By London, the vibrant and diverse metropolis nestled on the banks of the River Thames, has captivated hearts and minds for centuries. Its rich history, cultural tapestry, and iconic landmarks have inspired countless writers, poets, and thinkers to express their admiration and awe through the power of words. From Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf, renowned personalities have left behind a treasure trove of London quotes that encapsulate the city’s essence and its enduring allure.
In this article, we delve into the realm of London quotes, exploring the words of famous individuals who have celebrated, critiqued, and immortalized the city through their writings. These quotes serve as windows into the diverse experiences, emotions, and perspectives that London evokes, offering glimpses into the heart and soul of this cosmopolitan capital.
London Quotes Instagram
1. London is like a smoky pearl set in a circle of emeralds.
William Henry Rideing
2. In London, everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.
Paddington Bear
3. London is a bad habit one hates to lose.
William Sansom
4. I’ve been walking about London for the last 30 years, and I find something fresh in it every day.
Walter Besant
5. Paris is a woman but London is an independent man puffing his pipe in a pub.
Jack Kerouac
6. I travel continuously, and I see many cities, but there is nowhere like London.
Norman Foster
7. It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent.
Henry James
8. London opens to you like a novel itself… It is divided into chapters, the chapters into scenes, the scenes into sentences; it opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.
Anna Quindlen
9. The interesting thing about London is that there are always stylish surprises around every corner.
Natalie Massenet
10. If you’re curious, London’s an amazing place.
David Bailey
11. The man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.
Oscar Wilde
12. By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.
Samuel Johnson
13. A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.
Anonymous
14. Oh, I love London society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what society should be.
Oscar Wilde
15. Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.
Samuel Johnson
16. In London, love and scandal are considered the best sweeteners of tea.
John Osborne
17. London is a modern Babylon.
Benjamin Disraeli
18. London is a world by itself. We daily discover in it more new countries, and surprising singularities, than in all the universe besides.
Thomas Brown
19. London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London.
Peter Ackroyd
Quotes About London
20. London is a roost for every bird.
Benjamin Disraeli
21. London always reminds me of a brain. It is similarly convoluted and circuitous. A lot of cities, especially American ones like New York and Chicago, are laid out in straight lines. Like the circuits on computer chips, there are a lot of right angles in cities like this. But London is a glorious mess.
James Geary
22. There are two places in the world where men can most effectively disappear — the city of London and the South Seas.
Herman Melville
23. To walk alone in London is the greatest rest.
Virginia Woolf
24. The best bribe which London offers to-day to the imagination, is, that, in such a vast variety of people and conditions, one can believe there is room for persons of romantic character to exist, and that the poet, the mystic, and the hero may hope to confront their counterparts.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
25. The vibe of London as a city is captivating. It’s both fast-paced and extremely rushed but still has the calmness that would attract any big-city person.
Ali Fazal
26. I’ve been walking about London for the last 30 years, and I find something fresh in it everyday.
Walter Besant
27. Yes, London. You know, fish, chips, cup o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary-fucking-Poppins. London!
Dennis Farina
28. London opens to you like a novel itself… It is divided into chapters, the chapters into scenes, the scenes into sentences; it opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.
Anna Quindlen
29. The parks be the lungs of London.
Charles Dickens
30. London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London.
Peter Ackroyd
31. I have often amused myself with thinking how different a place London is to different people.
James Boswell
32. The English language is like London: proudly barbaric yet deeply civilised, too, common yet royal, vulgar yet processional, sacred yet profane.
Stephen Fry
33. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is.
Bram Stoker, Dracula
34. As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old, inwardly its poetry is much deeper.
Goldwin Smith
Quotes of London
London, the enchanting capital of the United Kingdom, has inspired a wealth of quotes that beautifully capture its essence. From the pens of literary giants to the words of prominent historical figures, these quotes offer a glimpse into the captivating spirit of this iconic city. They convey the grandeur of its landmarks, the richness of its history, the vibrancy of its multicultural tapestry, and the energy that permeates its bustling streets. These London quotes evoke a sense of wonder, transporting us to a place where past and present seamlessly intertwine, and where dreams and possibilities abound.
35. The man who can dominate a London dinner table can dominate the world.
Oscar Wilde
36. You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.
Samuel Johnson
37. Keep calm and go to London.
Unknown
38. Nothing is certain in London but expense.
William Shenstone
39. I think London’s sexy because it’s so full of eccentrics.
Rachel Weisz
40. London, thou art the flower of cities all! Gemme of all joy, jasper of jocunditie.
William Dunbar
41. If London is a watercolor, New York is an oil painting.
Peter Shaffer
42. I like the spirit of this great London which I feel around me. Who but a coward would pass his whole life in hamlets; and for ever abandon his faculties to the eating rust of obscurity?
Charlotte Brontë
43. It is not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within them. The walls of London may be battered, but the spirit of the Londoner stands resolute and undismayed.
George VI
44. There are two places in the world where men can most effectively disappear — the city of London and the South Seas.
Herman Melville
45. I don’t know what London’s coming to — the higher the buildings the lower the morals.
Noël Coward
46. I came to London. It had become the center of my world and I had worked hard to come to it. And I was lost.
V. S. Naipaul
47. The truth is, that in London it is always a sickly season. Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be.
Jane Austen
48. I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air — or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
49. Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be.
Oscar Wilde
50. Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner / That I love London so / Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner / That I think of her wherever I go / I get a funny feeling inside of me / Just walking up and down / Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner / That I love London town.
Hubert Gregg
Funny London Quotes
51. Do you realise that people die of boredom in London suburbs? It’s the second biggest cause of death amongs the English in general. Sheer boredom…
Alexander McCall Smith
52. London’s like one of the flash women at Frisco – fine to look at, cruel as the snow.
Joseph Hatton
53. Please, mind the gap.
London Underground
54. London is a huge, stony desert: even boredom feels endless there.
Sándor Márai
55. How can you ever be late for anything in London? They have a huge clock right in the middle of the town.
Jimmy Kimmel
56. There are two places in the world where men can most effectively disappear — the city of London and the South Seas.
Herman Melville
57. Having the Thames of my life.
Anonymous
58. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a ticket to London.
Anonymous
59. Nothing is certain in London but expense.
William Shenstone
60. A person who is tired of London is not necessarily tired of life; it might be that he just can’t find a parking place.
Paul Theroux
Quote London
61. The English language is like London: proudly barbaric yet deeply civilized, too, common yet royal, vulgar yet processional, sacred yet profane.
Stephen Fry
62. This melancholy London — I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.
William Butler Yeats
63. London is a friend whom I can leave knowing without doubt that she will be the same to me when I return, tomorrow or forty years hence, and that, if I do not return, she will sing the same song to inheritors of my happy lot in future generations.
Stella Benson
64. London’s like a monster with one hundred arms … as wide as it’s long. It’s noisy. It’s dirty. It’s everything. You’ll see.
Kevin Crossley-Holland
65. My Dad says that being a Londoner has nothing to do with where you’re born. He says that there are people who get off a jumbo jet at Heathrow, go through immigration waving any kind of passport, hop on the tube and by the time the train’s pulled into Piccadilly Circus they’ve become a Londoner.
Ben Aaronovitch
66. The best bribe which London offers to-day to the imagination, is, that, in such a vast variety of people and conditions, one can believe there is room for persons of romantic character to exist, and that the poet, the mystic, and the hero may hope to confront their counterparts.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
67. When exploring London, you will come across lots of excitement by chance, so try to take everything in rather than just rushing around to all of the major tourist haunts.
Richard Branson
68. London is a cluster of communities, great and small, famous and unsung; a city of contrasts, a congregation of diversity.
Roy Porter
69. Would I were in an alehouse in London. I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.
W. Shakespeare
70. I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.
Ben Okri
In summary, London quotes offer a captivating glimpse into the city’s soul, revealing its rich history, vibrant culture, and iconic landmarks. They transport us to its foggy streets, bustling markets, and regal palaces, showcasing the enduring allure and multicultural charm of this extraordinary metropolis. Through these powerful words, we can explore London’s essence, walk alongside literary giants, and forge a deeper connection to this remarkable city. Let these quotes ignite your imagination and fuel your curiosity about the wonders of London.
