When you think of classic tragic love stories, one that invariably comes to mind is Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. But while it’s a saga about unrequited love, it is also rife with some of the most romantic quotes penned in the history of literature.
Wuthering Heights isn’t just a doomed love story. It’s also a Gothic masterpiece that is set against the bleak Yorkshire moors, haunted by restless spirits. To add to it, it is also about the unquenchable vengeance between two families locked in an intergenerational feud. Interesting right? But what makes Wuthering Heights truly an unforgettable literary masterpiece are those passionate quotes that Emily Brontë has interwoven in this already interesting plot.
Sure, Heathcliff and Cathy’s love is far from healthy—it’s stormy, obsessive, and downright toxic at times. Yet, the way Brontë captures their intense emotions in words is nothing short of mesmerizing.
Whether you’re a hopeless romantic or a literary enthusiast, you’re in for a treat as we explore some of the most romantic quotes from this hauntingly beautiful tale. What are you waiting for? Just grab your favorite cozy blanket, maybe a cup of tea, and let’s get ready to swoon over Heathcliff and Catherine’s tumultuous love story. Shall we begin?
7 Most Romantic Quotes From Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
Here are some of the most heart-wrenching quotes from Wuthering Heights:
1. “If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.”
~Heathcliff, about Edgar Linton’s love for Catherine
Heathcliff’s declaration in Chapter 14 intended to highlight the intensity of his love for Catherine by juxtaposing it against Edgar Linton’s affection. He argues that even if Edgar put his whole life into loving Catherine with all of himself, he could still not equal the depth of feeling that Heathcliff experienced in a twenty-four-hour period.
This statement served as a testament to Heathcliff’s passionate and all-encompassing love, which he thought outweighed any ordinary standard of love or devotion.
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2. “He shall never know I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made out of, his and mine are the same.”
~Catherine, about Heathcliff
“Whatever our souls are made out of, his and mine are the same” is one of the most iconic quotes of all time. This fan-favorite quote features in Chapter 9, where Catherine confides in the housekeeper, Nelly Dean, about her true feelings for Heathcliff.
But even though she loves Heathcliff with all her heart, Catherine reveals her decision to marry Edgar Linton, whom she considers a more suitable match according to 19th-century Victorian society norms.
3. “Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when you- Oh God! would you like to lie with your soul in the grave?”
~Heathcliff to Catherine
This quote is one where Heathcliff expresses deep pain and despair over his love for Catherine. He questions whether life is worth living without her, feeling that existence would be unbearable once Catherine is gone.
Heathcliff longs for a connection with Catherine that goes beyond life, asking if she would want to be together even in death. This shows the depth of his love and how the thought of losing her terrifies him.
4. “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”
~Catherine, about Heathcliff
In another quote from Chapter 9, Catherine tells Nelly about how she feels about Heathcliff and Edgar. She says her love for Edgar might change over time, but her love for Heathcliff will be the same forever.
Catherine even says that if everything in the world ended, but Heathcliff was still alive, she would live on through him. Talk about taking soulmates to a whole new level!
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5. “I have not broken your heart- you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”
~Heathcliff to Catherine
This is one example of “fused identity” – a recurring theme in the novel. Author Virginia Woolf’s essay on Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights explains that “There is no ‘I’ in Wuthering Heights.”
According to Woolf, Emily Brontë was more focused on conveying a “general conception” rather than expressing personal ambitions. Therefore, instead of using phrases like “I love” or “I hate,” the main characters in Emily Brontë’s works are addressing “the whole human race” or “the eternal powers,” Woolf contends.
This interpretation of Wuthering Heights may explain why both Catherine and readers have conflicting emotions towards Heathcliff. Despite being initially repulsed by many of Heathcliff’s actions, we also recognize that he portrays a primal truth that resonates with our own experiences: frustrated desire.
6. “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.”
~Catherine, about Heathcliff
Once again, Catherine compares her love for Edgar to that of Heathcliff. While she says her love for Edgar is transient, that it might change as time goes on, her love for Heathcliff, on the other hand, is as solid as the “eternal rocks beneath.”
The idea of fused identity can be seen in the second part of the quote when Catherine admits that Heathcliff is always on her mind and her “own being.”
7. “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you- haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe- I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”
~Heathcliff, about the late Catherine
In this quote, it’s clear that Heathcliff’s love for Catherine is incredibly intense. And twisted. He’s so consumed by his feelings that if he can’t have her as his wife, he’d rather see her dead and have her ghost torment him forever.
This may sound like an exaggeration or something that leaves one with a sense of discomfort; however, it does demonstrate how affection can turn into an unhealthy fixation.
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These were some of the most romantic quotes from Wuthering Heights. Which one is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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