Soon after its release in 2008, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins became an international bestseller and marked the beginning of one of the 21st century's most successful franchises. The first book in a trilogy, this dystopian novel is set in the oppressive nation of Panem, in what was once North America. The wealthy Capitol now rules over 12 districts, having destroyed District 13 after a failed uprising. To keep the remaining districts in line, the Capitol enforces participation in the annual Hunger Games, with 24 teenagers–one male and one female from each district–selected to compete. Called tributes, these young men and women must fight each other–to the death. Katniss Everdeen enters the brutal world of the Hunger Games at age 16 when her little sister Prim gets chosen as District 12's female tribute and she volunteers to go instead. The novel's fast-paced, compelling storyline continued in the sequels, Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010), and inspired four enormously popular Hunger Games movies, all starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. In 2020, Collins published a prequel to the series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was adapted into a 2023 film. 

Below are 30+ quotes from The Hunger Games. Exploring central themes like love, hope, power, and survival, these quotes capture some of the moments that make this book, the first in the series, so powerful.

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on love and affection

1. "And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me."

2. "And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don't want him to die. And it's not about the sponsors. And it's not about what will happen when we get home. And it's not just that I don't want to be alone. It's him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread."

3. "He's dozed off again, but I kiss him awake, which seems to startle him. Then he smiles as if he'd be happy to lie there gazing at me forever."

4. "I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go."

5. "This is the first kiss that we're both fully aware of ... This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another."

6. "But because two can play at this game, I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. Right on his bruise."

7. "But just the fact that he was sparkling leads me to doubt everything that happened."

8. "Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on defiance and empowerment

1. "I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can't own."

2. "I'm more than just a piece in their Games."

3. "I feel like I owe him something, and I hate owing people."

4. "Cinna has given me a great advantage. No one will forget me."

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on friendship and loyalty

1. "I volunteer as tribute."

2. "Well, I knew that goat would be a little gold mine ... Yes, of course I was referring to that, not the lasting joy you gave your sister you love so much you took her place in the reaping."

3. “He became my confidante, someone with whom I could share thoughts I could never voice ... In exchange, he trusted me with his."

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

5. "Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there."

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on identity and self-awareness

1. "I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun."

2. "My spirit ... suggests I'm a fighter. In a sort of brave way."

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

4. "You know, you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person."

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on loneliness and human connection

1. "I realize, for the first time, how very lonely I've been in the arena. How comforting the presence of another human being can be."

2. "In stark contrast to two nights ago, when I felt Peeta was a million miles away, I'm struck by his immediacy now. As we settle in, he pulls my head down to use his arm as a pillow; the other rests protectively over me even when he goes to sleep. No one has held me like this in such a long time."

3. "I just miss him. And I hate being so alone."

4. "Being out in the woods with Gale … sometimes I was actually happy."

The best quotes from The Hunger Games on survival and resilience

1. "As long as you can find yourself, you'll never starve."

2. "Here's some advice. Stay alive."

3. "They're already taking my future! They can't have the things that mattered to me in the past!"

4. “Destroying things is much easier than making them.”

5. "What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by?"

6. "Stupid people are dangerous.”