If there’s one thing that I love to do, it is reading books; and I know I’m not the only one. From romance novels to philosophical works, I read anything I get my hands on. But recently I’ve been attracted to narrative poems, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy. And finishing it made me realize just how many Dante’s Inferno quotes make sense even today.
The number of Dante’s Inferno quotes that I manage to sneak in during casual conversations honestly amazes me. The satisfaction of quoting has made me constantly reread parts of Inferno for more lines to reference. And so, I usually end up writing down pages of fascinating and deep quotes that I just can’t wait to use!
But since my friends are mostly sick of hearing me talk about Dante, I want to share the knowledge with you! Let’s take a look at some of the best Dante’s Inferno quotes which make sense even today.
Dante’s Inferno Quotes That Are Will Make You Question Everything
Inspirational Dante’s Inferno Quotes
#1. “Do not be afraid; our fate; Cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.”
#2. “From there we came outside and saw the stars.”
#3. “It is necessity and not pleasure that compels us.”
#4. “You were not made to live like brute beasts, but to pursue virtue and knowledge.”
#5. “Then I uprose, showing myself provided; Better with breath than I did feel myself, And said: “Go on, for I am strong and bold.”
#6. “Noble demands, by right, deserve the consequence of silent deeds.”
Dante’s Inferno Quotes About Pain and Suffering
#7. “Through me you go into a city of weeping; through me you go into eternal pain; through me you go amongst the lost people.”
#8. “Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice.”
#9. “No greater grief than to remember days; Of joy, when misery is at hand.”
#10. “But the stars that marked our starting fall away. We must go deeper into greater pain; for it is not permitted that we stay.”
#11. “At grief so deep the tongue must wag in vain; the language of our sense and memory lacks the vocabulary of such pain.”
#12. “A rapid bolt will rend the clouds apart, and every single White be seared by wounds. I tell you this. I want it all to hurt.”
#13. “There is no greater sorrow than to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.”
#14. “How rough that wood was, wild, and terrible: By the mere thought my terror is renewed.”
#15. “This miserable way; is taken by the sorry souls of those; who lived without disgrace and without praise. They now commingle with the coward angels, the company of those who were not rebels; nor faithful to their God, but stood apart. The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened, have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them — even the wicked cannot glory in them.”
#16. “These dwell among the blackest souls, loaded down deep by sins of differing types. If you sink far enough, you’ll see them all.”
Quotes About Fear and Cowardice
#17. “One should only be afraid of those things Which have the power of doing others harm; For the rest, fear not; because they are not fearful.”
#18. “Here all suspicion must be abandoned, All cowardice must be extinct.”
#19. “All those who perish in the wrath of God; Here meet together out of every land; And ready are they to pass o’er the river, Because celestial Justice spurs them on, So that their fear is turned into desire. This way there never passes a good soul;”
#20. “Your soul is sunken in that cowardice that bears down many men; Turning their course and resolution by imagined perils; As his own shadow turns the frightened horse.”
#21. “So many times a man’s thoughts will waver, That it turns him back from honored paths, As false sight turns a beast when he is afraid.”
Dante’s Inferno Quotes That Will Stick With You for Days
#22. “These have no hope that death will overcome. And so degraded is the life they lead; all look with envy on all other fates.”
#23. “That your art, as best it can, also follows Divine Intellect, as the disciple follows the master; So in reality, your art is, as it were, God’s grandchild.”
#24. “Only as a man surrenders himself to Devine Love may he hope for salvation, and salvation is open to all who surrender themselves”
#25. “As little flowers, which the chill of night has bent and huddled, when the white sun strikes, grow straight and open fully on their stems, so did I, too, with my exhausted force.”
#26. “Lying in a featherbed will not bring you fame, nor staying beneath the quilt; and he who uses up his life without achieving fame; leaves no more vestige of himself on earth than smoke in the air or foam upon the water.”
#27. “Love, which absolves no one beloved from loving; seized me so strongly with his charm that; as you see, it has not left me yet. Love brought us to one death.”
#28. “Soon you will be where your own eyes will see the source and cause and give you their own answer to the mystery.”
#29. “As in the autumn-time the leaves fall off, First one and then another, till the branch Unto the earth surrenders all its spoils; In similar ways the evil seed of Adam Throw themselves from that margin one by one, At signals, as a bird unto its lure.”
#30. “The more perfect a thing the more it feels good and evil.”
The Bottom of the Inferno
All in all, Dante’s Inferno is an incredible work of art that you should read no matter what. It is full of unique concepts and ideas that will make you question everything you think you know about life and death. But if you are lacking time, you can always read some Dante’s Inferno quotes to get a basic understanding of his genius.
