The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a beautifully written novel that reimagines the legendary story of Achilles and Patroclus.
Filled with love, loss, and destiny, this book has some of the most breathtaking and emotional quotes ever written.
If you’re looking for the best quotes from The Song of Achilles, you’ve come to the right place.
Quotes About Love
Best Pick:
- He is half of my soul, as the poets say.
- I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
- We were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.
- When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.
- There was no one else. Only him.
- His face is bright with something I do not understand, but it fills me with longing all the same.
- Achilles smiles as his face comes close. Closer still.
- Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.
- Achilles’ eyes were bright in the firelight, his face drawn sharply by the flickering shadows.
- In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.
- If I had had words to speak such a thing, I would have. But there were none that could hold my joy.
- He said that we were ridiculous, a disgrace to our country. That we would fall like cur-stung deer in the dirt. But I was not afraid.
- I feel like I could eat the world raw.
Quotes About Destiny And Fate
Best Pick:
- Name one hero who was happy.
- There is no law that gods must be fair.
- We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory.
- Achilles’ fame would be his sacrifice to Pelion, to the hills and sky, to the centuries that wait before him.
- The never-ending ache of things that were.
- This is what Achilles will feel like when he is old. And then I remember: he will never be old.
- You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.
- If you have to go, I will go with you.
- What has Hector ever done to me?
- This is what all mortals must remember, before they die: what they leave behind.
- He is Achilles, son of Peleus, strong, swift, and god-born.
- But perhaps no parent can truly be ready for the loss of a child.
- There is no honor in betraying your friends.
Quotes About War And Glory
Best Pick:
- There are no bargains between lions and men. I will kill you and eat you raw.
- The weight of it, the ache in my shoulders and back, the painful press of the gold against my skin. I have never hated it more.
- This is how I will learn it: a king does not kneel.
- War is men waiting, waiting and dying and waiting.
- Even in battle, there is beauty.
- You will not speak another word, or I will rip out your tongue and choke you with it.
- His feet kicked up dust as he moved, his hair flying behind him like a dark banner.
- The roar of battle is a song, and Achilles is singing.
- The field is red, the river red, the sky red.
- War has a hunger that can never be satisfied.
- It is a strange grief to see your enemy weep.
- I do not fear the gods, but I fear what they might take from me.
- He was a soldier. He was not afraid of blood.
Quotes About Patroclus
Best Pick:
- I am made of memories.
- My hand in his, his hand in mine.
- I was not a king, not a god, not a hero.
- If I had known how quickly it would pass, I would not have wasted a moment.
- He had given me his lips, and I had taken them.
- I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell. I would know him blind.
- His laughter is a bright burst of sound, like water over stones.
- I wanted him to live forever.
- My love for him was always quiet, steady, sure.
- I dreamed of his hands, of his voice calling my name.
- He was my sun, and all the light I had ever known.
- I have waited for him in the darkness.
- He was my dearest companion, my heart.
Quotes About Achilles
Best Pick:
- He is like the sun.
- There was always a wildness in him, an untamed brightness.
- He is more than a hero. He is half of my soul.
- The world is quieter when he is gone.
- His anger is like a storm, sudden and unstoppable.
- He does not hesitate. He moves like the gods themselves.
- He will be remembered for all time.
- His hands are strong, but they are gentle with me.
- He is golden, shining like the morning.
- He stands like a statue, perfect and still.
- He is Achilles, the best of the Greeks.
- He was born for greatness, but I loved him for his kindness.
- His name will never be forgotten.
Quotes About Grief And Loss
Best Pick:
- We were boys together.
- My voice is gone, but my heart still speaks.
- The world is full of kings and sons of kings. You are not the only one who matters.
- This is the grief that never leaves you.
- I have walked through the underworld to find you.
- Death is a shadow, always waiting.
- He is gone, and the world is less because of it.
- His name is carved into my heart.
- I have nothing left but my sorrow.
- His hands, his lips, his voice—I will never hear them again.
- I would have followed him anywhere.
- The gods do not care for mortal grief.
- Let me be remembered, too.
Quotes About The Afterlife
Best Pick:
- Do not let him be forgotten.
- There is peace in the darkness.
- I wait for him, always.
- Let me stay beside him.
- His shade is beside me, silent and waiting.
- We will walk together again.
- Even death cannot take him from me.
- He is in the stars, in the sea, in the wind.
- I see his shadow in the firelight.
- The underworld is quiet, but my heart still beats for him.
- Our names will be whispered together.
- He is waiting for me, on the other side.
- In the end, we were together.
Conclusion
The Song of Achilles is a novel filled with passion, sorrow, and unforgettable moments.
Whether it’s love, war, fate, or grief, Madeline Miller’s words leave a lasting impact.
These quotes capture the depth of Achilles and Patroclus’ bond, making their story one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking in literature.
