80 California Quotes That Will Make You Want to Pack a Bag for the Coast

Feel like you can use some fun in Cali?

These California quotes will make you want to pack a bag for the coast.

California is famous for a lot of things, including dreamlike weather, and has many nicknames!

It is frequently called “The Land of Milk and Honey”, “The El Dorado State”, and “The Golden State.”

You might even have heard of it go by the name of “The Grape State.”

I bet you can guess why that nickname stuck (do a vineyard tour if you go visit)! 

What is your favorite thing about California?

Beyond wine, the state is also known for its natural beauty (redwood forests), eclectic food and culture, famous people sightings, and technological advances.

Who wouldn’t love all of that, plus that gorgeous coastline?

You will enjoy these California quotes regardless of whether you are planning a trip (or a move) or just wanted to learn some more about this fantastic state!

Don’t forget to also read these New York quotes and these San Francisco quotes that capture the beauty of the city.

If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement. 

Check out more inspirational quotes on our motivational quotes category page.

California quotes that will make your day

1. “California is full of homesick people.” – Judy Van Der Veer

2. “California is where you get to start over.” – Tracy Chevalier

3. “California is a place where they shoot too many pictures and not enough actors.” – Walter Winchell

4. “California is where you can’t run any farther without getting wet.” – Neil Morgan

5. “California is a fine place to live if you happen to be an orange.” – Fred Allen

6. “California is always in my mind.” – David Hockney

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7. “California is a queer place in a way, it has turned its back on the world, and looks into the void Pacific. It is absolutely selfish, very empty, but not false, and at least, not full of false effort.” – D. H. Lawrence

8. “California is one of the strongest states with one of the solidest economies but, at the same time, ignores the reality of its farmworkers.” – Diego Luna

Positive California Quotes

9. “To capture a California sunset in South Pasadena is to hold an angel’s wings with bated breath.” – Ace Antonio Hall

10. “Best way to live in California is to be from somewhere else.” – Cormac Mccarthy

11. “We only have two kinds of weather in California, magnificent and unusual.” – James M. Cain

12. “If they can’t do it in California, it can’t be done anywhere.” – Taylor Caldwell

13. “Life in California is beautiful.” – Oscar Nunez

14. “Things are tough all over, cupcake, an’ it rains on the just an’ the unjust alike…except in California.” – Alan Moore

15. “California, still a magical vanity fair.” – Eileen Granfors

16. “Hey boys, come up here!” Lee’s excited shout bounced from rock to rock down the gulch. “I’ve got all of California right here in this pan!” – Phyllis Flanders Dorset

17. “Santa Barbara is pleasant. It’s heaven, but with a bit more traffic.” – Matt Haig

18. “You could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast.” – Katy Perry

19. “I love driving; driving along the California coastline is the best drive in the world.” – Al Jardine

20. “I am a California girl, born and raised, so flip-flops and cutoff shorts are my go-to look. An easy Angeleno uniform, so to speak. But for my role on ‘Suits,’ I’m dressed in Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, and Prada almost every day. And therein lies the difference. For work, I wear art; in real life, I wear clothes.” – Meghan Markle

21. “I love California. It definitely represents wild freedom.” – Jenny O.

22. “And you know something because everything that I’ve gotten – my career, my money, my family; everything that I’ve gotten and achieved is because of California.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

 23. “I like to go for a little drive up the California coast.” – Colin Forrel

Also read these awesome surfing quotes that will inspire you to visit the ocean and hang ten on the waves.

California quotes about things you might not like about the state

24. “Whatever starts in California, unfortunately, has an inclination to spread.” – Jimmy Carter

25. “All creative people should be required to leave California for three months every year.”   – Gloria Swanson

26. “There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.” – Edward Abbey

27. “Southern California is the land of crazy crimes.” – Don Carpenter 

28. “It was hard to know what to make of the brothers’ dark infatuation with death. It was strange, wildly anomalous in sun-baked Southern California, where the light is so bright it bleaches the shadows.” – Peter Biskind

29. “California deserves whatever it gets. Californians invented the concept of life-style. This alone warrants their doom.” – Don DeLillo

30. “God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating paradise of underweight movie stars and dot-commers, like a fat-free Atlantis with superfast Wi-Fi.” – Laura Ruby

31. “The apparent ease of California life is an illusion, and those who believe the illusion real live here in only the most temporary way.” – Joan Didion

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California quotes on why you should love the state

32. “When California was wild, it was the floweriest part of the continent.” – John Muir

33. “Everything is just better in California – the wine, the food, fruits and vegetables, the comforts of living. Even the instrumentalists are generous and curious. Everything is wonderful.” – Beth Anderson

34. “Not all clouds fit over the ocean. Rain finds the lemon tree but rarely in California.” –  Emily Vizzo

35. “Darling, in LA, you decide who you are. Every neighborhood has its own culture and population. Once you find the right one for you, you’re home. Los Angeles is a way of life.” – Cara Dee

36. “The problem with being a second-generation Californian is you’re not objective about California itself. I think a lot of people come here for the comfort of it, or to reinvent themselves, and maybe creative people are natural searchers, searching for someplace to be. The lifestyle becomes very appealing”-(Clint Eastwood.) – Barbara Isenberg

37. “Southern California, which is shaped somewhat like a coffin, is a giant sanatorium with flowers where people come to be cured of life itself in whatever way… This is the last stop before the sun gives up and sinks into the black, black ocean, and night – usually starless here – comes down.” – John Rechy

38. “I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days.” – Billy Connolly

39. “California is an unbelievable state. One day I might be in a spiritual place like Joshua Tree, then before I know it, I’m eating groovy sushi in a mini-mall. I’m a Cali girl through and through.” – Drew Barrymore

40. “In California, I do like to just chill out and go to the beach, but I love the energy here. I feel very productive when I’m in New York.” – Ashley Greene

41. “The thing that really surprised me about strip malls in California, specifically Los Angeles, is that they have some really fantastic restaurants.” – Dave Folle

42. “While I’m in L.A. I always make time for my favorite activity which is hiking. The trails in California are amazing, as they are always challenging, and I never get bored from all the beautiful scenery.” – Dylan Lauren

43. “Nature. That’s the one thing that tips the balance in terms of living here in California. Within minutes, I can be in a desert, at the ocean, in a park, and that’s the most nourishing food for my soul.” – Lara Pulver

44. “In the photographs themselves there’s a definite contrast between the figures and the location – I like that kind of California backyard look; clapboard houses, staircases outdoors.” – Helmut Newton

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Funny California quotes

45. “In California the only way to look like you are getting older is to look like you are getting younger…if you can move your forehead over the age of forty, then people become very suspicious.” – Matt Haig

46. “I know they have palm trees in Southern California. I mean I’m not a complete moron, I’ve watched 90210, and everything.” – Meg Cabot

47. “There’s an old saying about life in the two cities: That you should live in New York, but leave before you become hard, and live in California, but leave before you become soft. Speaking physically, this is bullshit: Humans are much better off being in shape than turning to jelly.” – Jake Dobkin

48. “I’d rather be in prison in California than free anywhere else.” – Inez Haynes Irwin

49. “If you’re in California, and it’s raining, stay home because nobody can drive in the rain. It’s like it’s raining frogs. They’re terrified.” – Adam Ferrara

50. “Southern California, where the American Dream came too true.” – Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Great California Quotes To Inspire Travelers

51. “It kills me when people talk about California hedonism. Anybody who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento.”  — Joan Didion

52. “When the Oakies left Oklahoma and moved to California, it raised the I.Q. of both states.” — Will Rogers

53. “As one went to Europe to see the living past, so one must visit Southern California to observe the future.” — Alison Lurie

54. “Even though I grew up surfing and sailing in Southern California, I was born horse crazy.” — Bo Derek

55. “I’m a surfer. I grew up in Southern California and used to surf twice a day, every day.” —  Paul Walker

56. “All of the beach volleyball coaches and all the top players, everything is based out of Southern California.” Brooke Sweat

57. “You haven’t lived until you’ve died in California.” — Mort Sahl

58. “I suddenly realized I was in California. Warm, palmy air – air you can kiss – and palms.” – Jack Keroua

59. “When I came to California, it was the mecca of the world. Every young person on the planet wanted to be here.” — Joni Mitchell

60. “There are so many different challenges California has; it’s the greatest state in the greatest country in the world.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

California Quotes By Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gavin Newsom

61. “Equally important is the fact that increasing California exports and bringing Chinese investment into California translate into more jobs for Californians.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

62. “We have to make sure everyone in California has a great job. A fantastic job!” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

63.” Today California has given me the greatest gift of all: You’ve given me your trust by voting for me.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

64. “As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.” — Gavin Newsom

65. “The value of an arts education is widely accepted, especially in California.” — Gavin Newsom

66. “California is a bellwether state. California was the first state in the United States to overturn the laws against interracial marriage. It took 19 years for the rest of the country to come around to that point of view.” — Gavin Newsom

67. “California is infamous for passing things and then waking up and saying, ‘What the hell did we just pass?” — Gavin Newsom

68. “The biggest problem that we have is that California is being run now by special interests. all of the politicians are not anymore making the moves for the people, but for special interests and we have to stop that.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

69. “Women are the engine driving the growth in California’s economy. Women make California’s economy unique.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

70. “Well, I think that California has had a history of always spending more money than it takes in.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

California Quotes On The Beautiful Lifestyle

71. “All scenery in California requires distance to give it its highest charm.” ― Mark Twain

72. “ Each time that I have two or three days off, I’m off somewhere in California.” ― Lizzie Brochere

73. “I’m your biggest fan, California, I’m coming home.” ― Joni Mitchell

74. “Whoever said progress was a positive thing has never been to Florida or California.” ― Rita Mae Brown

75. “Britain, and my hometown, will always be with me wherever I go and whatever I do – but I prefer to live in California.” ― Eric Burdon

76. “Concord, California was a great place to grow up.” ― Dave Brubeck

77. “Secretly, I think everyone who makes fun of California really does want to be in California.” ― Zooey Deschanel

78. “I went to college for about a year in California.” ― Sean William Scott

79. “I moved to California not to pursue acting but to get out of Albuquerque.” ― Minka Kelly

80. “Nothing is wrong with California that a rise in the ocean level wouldn’t cure.” ― Ross Macdonald

Did you enjoy these California quotes?

Are you feeling like maybe you live in the wrong place?

It is cold and snowy outside my window right now, and I’m not going to lie…I feel like I could use some fun in Cali!

All that sand and sunshine, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

These quotes really had me asking myself, why I live where the air hurts my face!

Then I remember that California has a population of nearly 40 million people and all that traffic, and I think maybe it isn’t so bad here!

It is only a four-hour flight from here though, so I might need a break!

What is your favorite thing about California?

Do you have any other California quotes and sayings that you would like to add?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!