to put into words.
These are the 20 best compliments from books. They come from literature ranging from romantic classics like Love in the Time of Cholera and Jane Eyre to beloved picture books like Winnie the Pooh and Frog and Toad. From characters’ speeches to poetry to nonfiction, these quotes are perfect for brightening someone’s day through a handwritten card, Instagram caption, or text. I know I would be over the moon if anyone shared one of these quotes with me.
Somewhere in the list is the perfect quote for you. Whether you want to compliment someone’s laugh, their appearance, their loyalty, or the way they make you feel. There could even be a compliment you want to give yourself (I love a good mantra!). Without making you wait any longer, here are the best compliments from books.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
“To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else’s heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter.”
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
“Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear.”
Beloved by Toni Morrison
“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.”
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
“My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.”
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
“Being in a relationship, that’s something you choose. Being friends, that’s just something you are. [But] I do pick you. We’ve been friends too long to pick, but if we could pick, I’d pick you.”
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
“Promise me you’ll always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Evelina by Frances Burney
“You are the friend to whom my soul is attached as to its better half. You are dearer to me than language has the power of telling.”
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
“I have a million things to talk to you about. All I want in this world is you. I want to see you and talk. I want the two of us to begin everything from the beginning.”
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
“No, I know,” Levi said. “But it’s not you. You don’t push through every moment. You pay attention. You take everything in. I like that about you — I like that better.”
Cath closed her eyes and felt tears catch on her cheeks.
“I like your glasses,” he said. “I like your Simon Snow T-shirts. I like that you don’t smile at everyone, because then, when you smile at me…Cather.” He kissed her mouth. “Look at me.”
She did.
“I choose you over everyone.”
Selected Diaries by Virginia Woolf
“In case you ever foolishly forget: I am never not thinking of you.”
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
“Frog said, ‘I wrote “Dear Toad, I am glad that you are my best friend. Your best friend, Frog.”’ ‘Oh,’ said Toad, ‘that makes a very good letter.’ Then Frog and Toad went out onto the front porch to wait for the mail. They sat there, feeling happy together.”
Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos
“As I got to know you, I began to realize that beauty was the least of your qualities. I became fascinated by your goodness. I was drawn in by it. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. And it was only when I began to feel actual, physical pain every time you left the room that it finally dawned on me: I was in love, for the first time in my life.”
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
“She was like that, excited and delighted by little things, crossing her fingers before any remotely unpredictable event, like tasting a new flavor of ice cream, or dropping a letter in a mailbox.”
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
“I know you aren’t perfect. But it’s a person’s imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”
The Twits by Roald Dahl
“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
I hope you enjoyed reading the best compliments from books quotes as much as I enjoyed collecting them. Take inspiration from these quotes to go forth and compliment all the special people in your life!
