25 James Joyce Quotes from One of the Finest Novelist

Enjoy these James Joyce quotes from the brilliant author whose works are well known throughout the world.

While James Joyce is most famously known as the author of Ulysses, he has a long list of things that he accomplished.

When he was young, he loved to study the works of individuals such as Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle.

He eventually learned 17 different languages.

He enjoyed living in different countries and found work as a teacher while also writing.

He was praised for having an unconventional style and voice.

His book, Ulysses, was highly controversial in his day and even banned from multiple countries but that didn’t stop people from getting their hands on bootlegged copies of it.

The controversy around it only seemed to encourage people to want to read it more.

See what you think of his writing in these James Joyce quotes.

Don’t forget to also check out these Thomas Aquinas quotes about faith and life.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.

James Joyce quotes about love

1. “Love loves to love love.” ― James Joyce

2. “They lived and laughed and loved and left.” ― James Joyce

3. “I’d love to have the whole place swimming in roses.” ― James Joyce

4. “Children must be educated by love, not punishment.” ― James Joyce

5. “Man and Woman, love, what is it? A cork and a bottle.” ― James Joyce

6. “And yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” ― James Joyce

7. “Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother’s love is not.” ― James Joyce

8. “First kiss does the trick. The propitious moment. Something inside them goes pop.” ― James Joyce

9. “Love between man and woman is impossible because there must not be sexual intercourse, and friendship between man and woman is impossible because there must be sexual intercourse.” ― James Joyce

10. “Love (understood as the desire of good for another) is in fact so unnatural a phenomenon that it can scarcely repeat itself, the soul being unable to become virgin again and not having energy enough to cast itself out again into the ocean of another’s soul.” ― James Joyce

You will also enjoy our article on Palpatine quotes.

Inspirational James Joyce quotes

11. “Fall if you will, but rise you must.” ― James Joyce

12. “I am proud to be an emotionalist.” ― James Joyce

13. “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is my own.” ― James Joyce

14. “Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.” ― James Joyce

15. “A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” ― James Joyce

16. “People could put up with being bitten by a wolf but what properly riled them was a bite from a sheep.” ― James Joyce

17. “All things are inconstant except the faith in the soul, which changes all things and fills their inconstancy with light.” ― James Joyce

18. “What’s in a name? That is what we ask ourselves in childhood when we write the name that we are told is ours.” ― James Joyce

19. “Your battles inspired me – not the obvious material battles but those that were fought and won behind your forehead.” ― James Joyce

20. “The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant’s heart on the hillside.” ― James Joyce

James Joyce quotes about life

21. “Life is too short to read a bad book.” ― James Joyce

22. “I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.” ― James Joyce

23. “Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.” ― James Joyce

24. “One by one they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” ― James Joyce

25. “Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love. But always meeting ourselves.” ― James Joyce

What did you learn from these James Joyce quotes?

James Joyce and his family experienced some difficult times when he was a struggling writer but that seemed to come to an end when Ulysses brought so much publicity.

While it’s mentioned that he wasn’t always crazy about the attention, it also got his name on the map.

During his life, James Joyce suffered from illnesses that impacted his eyes.

There were periods of time when he had to write with red crayon on paper in order to work, which takes “struggling artist” to a whole new level.

But he worked through these difficulties to do what he enjoyed—to write.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these James Joyce quotes and sayings?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.