This post was last updated on December 11th, 2025 at 01:53 pm
Reading not only inspires us through new experiences between the pages of a book, but we also gain new insights and connections by finding perfect quotes now and then. These YA fantasy book quotes are great reminders that it’s okay to be who we are.
Besides the main YA fantasy book quotes we’re focusing on, I’ve included some lists of quotes that are short, inspirational, funny, and even some about reading specifically. You can find these lists after the three featured books.
What is YA fantasy? A basic YA fantasy definition is that it’s a book genre featuring fantastical elements with stories set in a world with different physical rules than our own. It’s generally written for teens. Sometimes, the age range of the intended audience overlaps with middle-grade (year 7 or 8 in the UK) and New Adult fantasy. In those cases, the readership of a novel might be between the ages of 12 and 19.
Believe it or not, YA fantasy is relatively new as a genre. It didn’t exist as a separate and distinct type of fiction until about the mid-twentieth century, when books like Alice in Wonderland hit the scene. For more about the fascinating topic of what makes a YA book a YA book, check out the posts Explore New Worlds Through YA Fantasy in Literature and YA or NA Meaning: What’s the Difference?.
This post is all about different types of YA fantasy book quotes.
YA Fantasy Book Quotes
What is the most popular theme in YA Books? The most popular themes are the challenges we face as young people, whether these be the changes through coming-of-age, learning who we are (our identities), and navigating romantic relationships. Of course, some challenges stick with us, so these quotes apply to people of all ages!
“Sometimes being different is not so bad. Sometimes it means you can do things no one else can.” —Alexandra Bittner, Daughter of the Mara.
How many times have you been told you were different? If you haven’t been told that, maybe you’ve felt like you are. Because life has a way of pulling similar people together, something tells me that if you wound up on my blog, you’re probably something like me.
Being different often gets a bad name. You may have been told you’re “weird.” Someone may have even told you that if you want to succeed in life, you need to change who you are. They may have even said, “You just can’t be like that.” Maybe they didn’t agree with your sensitivity or particular set of values. It’s as if changing your entire personality and way of being is the same as buying a new pair of shoes, trying them on, and wearing them out of the store after paying for them. Um, no. Not only is it true that people don’t work like that, but there’s no reason to change who you are just because you’re different. It can be a strength.
Jay in Daughter of the Mara Understands What It Means to Be Different
When you think back to anything meaningful you’ve accomplished in your life—important things, things that really mattered, things that helped you grow or contributed to those around you—you most likely achieved those goals not by being like someone else or acting some other way, but by being yourself. By being the different person that you are. It takes strength and integrity to be true to yourself and commit to your ideals. Let’s face it: there have definitely been times when it would have been so much easier to do what the other person (or people) wanted. No fuss, no fight. And we get the task over with as an added bonus. But when we compromise and squash our own desires, we die a little inside. Being different takes bravery, and you’ve got that.
Alexandra Bittner’s quote from Daughter of the Mara really expresses this idea. The main character, Jay, is a “mara,” the embodiment of a nightmare. In fact, she’s been locked away for a crime she doesn’t remember committing. She hopes beyond hope that it’s not true, but how can she believe in herself when her own mind is against her? The book’s central premise is too good to miss, and Jay’s tale also puts a new twist on Norse and Viking legends.
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.” —Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone
Some of the bravest things we do don’t make a sound. They also usually don’t look so brave (it would be more precise to say they very often don’t), and there is rarely any golden, shining proof as a testament to our courage afterward.
What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? You might consider you’ve done only a few truly brave things, or you may have done many. Skydiving is courageous. Taking the bar exam is courageous. What about when you’re a passenger in a car, saving a loved one from an imminent motor vehicle accident by physically taking the wheel and turning it just in time to avoid hitting the motorist they didn’t see? That last example probably doesn’t happen too often. Still, I remember seeing it once as a kid while riding in the back seat with a relative.
Those examples are instances of different types of courage with varying degrees of significance, and they’re all bright and shiny to boot. However, what about the softer side—the one the quote speaks of? When you try something new, it takes courage. Setting boundaries for yourself, a child, or someone you care about to make their life better takes courage. Standing up for someone takes courage. When you take a job that others may not understand or aren’t supportive of, but you know you’ll be helping other people and making a difference in their lives, that takes courage.
Zélie Shows Her Quiet Courage in The Children of Blood and Bone
Some people employ courage as one of their main tools in every aspect of their jobs! Think about first responders, doctors, nurses, and phlebotomists (technicians who draw blood). They risk their lives on a daily or, minimally, weekly basis. Still, I doubt you’ll hear trumpets sounding and see a bunch of confetti falling after a cork-popping congratulatory round of champagne when an RN secures and cares for a violent patient.
Readers love YA fantasy books because they give us so many inner experiences while reading about how courage does not always roar, just like the quote above says. In The Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie must bring back magic and fight against a ruthless king whose men killed her mother. In addition to all that, she faces an even greater struggle: the internal one, the war within herself as she learns to control her growing powers and starts to have feelings for an enemy. With that second struggle, especially, why do I feel like we’ve all been there?
“I don’t believe in anything that supposes it knows me better than I know myself.” —Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns
This quote is the perfect tie-in with the above two. How often have you been told something about yourself that you felt wasn’t true? How many times did someone say something about you that you know wasn’t true? I know this one can be a bit of a double-edged sword (and yes, since this is a post about YA fantasy book quotes, puns about swords and such are always intended! Haha). So often in life, we do need something from the outer world, be it information, a different strategy, or a new way of thinking that lies outside ourselves, so that we can grow.
However, there are also those times when something sounds really good. Maybe it sounds almost ideal—but you know it’s not right for you. You know what you know, even if you can’t prove it to someone with double-blind studies and algorithms on a blackboard. Ultimately, no matter how knowledgeable or expert they are, no one knows you better than you do. After all, you’re the only person who’s been with yourself 24 hours a day since the moment you were born. No one, not even your one or two closest friends, has the same understanding of you that you have. And sometimes, knowing yourself doesn’t come down to facts, achievements, or likes or dislikes, but what you feel in your gut and know to be true.
Violet in Violet Made of Thorns Knows Herself All Too Well
The dark YA fantasy book Violet Made of Thorns features a morally gray protagonist, Violet Lune, a prophet who doesn’t always tell the truth. And as if she’s already not treading on thin ice by scheming within the royal court, she awakens a dreaded curse with all-or-nothing consequences. I like the idea of this seriously flawed protagonist because I think we can all relate to something we do that we’d like to change or that gets us in trouble at times, even if it’s something minor compared to Violet’s commitment to deceit as a way of life.
Short Quotes
These quotes (YA fantasy book quotes short) are some of the best because they say so much with so little. There’s something powerful about keeping it succinct.
“The courage to live brings its own rewards.” ―Rachel L. Schade, Silent Kingdom
“Nothing is hidden. You just have to know how to see.” ―Jo Holloway, Darkness in Green and Gold
“If there’s anything I hate, it’s someone telling me ‘don’t’ without saying why.” ―Anna Thayer, The Traitor’s Heir
“There’s nothing wrong with being different.” ―Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen
“The courage to live brings its own rewards.” ―Rachel L. Schade, Silent Kingdom
YA Book Quotes About Reading
“I can survive well enough on my own—if given the proper reading material.” ―Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
“It’s amazing how the more you read, the less you know.” ―Anna Breslaw, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” ―Lloyd Alexander
“Books are my friends, my companions. They make me laugh and cry and find meaning in life.” ―Christopher Paolini, Eragon
Inspirational Quotes
What makes certain YA fantasy book quotes inspirational? They ignite a little something inside us, connecting us to a universal truth we feel like we all share.
“Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.” ―Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” ―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
“You could rattle the stars. You could do anything if you only dared. And deep down, you know it, too, and that’s what scares you the most.” ―Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
“Some walks you have to take alone.” ―Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay
Funny YA Fantasy Book Quotes
Not only are these YA fantasy book quotes funny, but I love how they give us a different way of looking at things. Isn’t that what we love about good humor?
“Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.” ―Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
“Jesus!” Luke exclaimed.
“Actually, it’s just me,” said Simon. “Although I’ve been told the resemblance is startling.” ―Cassandra Clare, City of Bones
“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” ―Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” ―Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
I hope you enjoyed these quotes from so many talented authors. For more young adult book recommendations, check out 7 Fantasy Books for YA with Welsh or Celtic Elements.
This post was all about different types of YA fantasy book quotes.
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