First published in 1967, The Outsiders is credited with being the original young adult novel. S. E. Hinton wrote the book–her first of several bestsellers–when she was just 17 years old. The Outsiders is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and told from the point of view of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy and his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, are working-class kids known as greasers. The greasers are from the east side of Tulsa and often fight with the Socs, rich kids from the west side. The Outsiders tells the story of Ponyboy and fellow greaser Johnny Cade as the rivalry between the two gangs is pushed to new heights–and their bond of friendship is put to the test.
Social class, identity, family, and friendship are among the themes at the heart of this outstanding novel, which inspired a 1983 film and a 2024 Broadway musical. Below are 30+ quotes that capture what makes The Outsiders so powerful and relatable to young people even today.
The best quotes from The Outsiders on comfort and love
"I could fall in love with Dallas Winston. I hope I never see him again or I will."
"I know I'm too young to be in love and all that, but Bob was something special. He wasn't just any boy."
"I liked my books and clouds and sunsets."
"A guy that'll really listen to you, listen and care about what you're saying, is something rare."
"He don't mean nothin' ... he's just got more worries than somebody his age ought to. He's really a sweet kid."
The best quotes from The Outsiders on friendship and loyalty
"I'd never liked Dally–but then, for the first time, I felt like he was my buddy. And all because he was glad he hadn't killed me."
"Johnny worshiped the ground you walked on."
"We're all we got left. We ought to be able to stick together against anything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything."
"We couldn't get along without him. We needed Johnny as much as he needed the gang. And for the same reason."
"You know, the only thing that keeps Darry from being a Soc is us."
"Soda fought for fun, Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity. Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn't think of any real good reason."
"There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defense."
"Let's do it for Johnny."
The best quotes from The Outsiders on perspective and humanity
"Nothing gold can stay."
"You can't win, you know that, don't you? It doesn't matter if you whip us, you'll still be where you were before—at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks."
"He had a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes, like he was always afraid someone was going to jump him."
"I used to talk about killing myself all the time, man. But I don't wanna die now."
"I'm tough. I spit on my liver."
"Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you wanna learn."
"You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world."
"When I see a movie with someone it's kind of uncomfortable, like having someone read your book over your shoulder."
"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me."
The best quotes from The Outsiders on social class and identity
"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold."
"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it's the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs."
"It ain't fair that we have all this just because we're greasers and they're Socs."
"Greasers can't walk alone too much or they'll get jumped, or someone will come by and scream 'Grease!' at them, which doesn't make you feel too hot."
"Socs are just guys after all. Things are rough all over, but it was better that way."
"I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs."
"Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too."
"It's okay ... We aren't in the same class. Just don't forget that some of us watch the sunset too."
