Can courage ignite in the face of brutal oppression?
Suzanne Collins’ explosive novel, The Hunger Games, plunges readers into a dystopian future where survival is a televised spectacle.
Follow Katniss Everdeen as she volunteers for her sister, navigating a deadly arena where alliances shift and every choice carries weight. Need the quotes that capture her bravery, Peeta’s complex heart, or the Capitol’s chilling control?
This collection gathers 115 essential quotes from Book 1, organized by part and chapter, referencing page numbers to help guide your reading and analysis.
*Please see the important note on page numbers at the end.*
Part I: “The Tributes” (Chapters 1 – 9)
Part I introduces Katniss Everdeen and her harsh life in District 12, culminating in the Reaping ceremony where she and Peeta Mellark are chosen as tributes for the 74th Hunger Games, launching them into the Capitol’s deadly orbit.
“My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together… Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator), Chapter 1, Page 3
Katniss’s journey is defined by her fierce protective instincts. See Katniss Everdeen’s key quotes throughout the trilogy.
“Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He has stopped hissing at me. Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Relationships, Survival), Chapter 1, Page 4
“But there’s food if you know how to find it. My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion… Five years later, I still wake up screaming for him to run.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Survival, Trauma, Memory), Chapter 1, Page 5
“District 12: Where you can starve to death in safety.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Oppression, Irony, Poverty), Chapter 1, Page 6
“So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Survival, Emotion Control), Chapter 1, Page 6
“She must have really loved him to leave her home for the Seam. I try to remember that when all I can see is the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skin and bones. I try to forgive her for my father’s sake. But to be honest, I’m not the forgiving type.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about her mother; Theme: Family, Grief, Resentment), Chapter 1, Page 8
“You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him. It makes me jealous but not for the reason people would think. Good hunting partners are hard to find.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Gale; Theme: Friendship, Survival, Pragmatism), Chapter 1, Page 10
“The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy… The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena… Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Oppression, Rules of the Game), Chapter 1, Page 18
“Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy… “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you…””
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Oppression, Control, Fear), Chapter 1, Pages 18, 19
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Effie Trinket; Theme: Irony, Spectacle), Chapter 1, Page 19
“She reaches in… pulls out a slip of paper… reads out the name in a clear voice. And it’s not me. It’s Primrose Everdeen.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen’s thoughts & Effie Trinket reading), Chapter 1, Page 20
“One slip. One slip in thousands. The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn’t mattered.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Prim; Theme: Fate, Chance), Chapter 2, Page 21
“I volunteer!” I gasp. “I volunteer as tribute!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Sacrifice, Love, Bravery), Chapter 2, Page 22
“I don’t want to cry. Everyone will make note of my tears and I’ll be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Strength, Perception, Strategy), Chapter 2, Page 23
“So instead of acknowledging applause, I stand there unmoving while they take part in the boldest form of dissent they can manage. Silence. Which says we do not agree. We do not condone. All of this is wrong.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Dissent, Community, Respect), Chapter 2, Page 24
“At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district… It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Respect, Solidarity, Symbolism), Chapter 2, Page 24
“She zips back to the podium… she’s reading the name. “Peeta Mellark.” Peeta Mellark! Oh, no, I think. Not him… No, the odds are not in my favor today.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss Everdeen (narrator) & Effie Trinket; Theme: Fate, Connection), Chapter 2, Page 25
Peeta’s kindness and complexity unfold throughout the Games. See Peeta Mellark’s key quotes here.
“To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Hope, Connection, Memory), Chapter 2, Page 32
“I feel like I owe him something, and I hate owing people… Exactly how am I supposed to work in a thank-you in there? Somehow it just won’t seem sincere if I’m trying to slit his throat.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Debt, Conflict, Irony), Chapter 2, Page 32
“The mayor finishes the dreary Treaty of Treason… We turn back the crowd as the anthem of Panem plays. Oh well, I think. There will be twenty-four of us. Odds are someone else will kill him before I do. Of course, the odds have not been very dependable of late.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Survival, Pragmatism, Fate), Chapter 2, Pages 32, 33
“I’ll never know what it was he wanted me to remember.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about her father; Theme: Memory, Loss), Chapter 3, Page 40
“Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Kindness, Vulnerability), Chapter 4, Page 49
“I knelt down in the water… and I pulled up handfuls of the roots. Small, bluish tubers… “Katniss,” I said aloud. It’s the plant I was named for. And I heard my father’s voice joking, “As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.””
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Identity, Survival, Memory), Chapter 4, Page 52
“And some small gnarled place inside me hated her for her weakness, for her neglect… I had taken a step back from my mother, put up a wall to protect myself from needing her, and nothing was ever the same between us again.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about her mother; Theme: Family, Trauma, Protection), Chapter 4, Page 53
“I notice her blouse has pulled out… “Tuck your tail in, little duck,” I say… Prim giggles and give me a small “Quack.” “Quack yourself,” I say with a light laugh. The kind only Prim can draw out of me.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Prim Everdeen; Theme: Family, Love, Tenderness), Chapter 4, Page 53
“If I’m going to cry, now is the time… But no tears come. I’m too tired or too numb to cry. The only thing I feel is a desire to be somewhere else. So I let the train rock me into oblivion.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Numbness, Trauma, Escape), Chapter 4, Page 54
“One time, my mother told me that I always eat like I’ll never see food again. And I said, “I won’t unless I bring it home.” That shut her up.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss Everdeen and her mother; Theme: Survival, Poverty, Pragmatism), Chapter 4, Pages 55, 56
“Here’s some advice. Stay alive.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Haymitch Abernathy; Theme: Survival, Mentorship), Chapter 4, Page 56
“What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button?… What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol… waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to rill in and die for their entertainment?”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Inequality, Spectacle, Oppression), Chapter 5, Page 65
“’So rather than focus on the coal mining itself, we’re going to focus on the coal,’ says Cinna… ‘And what do we do with coal? We burn it,’ says Cinna. ‘You’re not afraid of fire, are you, Katniss?’”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Cinna and Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Strategy, Symbolism, Presentation), Chapter 5, Pages 66, 67
“Katniss, the girl who was on fire!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Cinna; Theme: Identity, Branding), Chapter 5, Page 67
“‘With all that alcohol in him, it’s probably not advisable to have him around an open flame,’ I say.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen about Haymitch; Theme: Observation, Humor), Chapter 5, Page 68
“Remember, heads high. Smiles. They’re going to love you!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Cinna; Theme: Performance, Strategy), Chapter 5, Page 69
“No one will forget me. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Identity, Impact), Chapter 5, Page 70
“I look down at our linked fingers… “No, don’t let go of me,” he says.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss Everdeen (narrator) and Peeta Mellark; Theme: Connection, Partnership), Chapter 5, Page 71
“I’m sure they didn’t notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often,” he says. “They suit you.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta Mellark to Katniss; Theme: Observation, Compliment), Chapter 5, Page 72
“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.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Peeta; Theme: Emotion, Connection), Chapter 5, Page 72
“The more likable he is, the more deadly he is.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Peeta; Theme: Strategy, Distrust), Chapter 5, Page 72
“But because two can play at this game, I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. Right on his bruise.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Strategy, Performance), Chapter 5, Page 72
“Barbarism? That’s ironic coming from a woman helping to prepare us for slaughter. And what’s she basing our success on? Our table manners?”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen thinking about Effie; Theme: Irony, Hypocrisy), Chapter 6, Page 74
“But don’t worry; as I’ve been saying… if you put enough pressure on coal, it’ll turn to pearls!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Effie Trinket; Theme: Superficiality, Hope (Misguided)), Chapter 6, Page 74
“Just the perfect touch of rebellion,” says Haymitch “Very nice.” Rebellion?”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Haymitch and Katniss; Theme: Rebellion, Perception), Chapter 6, Page 79
“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Hope, Memory, Debt), Chapter 6, Page 85
“‘I can’t do anything,’ says Peeta, ‘unless you count baking bread.’ … ‘Not really. But I can hunt,’ I say. ‘With a bow and arrow.’ … ‘I’m all right,’ I say.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Haymitch, Peeta, and Katniss; Theme: Skills, Survival), Chapter 7, Page 89
“‘You know what my mother said to me… she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realized she didn’t mean me, she meant you!’… ‘She said, ‘She’s a survivor, that one.’ She is,” says Peeta… “But only because someone helped me.’”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Peeta and Katniss; Theme: Survival, Perception, Debt), Chapter 7, Page 90
“She has no idea. The effect she can have.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta Mellark about Katniss; Theme: Observation, Influence), Chapter 7, Page 91
“It’s weird, how much he’s noticed me… I have kept track of the boy with the bread.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Awareness, Connection), Chapter 7, Page 93
“It’s lovely. If only you could frost someone to death.” “Don’t be so superior… Say it’s a gigantic cake-”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Humor, Strategy), Chapter 7, Page 96
“It’s not easy to find a topic. Talking of home is painful. Talking of the present unbearable.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Trauma, Avoidance), Chapter 7, Page 97
“Suddenly I am furious, that with my life on the line, they don’t even have the decency to pay attention to me. That I’m being upstaged by a dead pig.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Anger, Spectacle, Injustice), Chapter 7, Page 101
“I can see the first apple teetering when I let the third arrow go… For a moment, everything seems frozen in time. Then the apples spill to the ground and I’m blown backward into the air.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Action, Skill, Consequence), Chapter 7, Page 102
“Gale and I were thrown together by a mutual need to survive. Peeta and I know the other’s survival means our own death. How do you side step that?”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Conflict, Survival, Relationships), Chapter 8, Page 112
“They’re betting on how long I’ll live!”…”Well, try and pretend!” snaps Effie… “See, like this. I’m smiling at you even though you’re aggravating me.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Effie; Theme: Performance, Superficiality), Chapter 9, Page 115
“They’re already taking my future! They can’t have the things that mattered to me in the past!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Loss, Defiance), Chapter 9, Page 117
“You’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Haymitch to Katniss; Theme: Mentorship, Brutal Honesty), Chapter 9, Page 117
“By the end of the session, I am no one at all… “I give up, sweetheart. Just answer the questions and try not to let the audience see how openly you despise them.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss (narrator) and Haymitch; Theme: Performance, Coaching), Chapter 9, Page 118
“I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen quoting Cinna; Theme: Self-Perception, Confidence), Chapter 9, Page 121
“In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement… But here is different. Wrinkles aren’t desirable. A round belly isn’t a sign of success.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Culture Clash, Capitol Values), Chapter 9, Pages 124, 125
“Her name’s Prim. She’s just twelve. And I love her more than anything.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen during interview; Theme: Love, Family, Motivation), Chapter 9, Page 129
The tributes are launched into the arena, and the deadly Games begin, testing alliances, skills, and Katniss’s struggle between strategy and emotion.
Part II: “The Games” (Chapters 10 – 18)
Part II throws Katniss and Peeta into the brutal reality of the arena. Alliances form and break, survival instincts clash with morality, and Katniss navigates deadly threats, culminating in the tragic death of Rue.
“Caesar: Handsome lad like you… Peeta: Well, there is this one girl… Caesar: Why ever not [win her]? Peeta: Because… because… she came here with me.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Caesar Flickerman and Peeta; Theme: Love, Strategy, Spectacle), Chapter 10, Pages 130, 133
“The star-crossed lovers”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Phrase coined regarding Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Romance, Strategy), Chapter 10, Page 135
“And there I am, blushing and confused, made beautiful by Cinna’s hands, desirable by Peeta’s confession, tragic by circumstance, and by all accounts, unforgettable.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Perception, Identity, Spectacle), Chapter 10, Pages 137, 138
“I want to die as myself… I don’t want them to change me in there… show the Capitol they don’t own me.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Peeta; Theme: Identity, Resistance, Integrity), Chapter 10, Pages 141, 142
“This is what birds see. Only they’re free and safe. The very opposite of me.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Freedom, Confinement), Chapter 10, Page 144
“I’m not allowed to bet, but if I could, my money would be on you.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Cinna to Katniss; Theme: Support, Belief), Chapter 10, Page 146
“All the general fear… condenses into an immediate fear of this girl… Adrenaline shoots through me… Thanks for the knife, I think.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen about Clove; Theme: Fear, Survival, Instinct), Chapter 11, Page 151
“I’m relieved Peeta’s alive… This is what I tell myself to explain the conflicting emotions…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Conflict, Emotion, Survival), Chapter 11, Page 157
“Stupid people are dangerous.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Danger, Observation), Chapter 11, Page 159
“Pity does not get you aid. Admiration at your refusal to give in does.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Strategy, Perception), Chapter 13, Page 179
“Birds are settling down for the night, singing lullabies to their young.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Nature, Peace), Chapter 13, Page 183
“Sick and disoriented, I’m able to form only one thought: Peeta Mellark just saved my life.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Realization, Debt), Chapter 14, Page 194
“Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Gale Hawthorne to Katniss flashback; Theme: Escape, Rebellion), Chapter 15, Page 196
“for some reason Gale and Peeta do not coexist well in my thoughts.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Conflict, Relationships), Chapter 15, Page 197
“I can almost hear Haymitch groaning as I team up with this wispy child. But I want her. Because she’s a survivor, and I trust her… She reminds me of Prim.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Rue; Theme: Alliance, Trust, Connection), Chapter 15, Page 201
“Destroying things is much easier than making them.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Destruction, Creation), Chapter 16, Page 211
“Rue, who when you ask her what she loves most in the world, replies, of all things, “Music.””
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen about Rue; Theme: Character, Innocence), Chapter 16, Page 211
“Let the Seventy-forth Hunger Games begin, Cato, I think. Let them begin for real.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Conflict, Challenge), Chapter 17, Page 225
“When I break into the clearing, she’s on the ground… She just has the time to reach her hand through the mesh and say my name before the spear enters her body.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator about Rue’s death; Theme: Loss, Violence, Tragedy), Chapter 17, Page 232
“Deep in the meadow, under the willow… lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes… hear is the place where i love you…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen singing to Rue; Theme: Comfort, Loss, Song), Chapter 18, Pages 234, 235
“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen echoing Peeta; Theme: Identity, Resistance), Chapter 18, Page 236
“I open the parachute and find a small loaf of bread… This bread came from District 11… What must it have cost…? This is a first… “My thanks to the people of District Eleven,” I say.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Solidarity, Gratitude, Humanity), Chapter 18, Pages 238, 239
A rule change allows two tributes from the same district to win, forcing Katniss to find and protect a wounded Peeta, deepening their complicated relationship.
Part III: “The Victor” (Chapters 19 – 27)
Part III focuses on Katniss and Peeta’s strategic partnership as the “star-crossed lovers.” They navigate danger, injury, and their complex feelings, culminating in a final standoff and a defiant act that changes the Games forever.
“Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta; Theme: Humor, Appearance, Survival), Chapter 19, Page 252
“Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta to Katniss; Theme: Strategy, Romance, Performance), Chapter 19, Page 253
“Katniss?” Peeta says… He mouths the words. “How about that kiss?”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Peeta and Katniss), Chapter 19, Page 257
“No. Now, shut up and eat your pears.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen to Peeta; Theme: Care, Pragmatism), Chapter 19, Page 258
“Don’t have to,” says Haymitch. “He’s already there.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Haymitch about Peeta’s love; Theme: Observation), Chapter 19, Page 258
“It’s the first time I’ve ever kissed a boy… all I can register is how unnaturally hot his lips are from the fever.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: First Love, Reality), Chapter 19, Pages 258, 259
“You’re not going to die. I forbid it. All right?” “All right,” he whispers.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta; Theme: Determination, Care), Chapter 19, Page 261
“Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together. Two hearts beating as one. Romance.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen thinking strategically; Theme: Performance, Strategy), Chapter 19, Page 261
“Never having been in love, this is going to be a real trick. I think of my parents…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Love, Performance, Family), Chapter 19, Page 261
“Go to sleep,” he says softly… this gesture seems natural and comforting… No one has held me like this in such a long time… no one else’s arms have made me feel this safe.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue & Thought: Peeta and Katniss; Theme: Comfort, Safety, Connection), Chapter 20, Page 265 & Chapter 22 Pages 298-299
“Peeta, you were supposed to wake me…” “Besides, I like watching you sleep. You don’t scowl. Improves your looks a lot.” This, of course, brings on a scowl…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Humor, Relationship Banter), Chapter 20, Page 265
“Well, I knew that goat would be a little gold mine,” I say. “Yes, of course I was referring to that, not the lasting joy you gave your sister…” says Peeta drily.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Humor, Sarcasm), Chapter 20, Page 273
“Where’s your boyfriend, District 12? Still hanging on?”… “He’s out there now. Hunting Cato,” I snarl… “Peeta!” Clove jams her fist into my windpipe… “Liar,” she says… “Too bad he’ll never get it.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Clove and Katniss; Theme: Taunting, Conflict, Deception), Chapter 21, Pages 284, 285
“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.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Loneliness, Connection), Chapter 21, Page 289
“‘Yeah, about that,’ says Peeta, entwining his fingers in mine. ‘Don’t try something like that again.’ ‘Or what?’ I ask. ‘Or . . . or . . .’ … ‘The problem is we’re both still alive…’”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Relationship Dynamics, Care, Conflict), Chapter 22, Pages 296, 297
“I don’t want to lose the boy with the bread.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen as narrator; Theme: Love, Fear of Loss), Chapter 22, Page 297
“‘Peeta, you said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?’ ‘Oh, let’s see. I guess the first day of school… My father pointed you out… ‘Because when he sings…even the birds stop to listen.’”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Love Story Origin, Memory), Chapter 22, Page 300
“‘And right when your song ended, I knew… I was a goner,’ Peeta says… ‘Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you.’ … ‘So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck,’ says Peeta… ‘I remember everything about you,’ says Peeta… ‘You’re the one who wasn’t paying attention.’ ‘I am now,’ I say… ‘You don’t have much competition anywhere.’ And this time, it’s me who leans in.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Love Confession, Realization, Performance vs Reality), Chapter 22, Pages 301, 302
“‘Maybe not that long,’ says Peeta. ‘what was that you were saying…? Something about me … no competition … best thing that ever happened to you … ‘ ‘I don’t remember that last part,’ I say…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Teasing, Romance), Chapter 23, Page 303
“I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta to Katniss; Theme: Love, Devotion), Chapter 23, Page 304
“‘Ah, that’ll be nice,’ says Peeta… ‘You and me and Haymich. Very cozy…’ … ‘He Hates you.’ ‘I thought that you said I was his favorite,’ I say. ‘He hates me more,’ says Peeta…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta about Haymitch; Theme: Humor, Relationships), Chapter 23, Pages 304, 305
“Hey, Effie, watch this!” says Peeta. He tosses his fork… licks his plate clean… blows a kiss… “We miss you, Effie!”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta; Theme: Humor, Defiance, Performance), Chapter 23, Page 312
“Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen about Foxface; Theme: Observation, Sarcasm), Chapter 23, Page 318
“I pull the sleeping bag up to his chin and kiss his forehead, not for the audience, but for me. Because I’m so grateful that he’s here…”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Authenticity, Gratitude, Care), Chapter 24, Page 323
“Do it… I don’t want to die like Cato,” he says. “Then you shoot me,” I say furiously… “You shoot me and go home and live with it!””
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Peeta and Katniss; Theme: Desperation, Sacrifice, Morality), Chapter 25, Page 343
“You’re not leaving me here alone,” I say. Because if he dies, I’ll never go home, not really.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen; Theme: Dependence, Fear of Loss, Connection), Chapter 25, Page 343
“Yes, they have to have a victor… Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers’ faces.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss thinking; Theme: Capitol Control, Game Mechanics), Chapter 25, Page 344
“”Trust me,” I whisper… “On the count of three?”… “The count of three,” he says… I lift my hand to my mouth… The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare… “Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors… Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!…””
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue/Action: Katniss, Peeta, Claudius Templesmith; Theme: Defiance, Strategy, Victory, Manipulation), Chapter 25, Pages 344, 345
“It’s like being home again… Why don’t they leave? Why do they stay to watch? And now I know. It’s because you have no choice.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen watching Peeta; Theme: Caregiving, Trauma, Helplessness), Chapter 26, Page 347
“It’s funny, because even though they’re rattling on about the Games, it’s all about where they were or what they were doing… Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Katniss Everdeen observing Capitol citizens; Theme: Spectacle, Indifference, Privilege), Chapter 26, Page 354
“I can feel Peeta press his forehead into my temple and he asks, ‘So now that you’ve got me, what are you going to do with me?’ I turn into him. ‘Put you somewhere you can’t get hurt.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Protection, Care, Future), Chapter 27, Page 368
“Yes, it’s your fault I’m alive.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Character: Peeta to Katniss; Theme: Dependence, Guilt, Survival), Chapter 27, Page 369
“‘It was all for the Games,’ Peeta says… ‘Not all of it,’ I say… ‘I guess the real question is what’s going to be left when we get home?’… ‘I don’t know… the more confused I get,’ I say… ‘Well, let me know when you work it out,’ he says, and the pain in his voice is palpable.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue: Katniss and Peeta; Theme: Reality vs Performance, Uncertainty, Relationship Conflict), Chapter 27, Pages 372, 373
“One more time? For the audience?” he says. His voice isn’t angry. It’s hollow… Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me. I take his hand… preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.”
~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, (Dialogue/Thought: Peeta and Katniss; Theme: Performance, Loss, Uncertainty, Ending), Chapter 27, Pages 373, 374
Common Hunger Games Quote Questions
What is the famous line from The Hunger Games?
While many lines are iconic, perhaps the most famous tagline is: “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” (Spoken by Effie Trinket, Chapter 1, Page 19).
You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope. page number
This poignant quote by Katniss reflecting on Peeta’s past kindness is found in Chapter 6, on Page 85.
Important Note on Page Numbers:
Page numbers cited (e.g., Page 3) reference the **Scholastic Press, September 14, 2008 Hardcover edition** (ISBN-13: 978-0439023481). Page numbers *may* vary slightly in other editions. Always verify against your specific copy for academic work.
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Mortis, Jeremy. “115 Essential The Hunger Games Quotes With Page Numbers Book 1.” Ageless Investing, 7 Jul. 2024, agelessinvesting.com/the-hunger-games-quotes/.
Cite This Page (APA):
Mortis, J. (2024, July 7). *115 Essential The Hunger Games quotes with page numbers Book 1*. Ageless Investing. Retrieved [Date You Accessed], from https://agelessinvesting.com/the-hunger-games-quotes/
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the SPARK framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.