Widely regarded as one of the greatest works in English literature, Wuthering Heights is a masterpiece written by Emily Brontë. It has all elements that make a book timeless. Heathcliff’s brooding personality, Catherine’s Catherine’s passionate spirit, and the hauntingly beautiful setting on the Yorkshire moors combine to create a story of intense love, revenge, and the destructive power of obsession.
As a cornerstone of classic romantic tragedy, Wuthering Heights continues to resonate with readers and remains a must-read for fans of Gothic fiction and classic literary masterpieces. In this article, we have gathered the 25 best and unforgettable quotes from Wuthering Heights that showcase the novel’s emotional depth, poetic language, and dark romanticism, showcasing the brilliance of Emily Brontë’s writing.
Quotes On Love
As mentioned earlier, love in Wuthering Heights is intense, passionate, and destructive. It is far from being a conventional romance, defying the societal and familial expectation of the family. The following quotes reveal the depth and complexity of love in Wuthering Heights, reminding us that love can be both beautiful and devastating.
- He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
- I pray every night that I may live after him; because I would rather be miserable than that he should be — that proves I love him better than myself.
- Hush, my darling! Hush, hush, Catherine! I’ll stay. If he shot me so, I’d expire with a blessing on my lips.
- My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath—a source of little visible delight, but necessary.
- “Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!”
Quotes On Freedom
Freedom is one of the central themes in the book. From Catherine’s desire to escape to societal expectations to achieving spiritual liberty, they want to break free from these limitations. Here are some quotes that define the situation:
- The thing that irks me most is this shattered prison, after all. I’m tired of being enclosed here. I’m weary of escape into that glorious world, and to be always there: not seeing it dimly through tears, and yearning for it through the walls of an aching heart: but really with it, and in it.
- I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free.
- I cannot express it; but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is, or should be, an existence of yours beyond you.
- He had the hypocrisy to represent a mourner: and previous to following with Hareton, he lifted the unfortunate child on to the table and muttered, with peculiar gusto, ‘Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we’ll see if one tree won’t grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!
- “I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind.
Quotes On Morality And Virtue
Emily Brontë contrasts characters like Catherine and Heathcliff, whose actions often go against conventional moral standards in comparison with those who strive to uphold virtue like Edgar Linton. Take a look at some of the hard hitting quotes that highlight the tension between personal desires and ethical integrity:
- A person who has not done one half his day’s work by ten o’clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone.
- It is for God to punish wicked people; we should learn to forgive.
- Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.
- I’ve no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven.
- Honest people don’t hide their deeds
Quotes On Heartbreak
Heartbreak is what adds depth to the novel where characters experience unfulfilled love, separation, and betrayal. Brontë emphasizes how having a broken heart can lead to obsession, revenge, and self-destruction, eventually leaving scars on the soil. Read a few of the soul-shattering quotes here:
- I have not broken your heart—you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.
- I’ll haunt you, Nelly, until your dying day!
- Oh, God! it is unutterable! I cannotlive without my life! I cannot live without my soul!’ He dashed his head against the knotted trunk; and, lifting up his eyes, howled, not like a man but like a savage beast being goaded to death with knives and spears.
- I cannot continue in this condition! I have to remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat! My confessions have not relieved me; but they may account for some otherwise unaccountable phases of humour which I show. O God! It is a long fight; I wish it were over!
- I was only going to say that heaven did not seem to be my home.
Quotes On Obsession And Revenge
Obsession and revenge are the driving factors in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff’s relentless pursuit of vengeance consumes him and prevents him from healing. Go through some of the brilliant quotes penned down by Emily Brontë related to mania and retribution:
- I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!
- Whatever he may pretend, he wishes to provoke Edgar to desperation: he says he has married me on purpose to obtain power over him.
- I seek no revenge on you.. that’s not the plan. The tyrant grinds down his slaves and they don’t turn against him; they crush those beneath them.
- I’m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don’t care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last.
- You teach me now how cruel you’ve been—cruel and false. Why did you despise me?
Conclusion
The 25 passionate quotes highlighted in this article reveal the complexity of its characters, their desires, and their struggles, which are relatable for lovers of all generations. Therefore, the raw emotions in the book make us want to fall in love all over again, experiencing the intensity and passion like never before.
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