The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a mesmerizing novel that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the world of secrecy, obsession, and academia. Set in a small New England college, the story follows a group of eccentric and intelligent students who become entangled in a dark and dangerous secret. With its intricate plot and captivating characters, this book has become a favorite among readers around the world.
Now, let’s delve into some of the most memorable quotes from The Secret History by Donna Tartt. These quotes capture the essence of the novel and reflect the profound thoughts and emotions of the characters:
Read these The Secret History by Donna Tartt quotes
“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“What if the worst thing you ever did was still the best thing for you?” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“The college was nothing more than a handful of buildings scattered on the hillside, but it had the look of a place that had been there a while and had no interest in going anywhere.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“It’s a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely?” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“…the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“…we were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this. The feeling of being alive, before, was always accompanied by a sense of relief, almost gratitude, that I was no longer dead. Alive meant free, unencumbered by feeling, by the weight of the dead.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“Some things are too terrible to grasp at once. Other things – naked, sputtering, indelible in their horror – are too terrible to really grasp ever at all. It is only later, in solitude, in memory that the realization dawns: when the ashes are cold; when the mourners have departed; when one looks around and finds oneself – quite to one’s surprise – in an entirely different world.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“It is easy to see things in retrospect. But I was ignorant then of everything but my own happiness, and I don’t know what else to say except that life itself seemed very magical in those days: a web of symbol, coincidence, premonition, omen. Everything, somehow, fit together; some sly and benevolent Providence was revealing itself by degrees and I felt myself trembling on the brink of a fabulous discovery, as though any morning it was all going to come together – my future, my past, the whole of my life – in a single clarifying vision.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I tried to think of something to say but my mind was blank. I looked at the other students. They were all blank too.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I can’t think of anything more pointless than being alive if I can’t be beautiful.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“The strange thing is, I didn’t hate him. I didn’t hate anyone. I was just cold.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“I was not always alone in my thoughts…I was not always so alone in the world.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
“Do any of us, except in our dreams, truly expect to be reunited with our hearts’ deepest loves, even when they leave us only for minutes, and on the most mundane of errands? No, not at all. Each time they go from our sight we in our secret hearts count them as dead. Having been given so much, we reason, they must be recalled sooner or later. We never let them go.” – Donna Tartt, The Secret History
These quotes from The Secret History by Donna Tartt offer a glimpse into the complex and thought-provoking world of the novel. Whether you’re a fan of the book or simply enjoy powerful and evocative quotes, these lines are sure to resonate with you. Dive into the mesmerizing world of The Secret History and let its secrets unfold before your eyes.
