Little Women quotes, explained for kids
Little Women is full of lines that families have loved for over 150 years, from Jo’s grumpy first words about Christmas to Marmee’s wise advice about anger, money and hope. Many are small lessons about being kind and brave at home, which makes them easy to share with a 6–9 year old. Try reading one at dinner or bedtime, act it out in Jo’s voice, and use the question to start a talk about your own family.
Every line is quoted word for word from the original 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott.
Quote 1: “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents”
Jo March, the very first line: the four sisters are grumbling by the fire because money is tight and their father is away at war What it means: Jo feels that Christmas won’t feel special if there are no gifts to open.
Ask your child: What makes Christmas or another holiday feel special to you, besides presents?
Quote 2: “I can’t get over my disappointment in not being a boy.”
Jo March, jo grumbles that girls have to be prim and proper while boys get to have adventures What it means: Jo wishes she could do the exciting things boys were allowed to do back then, like playing rough games and going to help her father.
Ask your child: Are there things people say only boys or only girls can do? Do you agree?
Quote 3: “I’ll try and be what he loves to call me, ‘a little woman’ and not be rough and wild, but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else”
Jo March, the girls read a letter from their father and promise to be good while he is gone What it means: Jo promises to be calmer and more helpful at home, even though she would rather be off doing something exciting.
Ask your child: What is one way you could help your family this week?
Quote 4: “I like good strong words that mean something”
Jo March, on a walk, Meg tells Jo off for using dramatic expressions, and Jo says she likes lively words What it means: Jo enjoys words that are bold and full of feeling, not fussy, polite ones.
Ask your child: What is your favorite word? Why do you like it?
Quote 5: “We can’t give up our girls for a dozen fortunes. Rich or poor, we will keep together and be happy in one another.”
Mr. and Mrs. March, rich Aunt March once offered to adopt one of the girls, and the parents said no What it means: Mr. and Mrs. March would rather stay together as a family than have lots of money.
Ask your child: What makes your family happy that doesn’t cost any money?
Quote 6: “Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault”
Mrs. March (Marmee), jo is shaken after her bad temper nearly led to Amy getting hurt on the ice, and Marmee comforts her What it means: Marmee tells Jo to keep trying to get better, even if it takes a long time, and never to give up on herself.
Ask your child: What is something you are trying to get better at?
Quote 7: “I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo, but I have learned not to show it”
Mrs. March (Marmee), jo can’t believe that her calm, gentle mother ever loses her temper What it means: Even grown-ups feel angry sometimes. Marmee has learned to stay calm on the outside while she cools down inside.
Ask your child: What helps you calm down when you feel angry?
Quote 8: “Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing, but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for.”
Mrs. March (Marmee), marmee talks with Meg and Jo about what she hopes for them when they grow up What it means: Money is useful and can do good, but Marmee wants her girls to know that love and kindness matter more.
Ask your child: What do you think is more important than money?
Quote 9: “I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle, something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead.”
Jo March, on a summer afternoon, the friends share their “castles in the air,” their biggest dreams What it means: Jo dreams of doing something amazing that people will remember for a very long time, like writing famous books.
Ask your child: What is your biggest dream, your castle in the air?
Quote 10: “Hope and keep busy, and whatever happens, remember that you never can be fatherless.”
Mrs. March (Marmee), marmee has to leave suddenly to look after their father, who is sick, and she gives the girls advice before she goes What it means: Marmee tells the girls to stay hopeful and keep doing their jobs, because their father loves them whatever happens.
Ask your child: When you are worried, what helps you keep going?
Questions about Little Women quotes
- What is the most famous quote from Little Women?
- The first line, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled by Jo, is the best known. Marmee’s “I am angry nearly every day of my life” and Jo’s dream of doing “something splendid” are also widely quoted.
- Who said “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents”?
- Jo March says it, lying on the rug, in the very first line of Little Women. Her sisters then join in grumbling about being poor.
- Is “Women, they have minds and they have souls” from the book Little Women?
- No. That speech is spoken by Jo in the 2019 film, but it is not in the novel Little Women. Greta Gerwig drew it from another Louisa May Alcott book.
- What does Marmee say about anger in Little Women?
- She tells Jo, “I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo, but I have learned not to show it,” and adds that she still hopes to learn not to feel it. It shows Jo that even good people have to work on their tempers.