Best Quotes from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins with Page Numbers

"Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named."

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety."

"I never want to have kids."

"We could do it, you know. Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it."

"It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves."

"The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population as well."

"Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. 'Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do.'"

"To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others."

"It’s the same story every year. He tells of the history of Panem..."

"It’s a time for repentance and a time for thanks."

I volunteer!

I do not agree. We do not condone. All of this is wrong.

What does it matter?

It seemed I have become someone precious.

It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, it means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.

I kept our predicament a secret.

Starvation is never the cause of death officially.

Let them call the Peacekeepers and take us to the community home, I thought. Or better yet, let me die right here in the rain.

He threw a loaf of bread in my direction.

The first dandelion of the year... reminded me that I was not doomed.

Crying is not an option.

It doesn’t matter what happens... You have to promise me you’ll fight through it!

I can hardly tell my mother to carry on if I’ve already given up myself.

It isn’t in my nature to go down without a fight, even when things seem insurmountable.

You’re so fast and brave. Maybe you can win.

You’re the best hunter I know.

How different can it be, really?

I’ll keep an eye on the little girl. Make sure she’s eating.

Maybe there will be enough fondness to keep her alive.

It’s like having a piece of my father with me, protecting me.

It’s because he’s being kind. Just as he was kind to give me the bread.

A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than an unkind one.

I just have to remember them.

As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.

The woods became our savior, and each day I went a bit farther into its arms.

I couldn’t stop hunting and gathering, of course. The grain was not enough to live on.

That night, we feasted on fish and katniss roots until we were all, for the first time in months, full.

Well, what’s this? Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?

The best-looking tributes always seem to pull more sponsors.

Who knows? One of them may be rich.

"We promise! You know, now that we've gotten rid of all the hair and filth, you're not horrible at all!"

"It’s hard to hate my prep team. They’re such total idiots. And yet, in an odd way, I know they’re sincerely trying to help me."

"It’s beautiful. Classic really. And in almost perfect balance with your profile. She has very clever fingers."

"No matter," says Cinna. "So, Katniss, about your costume for the opening ceremonies."

"And what do we do with coal? We burn it," says Cinna.

"You’re not afraid of fire, are you, Katniss?" He sees my expression and grins.

"I want the audience to recognize you when you’re in the arena," says Cinna dreamily. "Katniss, the girl who was on fire."

"Remember, heads high. Smiles. They’re going to love you!" I hear Cinna’s voice in my head.

"Cinna has given me a great advantage. No one will forget me. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire."

"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there," says Peeta.

"But, to hear her tell it, Effie knows everyone who’s anyone in the Capitol and has been talking us up all day, trying to win us sponsors."

"If you put enough pressure on coal, it turns to pearls!"

"Unfortunately, I can’t seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that."

"Although lacking in many departments, Effie Trinket has a certain determination I have to admire."

"I programmed the closet for an outfit to my taste."

"But dinner isn’t really about food, it’s about planning out our strategies."

"Presenting ourselves not as adversaries but as friends has distinguished us as much as the fiery costumes."

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I’ll tell you exactly how I want you to play it."

"You can’t. Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

"You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope."

"I’m a tough trader. Or am I? What effect do I have?"

"You can never tell what you’ll find in the arena..."

"They’ll be tripping over each other to sponsor you."

"She’s a survivor, that one."

"Every minute! It’s not open for discussion!"

"Never underestimate strength in the arena."

"All right, I’ll keep smiling pleasantly and you talk."

"You certainly know a lot," he says. "Only about bread."

"How did we end up doing this together?"

"Thank you for your consideration, I say. Then I give a slight bow and walk straight toward the exit without being dismissed."

I wasn’t trying to kill one of them. If I were, they’d be dead!

I wish the stylists hadn’t shown up because for some reason, I don’t like the idea of disappointing them.

It serves them right. It’s their job to pay attention to you.

And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you.

I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers.

Guess they liked your temper.

They need some players with some heat.

If my family is safe, no real harm has been done.

It’s not like I was going to win the Games anyway.

I wonder if Gale is in the woods yet.

For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.

Even Haymitch must know he’s been too harsh because his voice softens.

Just remember, Katniss, you want the audience to like you.

But you don’t have to please me. I’m not going to sponsor you.

They want to know about you, Katniss.

You’ll try it?

I want her to stay until I fall asleep.

You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?

What about me? Could you think of me as a friend?

Just be yourself.

He made you look desirable! And let’s face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department.

It’s all a big show. It’s all how you’re perceived.

Don’t you see? There’s still you, there’s still me.

I want to die as myself... I don’t want them to change me in there.

I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don’t own me.

The rest will follow.

The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle.

You’re golden, sweetheart. You’re going to have sponsors lined up around the block.

Whatever strange words of parting we exchange can wait until tomorrow.

Good luck, girl on fire.

"I can go a long time. I know that from my days in the woods."

"Adrenaline shoots through me and I sling the pack over one shoulder and run full-speed for the woods."

"That’s when I see the knife in his back."

"I can’t stand leaving with virtually nothing."

"Thanks for the knife, I think."

"But I will need water."

"One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat."

"I tell myself again that if I get killed, his winning will benefit my mother and Prim the most."

"So they’re fighting in a pack. I’m not really surprised."

"Stupid people are dangerous."

I need to look one step ahead of the game.

But if anyone is in my part of the woods, they ignore me.

I crawl now, through the mud, dragging myself toward the scent.

This is an okay place to die, I think.

Slowly, easy now, I tell myself.

With trembling hands, I get out my flask and fill it with water.

Every step is an effort, but I refuse to stop.

The sun hurts my eyes, so I dig out my sunglasses.

It takes several minutes for me to assemble my gear.

Hope for rain. There’s not a cloud in the sky.

"Whatever vague plan I had conceived regarding returning to my pond is wiped from my mind as I zigzag and dive and leap to avoid the fireballs."

"When there’s a hiss, I act or die."

"There's no time to judge if a move is the correct one."

"I must weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds less than the smallest Career."

"Something keeps me moving forward, though."

"Time loses meaning now as I frantically try to dodge the attacks."

"Pity does not get you aid. Admiration at your refusal to give in does."

"But then something else registers. They’re bigger and stronger than I am, no doubt, but they’re also heavier."

"If the Gamemakers want to finish me off, now is the time."

"Let them find me, I think before drifting into a stupor. Let them find me."

"I realize that the best chance I’ll have to do the sawing without drawing notice will be during the anthem."

"Whatever happens, I’m going to have to move and move fast."

"The medicine has transformed all the angry red patches to a soft baby-skin pink."

"Now that the pain has eased, it’s all I can do to reposition myself in my bag before I plunge into sleep."

"If I don’t get through this branch in a matter of seconds, the entire swarm could emerge and attack me."

"The nest bursts open like an egg, and a furious swarm of tracker jackers takes to the air."

"It’s mayhem. The Careers have woken to a full-scale tracker jacker attack."

"What are you still doing here?" he hisses at me.

"Sick and disoriented, I’m able to form only one thought: Peeta Mellark just saved my life."

"I can’t help it, I’m hyperventilating now, the whole thing is so nightmarish and I’m losing my grasp on what’s real."

"You know, they’re not the only ones who can form alliances."

"We’re strong, too. Just in a different way."

"How long would they last? I mean, it’s the Hunger Games, right?"

"I think we’re going to have to fix that, Rue."

"You saved me with those tracker jackers. You’re smart enough to still be alive."

"You have good sponsors."

"That I can work with."

"I can feed myself. Can they?"

"It will only keep a few days anyway, and we’ve got the whole bird plus the rabbit."

"It’s a deal."

"The odds are never in our favor."

"It’s a good breakfast anywhere."

"I’ll think of something. Destroying things is much easier than making them."

"I guess they agreed to let him live if he acted as their guard."

"You be careful," she says to me.

"I turned and head back to the stream, feeling somehow worried."

"Once I reach the stream, I have only to follow it downhill to the place I initially picked it up after the tracker jacker attack."

"You’re the hunter now, not them."

"Time is running out."

"For a moment, everything seems frozen in time."

I can’t stay here. Flight is essential.

I can’t let my fear show. Absolutely, positively, I am live on every screen in Panem.

I’m glad my hiding place makes it impossible for the cameras to get a close shot of me.

Let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin, Cato, I think. Let them begin for real.

The ringing in my right ear diminishes until it’s gone entirely.

I have to remind myself she’s still alive.

I think I’ll go hunt it down.

I let the shadows conceal me.

My eyes lift up into the trees, searching for a sign of her.

I can’t help myself.

"I know if I was watching I’d loathe any tribute who didn’t immediately ally with their district partner."

"Whatever doubts I’ve had about him dissipate... It just makes sense to protect each other."

"The star-crossed lovers... our 'romance' must be so popular with the audience that condemning it would jeopardize the success of the Games."

"So, who is there left to be afraid of?"

"Stay put and get some sleep, Katniss, I instruct myself, although I wish I could start tracking Peeta now."

"Well, it’s a place to start, anyway."

"I’m going to roll you into the stream. It’s very shallow here, okay?"

"You’re not going to die," I tell him firmly.

"I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

"Thanks for finding me."

"I’ve made myself far more vulnerable than when I was alone."

"Whatever instinct sent me to find him was a good one."

"This is an enormous improvement over the mud."

"You can't stay up forever."

"I won’t stop caring for you, no matter what happens."

"You’re such a bad liar, Katniss. I don’t know how you’ve survived this long."

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch you die?"

"I knew that goat would be a little gold mine."

"At least partway. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I’m yelling your name, I bet someone can find me."

"I intend to do the same thing."

“Just accept it will be a bad night, I tell myself.”

“I try not to, but I can’t help thinking of my mother and Prim, wondering if they’ll sleep a wink tonight.”

“Spirits must be running high in District 12. We so rarely have anyone to root for at this point in the Games.”

“I won’t close my eyes.”

“But as long as we’re talking I’m alive.”

“As my last act of defiance, I will stare her down as long as I can see.”

“Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl.”

“You understand?”

“I understand that, for the moment, Thresh is not going to smash in my skull.”

“The last thing I remember is an exquisitely beautiful green-and-silver moth landing on the curve of my wrist.”

"I can feel Haymitch nudging me to keep up the act."

"If we win, we’ll each get a house in the part of town reserved for Hunger Games’ victors."

"But I couldn’t care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won’t be a girl from the Seam, you’ll be a girl from the Victor’s Village."

"That’s right. If we win, we’ll each get a house in the part of town reserved for Hunger Games’ victors."

"Maybe he wasn’t always a drunk. Maybe, in the beginning, he tried to help the tributes."

"If we didn’t win…I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue."

"But this means we’re one step closer to District Twelve."

"No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom."

"But you won’t be alone. I have my mother and Prim."

"I swear I’ll never let that happen."

Don’t apologize. It just means we’re one step closer to home, right?

If they fooled Foxface, maybe they can fool Cato as well.

If he knows we’re here, he knows.

Better to cook our food while we have the chance.

It’s not safe to stay in the open, Peeta.

I’m so grateful that he’s still here, not dead by the stream.

Maybe I do understand Cato better than I think.

It’s funny. I feel almost as if it’s the first day of the Games again.

Two against one. Should be a piece of cake.

Just like your father.

"Go, Katniss! Go!"

"Cato may win this thing yet," I whisper to Peeta.

"Don’t you believe it," he says, pulling up my hood, but he’s shaking harder than I am.

"Why don’t they just kill him?" I ask Peeta.

"It’s what I want."

"You’re not leaving me here alone," I say.

"Please, take it. For me."

"Trust me," I whisper.

"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

"Hurray for us."

And now I know. It’s because you have no choice.

Homeland is not just a place, it’s a people.

I hadn’t been sure until now.

The awful moment of thinking Peeta’s dead again passes.

You tell me.

This is your night, sweetheart. Enjoy it.

But out here Prim, my mother, Gale, the people of District 12, everyone I care about back home could be punished if I can’t pull off the girl-driven-crazy-by-love scenario Haymitch has suggested.

It’s about survival, not making choices.

I could only die. End of story.

Or…already desperately in love?