Dystopian Novel Quotes

“[Anger] gave him the soul to keep fighting no matter how many times the world seemed bent on destroying him. He may be a broken young man, but he would never be a defeated one”
― Hannah Heath, Skies of Dripping Gold

“We are living in a world where moral climates have no atmosphere.”
― Roderick Vincent, The Cause

“Nature knows no losers. Losers are extinct, overrun by evolution.”
― Roderick Vincent

“In the desert there is no sign that says, 'Thou shalt not eat stones.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

“The books I was given to learn from were about a boy and a girl called Dick and Jane. The books were very old, and the pictures had been altered at Ardua Hall. Jane wore long skirts and sleeves, but you could tell from the places where the paint had been applied that her skirt had once been above her knees and her sleeves had ended above her elbows. Her hair had once been uncovered.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale / The Testaments

“There are people who call themselves Archivists...Back when the Hundred Committee made their selections, the Archivists knew the works that didn't get selected would become a commodity. so they saved some of them. The Archivists have illegal ports, ones they've built themselves, for storing things...”
― Allie Condie

“Find your lady, kid. Once you do, don’t ever let her go. Not all of us are given the chance to be with the one we love, my man.”
― Jen Naumann, Shymers

“He hadn’t realized that the ordinary little things that happened, the ones that took place between the big events while waiting for something more exciting to happen – they were the most important, after all.”
― Helen Smith, The Miracle Inspector

“Go shout it on top of the mountain, but don't pretend the mountain is yours.”
― Roderick Vincent, The Cause

“He finds a basket and lays fish inside it. Charcoal is in a wooden bucket. Enrique lifts it, basket in his other hand, and moves through shadow toward daylight.

A presence makes him turn his head. He sees no one, yet someone is there.

He sets down fish and charcoal. Straightening up, Enrique slips his Bowie knife clear of its sheath. He listens, tries to sense the man’s place. This intruder lies low. Is concealed. Behind those barrels? In that corner, crouched down? Enrique shuts his eyes, holds his breath a moment and exhales, his breath’s movement the only sound, trying to feel on his skin some heat from another body.

Where?

Enrique sends his mind among barrels and sacks, under shelves, behind posts and dangling utensils. It finds no one.

He is hiding. Wants not to be found. Is afraid.

If he lies under a tarpaulin, he cannot see. To shoot blind would be foolish: likely to miss, certain to alert the others.

Enrique steps around barrels, his boots silent on packed sand. Tarps lie parallel in ten-foot lengths, their wheaten hue making them visible in the shadowed space. They are dry and hold dust. All but one lies flat.

There.

Enrique imagines how it will be. To strike through the tarp risks confusion. Its heavy canvas can deflect his blade. But his opponent will have difficulty using his weapon. He might fire point-blank into Enrique’s weight above him, bearing down. To pull the tarpaulin clear is to lose his advantage; he will see the intruder who will see him. An El Norte mercenary with automatic rifle or handheld laser can cut a man in half.

Knife in his teeth, its ivory handle smooth against lips and tongue, Enrique crouches low. Pushing hard with his legs, he dives onto the hidden shape. The man spins free as Enrique grasps, boots slipping on waxed canvas. His opponent feels slight, yet wiry strength defeats Enrique’s hold. He takes his knife in hand and rips a slit long enough to plunge an arm into his adversary’s shrouded panic. Enrique thrusts the blade’s point where he believes a throat must be. Two strong hands clamp his arm and twist against each other rapidly and hard. Pain flares across his skin. Enrique wrests his arm free and his knife flies from his grasp and disappears behind him. He clenches-up and, pivoting on his other hand, turns hard into a blind punch that smashes the hidden face.

The dust of their struggle rasps in Enrique’s throat. His intended killer sucks in a hard breath and Enrique hits him again, then again, each time turning his shoulder into the blow. The man coughs out, “Do not kill me.”

Enrique knows this voice. It is Omar the Turk. [pp. 60-61]”
― John Lauricella, 2094

“Our society is in the midst of mental slavery, on the cusp of physical. We are the checks and balances of society…Revolutions begin here.”—- Alexander”
― James Farris, Red X Revolution

“Bad stuff always happens, but I don’t let it define
me. I make my own story, and trust me, it’s a good one. — Jamal”
― James Farris, Red X Revolution

“I was able to bring the souls from the past back to life.-Amaranth”
― Carolina Cody Aldaz, The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets

“We are a species born from the planet. If the machines truly want to protect the Earth type planets they must learn to take care of us too.- Sun Wukong”
― Carolina Cody Aldaz, The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets

“My purpose is to change the fact that you’re just food. If you learn the lessons well you will be able to have a happy long life. A lot of us believe that the human being deserves the opportunity and the privilege to coexist with us. That’s why we risk ourselves and make the effort to take care of you.- Átropos”
― Carolina Cody Aldaz, The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets

“You know what it is like to wake up in the middle of a bunch of corpses with a little girl in your arms scared to death?-Enyo”
― Carolina Cody Aldaz, The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets

“My experiment has demonstrated that people from the past can be artificially reincarnated. The purpose is so people from Twinmortal do not commit the same error that we did.-Amaranth”
― Carolina Cody Aldaz, The Guardians of the Earth Type Planets

“Every future has a price.”
― J.K. Ellem, Infernum

“They hurt him so bad it summoned the plague.”
― Ahmed Ibrahim Ismael.

“We prostrate before Citizen One and Merciful God seven times a day, these are the teachings of our religion. We are an extremely, extremely, religious nation… in fact, to very, utmost extent of "extremely". Merciful God grants us more years, so we can live longer, breed more and eventually reach 10000 citizens…Citizen One assists. Merciful God provides us with hunger, thirst, cold, pain, wait, fear, hatred and everything that sustains our misery, Citizen One assists. Merciful God sends visitors and tree leaves from the treasury, Citizen One assists. Merciful God plants Delusion, Citizen One always assists…”
― Ahmed Ibrahim Ismael.

“The only and last words she remembered her mother told her before she became mute was,
“You have to remember Pollyanna. In Naraka, you can never ever trust anyone. “She sighed. One of those long sighs that would make her cough till she puked blood. Polly could recall the revolting rotten smell of blood, “no one is your friend here. Do you understand? No one” Umber blood dripping from the corner of her lips, “They might be nice to you only for the lake. This lake is like your life. You have to protect it. This is the only way you can live a long life” she spit the blood and mucus in a piece of filthy cloth.
“But mom. Why should we live a long life when it’s a very bad time to live and many bad people want to kill us?”
“Because your innocent dreams still have colors and power and we have to keep them that way”
― Neda Aria

“Бернард был сейчас все так же тоскливо отъединен от прочих, как и в начале сходки, еще даже горше обособлен, ибо опустошен, но не наполнен, сыт, но мертвой сытостью. Оторван и далек в то время, когда другие растворялись в Высшем Организме; одинок даже в объятиях Морганы, одинок, как еще никогда в жизни, и безнадежней прежнего замурован в себе. Из вишневого сумрака в мир обычных электрических огней Бернард вышел с чувством отчужденности, обратившимся в настоящую муку. Он был до крайности несчастен, и, возможно, по своей же собственной вине.”
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

“Wars are won through action, not inaction.”
― Starr Z. Davies, Unique

“The Directorate wants you to believe that being Powerless means weakness, when the truth is, being afraid of losing our Power is what makes us weak.”
― Starr Z. Davies, Unique

“We held on so long the rising tide didn't lift us;
Only in drowning did we let go.”
― Michael Franz

“You would argue that we’re not a parasitic life form?’ Arthur challenged. Morgan seemed wounded.

‘Do you think I’m parasitic, Arthur?’ asked Bedivere, his eyebrows raised.

‘No, but—’

‘How about Gwen?’ he added, teasing.

‘Of course not, I didn’t say that the individual is parasitic, just our current way of life. Consumerism is destroying the planet. No, it has destroyed the planet. Why do you think half the world has starved to death? There’s not enough left to support everyone.’

‘Says who?’ Morgan snapped.

‘Says common sense.’ He could feel the wine loosening his tongue. ‘People are lying when they say things aren’t that bad. What do you think all those wars were for? We were all just fighting over who got to eat the last éclair.’

Marvin’s stomach growled, and he awkwardly cleared his throat.”
― M.L. Mackworth-Praed

“I just tremble with anxiety when you’re not around, but when you finally arrive, nothing else matters.” I kept the tone of my voice light. I was confused that he was cuddling me with affection instead of answering my angry outburst with a fight. Why did he want to hear all that so badly if he knew that soon it would just be another burden for us? But he wasn’t bothered by any of those things and just went on to kiss me. I felt the taste of the rain and freedom on his warm lips. No one had ever kissed me before.
I should have pushed him away. I should have left. And maybe even the lightning should have struck us. But none of those things happened. The world was all the same just a second ago. Only I was different—I felt like dancing.”
― K. U. Grudowski, Force Field

“I want to scream. I want to fling myself down and beat my hands against the ground. This isn’t how things were supposed to be. This isn’t how this story was supposed to end.

It feels like a lifetime ago that my family and I embarked on our simulated mission. I wish I'd known what would happen next. I wish I could go back in time and grab my family and run far away ... all the way to the moon. But, of course, that's impossible.

And now it's too late to run.”
― J.W. Lynne, The Darkness Outside

“Our teacher, Professor Adam, doesn’t know we’re just going through the motions. He doesn’t understand that nothing he’s saying really matters anymore. This classroom, and everything that happens inside it, once seemed big and important. Now it all seems silly and insignificant. I try to pay attention, because we’re supposed to, but my mind can’t focus on the present. It’s too busy thinking about the future. A future where every life in this room is in jeopardy.”
― J.W. Lynne, Above the Sky

“We all knew that in a few years none of it would matter anyway, but we had to pretend like it did, we had to go on.”
― Kirsten McDougall, She's a Killer