Anne Shirley Quotes

“Gilbert, I'm afraid I'm scandalously in love with you.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars

“Well now, I'd rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne,' said Matthew patting her hand. 'Just mind you that — rather than a dozen boys. Well now, I guess it wasn't a boy that took the Avery scholarship, was it? It was a girl — my girl — my girl that I'm proud of.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Don't be very frightened, Marilla. I was walking the ridge-pole and I fell off. I suspect I have sprained my ankle. But, Marilla, I might have broken my neck. Let us look on the bright side of things.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“I am well in body although considerably rumpled up in spirit, thank you, ma'am,' said Anne gravely. Then aside to Marilla in an audible whisper, 'There wasn't anything startling in that, was there, Marilla?”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“It's about Diana,' sobbed Anne luxuriously. 'I love Diana so, Marilla. I cannot ever live without her. But I know very well when we grow up that Diana will get married and go away and leave me. And oh, what shall I do? I hate her husband — I just hate him furiously. I've been imagining it all out — the wedding and everything — Diana dressed in snowy white garments, and a veil, and looking as beautiful and regal as a queen; and me the bridesmaid, with a lovely dress, too, and puffed sleeves, but with a breaking heart hid beneath my smiling face. And then bidding Diana good-bye-e-e—' Here Anne broke down entirely and wept with increasing bitterness. Marilla turned quickly away to hide her twitching face, but it was no use; she collapsed on the nearest chair and burst into such a hearty and unusual peal of laughter…”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“But you have such dimples," said Anne, smiling affectionately into the pretty, vivacious face so near her own. "Lovely dimples, like little dents in cream. I have given up all hope of dimples. My dimple-dream will never come true; but so many of my dreams have that I mustn't complain. Am I all ready now?”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Anne, look here. Can’t we be good friends?”
For a moment Anne hesitated. She had an odd, newly awakened consciousness under all her outraged dignity that the half-shy, half-eager expression in Gilbert’s hazel eyes was something that was very good to see. Her heart gave a quick, queer little beat. But the bitterness of her old grievance promptly stiffened up her wavering determination. That scene of two years before flashed back into her recollection as vividly as if it had taken place yesterday. Gilbert had called her “carrots” and had brought about her disdain before the whole school. Her resentment, which to other and older people might be as laughable as its cause, was in no whit allayed and softened by time seemingly. She hated Gilbert Blythe! She would never forgive him!”
― L.M. Montgomery

“Well, that is another hope gone. My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.”
― L.M. Montgomery

“Home and I are such good friends.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

“Have you any unfulfilled dreams, Anne?” asked Gilbert.

Something in his tone—something she had not heard since that miserable evening in the orchard at Patty’s Place—made Anne’s heart beat wildly. But she made answer lightly.

“Of course. Everybody has. It wouldn’t do for us to have all our dreams fulfilled. We would be as good as dead if we had nothing left to dream about. What a delicious aroma that low-descending sun is extracting from the asters and ferns. I wish we could see perfumes as well as smell them. I’m sure they would be very beautiful.”

Gilbert was not to be thus sidetracked.

“I have a dream,” he said slowly. “I persist in dreaming it, although it has often seemed to me that it could never come true. I dream of a home with a hearth-fire in it, a cat and dog, the footsteps of friends— and YOU!”

Anne wanted to speak but she could find no words. Happiness was breaking over her like a wave. It almost frightened her.

“I asked you a question over two years ago, Anne. If I ask it again
today will you give me a different answer?”

Still Anne could not speak. But she lifted her eyes, shining with all the love-rapture of countless generations, and looked into his for a moment. He wanted no other answer.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

“Oh, we're very careful, Marilla. And it's so interesting. Two flashes means, "Are you there?" Three means "yes" and four "no." Five means, "Come over as soon as possible, because I have something important to reveal." Diana has just signalled five flashes, and I'm really suffering to know what it is.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
― L. M. Montgomery

“It makes me very sad at times to think about her. But really, Marilla, one can't stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“For Anne to take things calmly would have been to change her nature. All 'spirit and fire and dew,' as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity. Marilla felt this and was vaguely troubled over it, realizing that the ups and downs of existence would probably bear hardly on this impulsive soul and not sufficiently understanding that the equally great capacity for delight might more than compensate. Therefore Marilla conceived it to be her duty to drill Anne into a tranquil uniformity of disposition as impossible and alien to her as to a dancing sunbeam in one of the brook shallows. She did not make much headway, as she sorrowfully admitted to herself. The downfall of some dear hope or plan plunged Anne into 'deeps of affliction.' The fulfillment thereof exalted her to dizzy realms of delight. Marilla had almost begun to despair of ever fashioning this waif of the world into her model little girl of demure manners and prim deportment. Neither would she have believed that she really liked Anne much better as she was.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“...One can't stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?”
― L. M. Montgomery

“I won't say another word -- not one. I know I talk too much, but I am really trying to overcome it, and although I say far too much, yet if you only knew how much I want to say and don't, you'd give me some credit for it.”
― L.M. Montgomery

“I couldn't let you sacrifice yourself for me."

"Its not a sacrifice. My ambition has just changed.”
― Mariah Marsden, Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel

“She's bewitched you! What good could she do us?"

"Well, now... We could do some good for her.”
― Mariah Marsden, Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel

“But we can't have things perfect in this imperfect world.”
― L.M. Montgomery

“I think you had better learn to control that imagination of yours,Anne, if you can't distinguish between what is real and what isnt.”
― L. M. Montgomery

“Ruby Gillis says when she grows up she's going to have ever so many beaus on the string and have them all crazy about her; but I think that would be too exciting. I'd rather just have one in his right mind.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Well, anyway, when I am grown up," said Anne decidedly, "I'm always going to talk to little girls as if they were too, and I'll never laugh when they use big words.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery,Anne of Green Gables

“Diana has only one birthday in a year. It isn't as if birthdays were common things, Marilla.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery,Anne of Green Gables

“But I think I'll carry that book into the sitting room and lock it in the jam closet and give you the key. And you must not give it to me l, Matthew, until my lessons are done, not even if I implore you on my bended knees. It's all very well to say resist temptation, but it's ever so much easier to resist it if you can't get the key.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery,Anne of Green Gables

“So said Mrs. Rachel to the wild rose bushes out of the fullness of her heart; but if she could have seen the child who was waiting patiently at the Bright River station at that very moment her pity would have been still deeper and more profound.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“I'd be in such a hurry to get into bed, nice and quiet, and imagine things”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery

“Susan, I am determined that I will send my boy off tomorrow with a smile. He shall not carry away with him the remembrance of a weak mother who had not the courage to send him when he had the courage to go.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Rilla of Ingleside

“I don't want to be anyone but myself, even if I go uncomforted by diamonds all my life”
― L. M. Montgomery, Anne Of Green Gables