Top 60+ Lord of the Flies Quotes by William Golding

Famous Quotes from Lord of The Flies

Named in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, this book was the very first novel of William Golding. The story symbolizes that people are dependent on social structure. Here is some famous Lord of the Flies quotes you should know.

• “Thought was a valuable thing, that got results.” ― William Golding

• “What was the sensible thing to do? There was no Piggy to talk sense.” ― William Golding

• “And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing…” “I’m chief. I was chosen.” “Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense…” ― William Golding

• “The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise.”― William Golding

• “The rules!” shouted Ralph, “you’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?”― William Golding

• “If only one had time to think!” ― William Golding

• “I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” ― William Golding

• “He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things. He talked to them, urging them, ordering them. Driven back by the tide, his footprints became bays in which they were trapped and gave him the illusion of mastery.” ― William Golding

• “There aren’t any grown-ups. We shall have to look after ourselves” ― William Golding

• “I got this to say. you are acting like a crowd of kids.” ― William Golding

• “The beast was harmless and horrible, and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.” – William Golding

• “The three boys stood in the darkness, striving unsuccessfully to convey the majesty of adult life.” – William Golding

• “I’d rather there wasn’t an afterlife. I’d much rather not be me for thousands of years.” – William Golding

Quotes from Lord of The Flies

There are several different themes that the author focused on in this novel. They include individuality, morality, rationality, and groupthink.

This book was named as a symbol of the evil in the hearts of stranded boys. Read these Lord of the Flies quotes to remind you about the story.

• “Of course we’re frightened sometimes but we put up with being frightened.” ― William Golding

• “He forgot his wounds, his hunger, and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear” ― William Golding

• “I’m scared of him,” said Piggy, “and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe…” ― William Golding

• “[The boys] found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in the terror [of the makeshift beast] and made it governable.” ― William Golding

• “All this I meant to say. Now I’ve said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say.” ― William Golding

• “Whoever has the conch gets to speak at assembly.” ― William Golding

• “The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.” ― William Golding

• “Which is better — to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is? Which is better — to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill? Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” ― William Golding

• “The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. Once there was this and that, and now-and the ship had gone.” ― William Golding

• “Grownups know things,” said Piggy. “They ain’t afraid of the dark. They’d meet and have tea and discuss. Then things ’ud be all right.” ― William Golding

• “So the last part, the bit we can all talk about, is kind of deciding on the fear. We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there’s nothing in it.” ― William Golding

• “As long as there’s the light we’re brave enough” ― William Golding

Lord of The Flies Fear Quotes

Fear was also presented in the Lord of the Flies. In this novel, we can see the fear of the unknown represented by the beast in the forest, the fear of the dark, the fear of pain, and so on. Well, below are several Lord of the Flies quotes about fear.

• “I’m scared of him,” said Piggy, “and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe…” ― William Golding

• “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, the knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.” ― William Golding

• “There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.” ― William Golding

• “I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn’t no fear, either.” Piggy paused. “Unless—” Ralph moved restlessly. “Unless what?” “Unless we get frightened of people.” ― William Golding

• “Which is better–to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?” ― William Golding

• “I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature. I produce my view in the belief that it may be something like the truth.” ― William Golding

• “He wanted to explain how people were never quite what you thought they were.” ― William Golding

• “There is nothing in it of course. Just a feeling. But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but – being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the jungle.” ― William Golding

• “But nobody else understands about the fire. If someone threw you a rope when you were drowning. If a doctor said take this because if you don’t take you’ll die – you would, wouldn’t you?” ― William Golding

• “They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.” ― William Golding

• “We may stay here till we die.” With that word the heat began to increase till it became a threatening weight and the lagoon attacked them with a blinding effulgence.” ― William Golding

• “He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Frowning, he tried again.” ― William Golding

• “Ralph wept for the end of innocence.” ― William Golding

• “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” ― William Golding

• “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.” ― William Golding

• “People don’t help much.’ He wanted to explain how people were never quite what you thought they were.” ― William Golding

• "There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labor." (page 68).

Lord of The Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

This book was named as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It received success and became a best seller book. Here are some of Lord of the Flies quotes with detailed page numbers. 

• “When I saw Jack I was sure he’d go for the conch”. Page- 175 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them”. Page-57~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “There, where the island petered out in the water, was another island; a rock, almost slightly detached, standing like a fort”. Page- 38 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “What they now thought of as their beach”. Page- 38 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The log that was his throne”. Page- 185~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The fire racing forward like a tide”. Page- 245~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “He forgot his wounds, his hunger, and thirst, and became fear”. Page- 245 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins”. ~ Page- 78, Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Prodding with his spear wherever pig flesh appeared”. Page- 167 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “There was a mildness about his mouth his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil”.~ Page- 15, Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “His hair was red beneath the black cap”. Page- 27 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Eyes shining, mouths open, triumphant, they savored the right of domination”. Page- 39 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with a shy liking”. Page- 31 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “His fair hair was plastered over his eyebrows and he pushed it back”. Page- 80 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering”. Page- 142 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Ralph wept for the… darkness of man’s heart”. Page-248 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “They were savages it was true, but they were human”. Page- 228 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat”. Page- 114 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot”. Page- 158 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The true, wise friend called Piggy”. Page- 248 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “The otherness of Samneric felt the power in their own hands”. Page- 220 ~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers

• “Memory of their new and shameful loyalty came to them”. Page- 230~ Lord of the Flies Quotes with Page Numbers