The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
30 popular highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:
“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.”
“You’ve no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with, and they’re not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn’t give you that right. Having more weapons doesn’t give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.”
“Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings.”
“People aren’t so bad, really,” she said. “It’s what the world does to them.”
“I think there’s a natural goodness built into human beings. You know when you’ve stepped across the line into evil, and it’s your life’s challenge to try and stay on the right side of that line.”
“Snow lands on top”
“That is the thing with giving your heart. You never wait for someone to ask. You hold it out and hope they want it”
“Before need, before love, came trust.”
“What are lies but attempts to conceal some sort of weakness?”
“And try not to look down on people who had to choose between death and disgrace.”
“You're mine and I'm yours. It's written in the stars.”
“The show’s not over until the mockingjay sings,” she said.“The mockingjay?” He laughed. “Really, I think you’re just making these things up.”“Not that one. A mockingjay’s a bona fide bird,” she assured him.“And it sings in your show?” he asked.“Not my show, sweetheart. Yours. The Capitol’s anyway.”
“The strain of being a full-fledged adult every day had grown tiresome.”
“You can blame it on the circumstances, the environment, but you made the choices you made, no one else. It's a lot to take in all at once, but it's essential that you make an effort to answer that question. Who are human beings? Because who we are determines the type of governing we need. Later on, I hope you can reflect and be honest with yourself about that you learned tonight.”
“There is a point to everything or nothing at all, depending on your worldview.”
“Wars are won by heads not hearts.”
“What young brains lack in experience they sometimes make up for in idealism. Nothing seems impossible to them.”
“Courage in battle was often necessary because of someone else’s poor planning.”
“But better off sad than dead.”
“For a moment he laughed, forgetting where they were, how depressing the backdrop. For a moment there was just her smile, the musical cadence of her voice, and the hint of flirtation. Then the world exploded.”
“Trust is important.” “I think it’s more important than love. I mean, I love all kinds of things I don’t trust. Thunderstorms . . . white liquor . . . snakes. Sometimes I think I love them because I can’t trust them, and how mixed up is that?”
“Afraid of everything. If the people who were supposed to protect you played so fast and loose with your life . . . then how did you survive? Not by trusting them, that was for sure. And if you couldn’t trust them, who could you trust? All bets were off.”
“She could fly around District 12 all she liked, but she and her mockingjays could never harm him again.”
“Everyone's born as clean as a whistle—As fresh as a daisyAnd not a bit crazy.Staying that way's a hard row for hoeing—As rough as a briar,Like walking through fire.This world, it's dark,And this world, it's scary.I've taken some hits, soNo wonder I'm wary.It's why INeed you—You're pure as the driven snow.”
“I’m planning to,” said Sejanus. “I’m planning to build a whole new beautiful life here. One where, in my own small way, I can make the world a better place.”
“Coriolanus could see that Festus was falling for her. Did you tell your best friend his crush was a cannibal? Never a rule book when you needed one.”
“Deep in the meadow, under the willow A bed of grass, a soft green pillow Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes And when again they open, the sun will rise. Here it’s safe, here it’s warm Here the daisies guard you from every harm Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true Here is the place where I love you.”
“What was there to aspire to once wealth, fame, and power had been eliminated? Was the goal of survival further survival and nothing more?”
“Do you hear that, Coriolanus? It’s the sound of Snow falling.”
“His mind could fixate on a problem like that — anything, really — and not let go. As if controlling one element of his world would keep him from ruin. It was a bad habit that blinded him to other things that could harm him. A tendency towards obsession was hardwired into his brain and would likely be his undoing if he couldn't learn to outsmart it.”
