This list of important quotations from “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding will help you work with the essay topics and thesis statements above by allowing you to support your claims. All of the important quotes from “Lord of the Flies” listed here correspond, at least in some way, to the paper topics above and by themselves can give you great ideas for an essay by offering quotes and explanations about other themes, symbols, imagery, and motifs than those already mentioned and explained. Aside from the thesis statements from “Lord of the Flies” above, these quotes alone can act as essay questions or study questions as they are all relevant to the text in an important way. All quotes contain page numbers as well. Look at the bottom of the page to identify which edition of the text by William Golding they are referring to.

“Jack had to think for a moment before he could remember what rescue was.” (46)

“[T]he northern European tradition of work, play, and food right through the day, made it possible for them to adjust themselves wholly to this new rhythm.” (49)

“They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea, and sweet air, as a time when play was good and life was so full of hope.” (50)

“They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority.” (50)

“The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. Once there was this and that, and nowóand the ship had gone.” (79)

“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grown-ups going to think?” (79)

“[T]he rules are the only thing we got!” (79)

“I got this to say. You're acting like a crowd of kids.” (164)

“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (168)

“They were savages, it was true, but they were human.” (169)
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