The author of The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, Tender is the Night, and such exquisite short stories as “The Diamond Big as the Ritz” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald burned his way through the literary world of the early 20th century.
He was an Ivy League elite of the old guard, full of idealistic visions of duty and artistic taste. His intoxicating success and his chaotic romance with his wife Zelda aggravated his alcoholism, and his writing frayed in his later years. He died young, at the age of 44.
Below are some of the disillusioned, brilliant, beleaguered, and enamored writer’s best lines, drawn from his world-class canon and his private letters.
From a private letter to his daughter, Frances.Princeton University
These lines appeared in Fitzgerald’s “Author’s Apology” at the beginning of This Side of Paradise. The photo shows a 16-year old Francis Scott. Princeton University
The quote comes from the author’s notebooks. The image shows a manuscript page of This Side of Paradise. Princeton University
Lines from This Side of Paradise. Wikimedia Commons
The quote is from Tender is the Night. The photo shows Fitzgerald’s passport.Princeton University
From This Side of Paradise. Wikimedia Commons
The quote is from “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” The photo shows Fitzgerald’s football team in St. Paul, Minnesota.Princeton University
From “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.”Princeton University
From This Side of Paradise.Princeton University
The quote is from “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” Wikimedia Commons
This quote comes from The Beautiful and Damned, Fitzgerald’s second novel.Princeton University
Fitzgerald wrote these words in a private letter to his daughter, Frances. The photo shows the author as a Princeton freshman. Princeton University
Quote from a private letter to a friend. Princeton University
The quote comes from the author’s notebooks. Library Of Congress
The quote is from The Crack-Up. The photo shows Fitzgerald’s house in St. Paul, Minnesota. Library Of Congress
Quote from the shot story titled “The Offshore Pirate.” Wikimedia Commons
From a letter to Zelda. Wikimedia Commons
From a letter to a friend. Wikimedia Commons
From a private letter.Library Of Congress
From The Crack-Up. Wikimedia Commons
From The Crack-Up. Princeton University
Enjoy this look at the most powerful F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes? Be sure to check out these quotes to change your life, as well as the words of George Orwell, Roald Dahl, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain.
