25 Life of Pi Quotes On Survival, Religion, and More

Life of Pi is an adventure novel that dives into topics like philosophy and religion.

Some of its most impactful lines are in the Life of Pi quotes below. 

Have you ever read Life of Pi?

Life of Pi was written by author Yann Marten and published in 2001.

The story centers around a narrator retelling his life story, including being shipwrecked with a tiger in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The novel has sold over 10 million copies since its initial publication more than twenty years ago. 

A film adaptation was released in 2012.

The movie was directed by Ang Lee and starred newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi.

The film became a commercial and critical success.

It won four Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song.) 

Take another adventure with Pi through the quotes below. 

Don’t forget to also check out these Call Me By Your Name quotes that will make you swoon.

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.

Powerful Life of Pi quotes

1. “Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans.” – Yann Martel

You will also enjoy our article on survival quotes.

2. “The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar.” – Yann Martel

3. “I can only tell my story, what you believe is up to you.” – Yann Martel

4. “We commonly say in the trade that the most dangerous animal in a zoo is Man.” – Yann Martel

5. “Gloom is but a shadow of a cloud passing by.” – Yann Martel

6. “I had no idea a living being could sustain so much injury and go on living.” – Yann Martel

7. “Life will defend itself no matter how small it is.” – Yann Martel

8. “I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life.” – Yann Martel

9. “Can there be any happiness greater than the happiness of salvation?” – Yann Martel

10. “The presence of God is the finest of rewards.” – Yann Martel

11. “If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.” – Yann Martel

12. “Misery loves company, and madness calls it forth.” – Yann Martel

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of misery loves company quotes to help you move forward.

13. “The worst pair of opposites is boredom and terror. Sometimes your life is a pendulum swing from one to the other.” ― Yann Martel

14. “The world isn’t just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no? Doesn’t that make life a story?” – Yann Martel

15. “With the very first rays of light it came alive in me: hope. As things emerged in outline and filled with colour, hope increased until it was like a song in my heart.” – Yann Martel

16. “Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” – Yann Martel

17. “Things didn’t turn out the way they’re supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” – Yann Martel

18. “Life on a lifeboat isn’t much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn’t be more simple, nor the stakes higher.” – Yann Martel

Life of Pi quotes about survival

19. “Blessed be shock. Blessed be the part of us that protects us from too much pain and sorrow. At the heart of life is a fusebox.” – Yann Martel

20. “Nature can put on a thrilling show. The stage is vast, the lighting is dramatic, the extras are innumerable, and the budget for special effects is absolutely unlimited.” – Yann Martel

21. “Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate. To look out with idle hope is tantamount to dreaming one’s life away.” ― Yann Marte

22. “When your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival.” – Yann Martel

23. “All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive.” – Yann Martel

24. “Time is an illusion that only makes us pant. I survived because I forgot even the very notion of time.” – Yann Martel

25. “Something in me did not want to give up on life, was unwilling to let go, wanted to fight to the very end. Where that part of me got the heart, I don’t know.” – Yann Martel

How easily can you adapt to change? 

In Life of Pi, Pi is thrust into a life-or-death situation where he must adapt quickly.

That’s the core of surviving: figuring out how to adapt with little preparation. 

Whenever I watch Life of Pi, I always wonder how I would react in a similar situation.

But, you never know how you will act until it happens to you. 

Pi survived by prioritizing basic human needs (food, water, shelter), even if it meant going against his beliefs.

For example, even though he was a lifelong vegetarian he had to eat fish.

It takes immense strength to dismiss panic and choose to put all of your effort into survival. 

Which of these Life of Pi quotes and lines is your favorite?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments!