“The Giver,” a dystopian novel by Lois Lowry published in 1993, contains many memorable quotes that have resonated deeply with readers over the years. The story, set in a seemingly utopian society where everything is controlled, including the citizens’ career, family size, emotions, and even colors, revolves around a young boy named Jonas. Jonas is selected as the new “Receiver of Memories,” the person responsible for storing all the memories of the time before Sameness, and this gives him a very unique perspective on his society.
Throughout the story, Lois Lowry beautifully weaves potent life lessons into her text. The quotes cover a variety of topics like the importance of memories, the value of differences, the role of pain, the power of love, free will, and the list goes on. Each one stands alone as a profound thought but, taken together, help shape an understanding of the world that challenges the norm while addressing universal themes.
Below are some of the most popular quotes from “The Giver”:
1. **”The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”**
2. **”We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.”**
3. **”I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.”**
4. **”It’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it?”**
5. **”If everything’s the same, then there aren’t any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!”**
6. **”Even trained for years as they all had been in precision of language, what words could you use which would give another the experience of sunshine?”**
7. **”Of course they needed to care. It was the meaning of everything.”**
8. **”They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own was taking on. And he was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them.”**
9. **”For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo.”**
10. **”But why can’t everyone have the memories? I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared. You and I wouldn’t have to bear so much by ourselves, if everybody took a part.”**
11. **”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jonas said.
“Funny,” said the old man, “But I do.”**
12. **”There’s much more. There’s all that goes beyond – all that is Elsewhere – and all that goes back, and back, and back. I receive all those memories.”**
13. **”Things could change, Gabe. Things could be different. I don’t know how, but there must be some way for things to be different. There could be colors. And grandparents…And everybody would have the memories.”**
14. **”He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt.”**
15. **”He was so weighted with his own despair that he could not bear to put more on her.”**
16. **”But the Receiver-in-training cannot be observed, cannot be modified. That is stated quite clearly in the rules. He is to be alone, apart.”**
17. **”With his new, heightened feelings, he was overwhelmed by sadness at the way the others had laughed and shouted, playing at war.”**
18. **”Eventually, he reached the decision that hunger was a powerful reason.”**
19. **”He understood that it was not a question of bravery. She was committed to her work ethic.”**
20. **”The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.”**
These timeless quotes make readers think deeply about society, individuality, memory, emotions, and choices. “The Giver” is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that remains relevant even today, and these quotes continue to inspire and challenge readers worldwide. Regardless of how society evolves, the wisdom within these lines will forever hold profound relevance.