31 Important 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' Quotes By Betty Smith

'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' is a successful novel written by author Betty Smith.

It tells the story of a young woman who is full of aspirations. This woman, called Mary Frances "Francie" Nolan, is the main character of the novel.

'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' is the title of the book, and the tree referenced in this title is a symbol of hope and perseverance amid hardships.

Brooklyn is a densely populated city with few trees, so the symbol of a tree growing in Brooklyn reflects a person being able to thrive in a new and perhaps alien environment. The tree in the book is called the Tree of Heaven (also known as an Ailanthus) and, alongside Francie, another character Henny is much loved by readers.

Henny is the female character who lives downstairs with the Nolan family in 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'.

'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' is considered a classic novel thanks to its famous and much loved storyline that revolves around Francie, the main character of the novel. The story has ups and downs and follows the twists and turns of her life.

This makes the plot of the book very insightful, and to top it all off, the novel is written beautifully by the author, Betty Smith. These attributes combined make the book a much loved classic.

We have gathered the best 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' book quotes, just for you. Featuring the most famous quotes from the book, including many descriptions of Francie.

Throughout the book seh is described as someone who had, "become accustomed to being lonely. She was used to walking alone and to being considered 'different'.

She did not suffer too much."

Yet her more positive attributes were also emphasised when she was described as someone who "was made up of more, too", made up of "the books she read in the library", "the flower in the brown bowl" and "the bitter quarrels she had with her brother whom she loved dearly".

These beautiful and famous quotes from the classic book live on today and you can discover them, and more, right here.

If you like our lists of the quotes from 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn', then why don't you take a look at these 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' quotes and 'A Raisin In The Sun' quotes for more book quotes?

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'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' Quotes About Love And Family

Here is a list of Betty Smith quotes from 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' about family and love, along with some other important quotes from the book. These insightful quotes from 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' will fill your mind and heart with inspiration and love, and will change how you think about the hardships of life.

1. "'Maybe,' thought Francie, 'she doesn't love me as much as she loves Neeley. But she needs me more than she needs him and I guess being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

2. "I hate all those flirty-birty games that women make up. Life's too short."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

3. "I need to hold somebody close. And I need more than this holding. I need someone to understand how I feel at a time like now. And the understanding must be part of the holding."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

4. "I know that’s what people say—you’ll get over it. I’d say it, too. But I know it’s not true. Oh, you’ll be happy again, never fear. But you won’t forget."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

5. "In teaching your child, do not forget that suffering is good too. It makes a person rich in character."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

6. "If you love someone, you'd rather suffer the pain alone to spare them."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

7. "I am going to love this boy more than the girl but I mustn't ever let her know. It is wrong to love one child more than the other but this is something that I cannot help."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

8. "Maybe being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

9. "She had become accustomed to being lonely. She was used to walking alone and to being considered different. She did not suffer too much."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

10. "The child will grow up and find out things for herself. She will know that I lied. She will be disappointed."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

11. "I came to a clear conclusion, and it is a universal one: to live, to struggle, to be in love with life- in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful- is fulfilment. The fullness of life is open to all of us."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

12. "She was made up of more, too. She was the books she read in the library. She was the flower in the brown bowl. Part of her life was made from the tree growing rankly in the yard."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

13. "She loved the library and was anxious to worship the lady in charge. But the librarian had other things on her mind. She hated children anyhow."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

14. "They lived comfortably and it was a good life they had... happy and full of small adventures. And they were so young and loved each other so much."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

15. "He was so graceful and handsome, so loving, so full of the grandness of just living, that Katie, watching him, thought she would die of being happy."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

16. "Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory. "

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

17. "If you ever find a man you love, don’t waste time hanging your head and simpering. Go right up to him and say, ‘I love you. How about getting married?"

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' Quotes About Reading

The list below is a compilation of quotes from 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' about reading. These tree-growing quotes and reading quotes will inspire you to face the sufferings of your life with a new perspective and will teach you how to live life to its fullest.

There are also plenty of quotes from 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' about poverty, some of which you can discover here.

18. "She read everything she could find: trash, classics, time tables and the grocer’s price list."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

19. "Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

20. "She was reading a book a day in alphabetical order and not skipping the dry ones."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

21. "For all of her enthusiasm, she had to admit that some of the B’s had been hard going. But Francie was a reader."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

22. "As she read, at peace with the world and happy as only a little girl could be with a fine book and a little bowl of candy, and all alone in the house, the leaf shadows shifted and the afternoon passed."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

23. "From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

24. "She planned to read all the books over again when she had finished with the Z’s."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

25. "She had been reading a book a day for a long time now and she was still in the B’s."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

26. "Francie thought that all the books in the world were in that library and she had a plan about reading all the books in the world."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

27. "She read the words over aloud. They sounded like words that came in a can; the freshness was cooked out of them."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

28. "On the day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

29. "Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then she must read every day, I know this is the secret."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

30. "Francie breathed the warm air, watched the dancing leaf shadows, ate the candy and took sips of the cooled water in-between reading the book."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

31. "Some of the reading had been wonderful; the Louisa Alcott books for example."

- Betty Smith, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn'.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' quotes, then why not take a look at ['The Kite Runner' quotes], or 'The Color Purple' quotes for more book quotes?

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