The City of Ember Quotes

Find the perfect quote to float your boat. Shmoop breaks down key quotations from The City of Ember.

Friendship Quotes

Once they were out the door, Lizzie said goodbye and scurried away, as if Lina's bad luck were a disease she might catch. (1.58)

Greed Quotes

But Granny rarely went out, Lina told herself… She didn't really need a new coat, did she? Besides, how much could a few pencils cost? She could probably get a coat for Granny and some pencils. (...

Man and the Natural World Quotes

"Take a lamp, for instance. When you plug it in, it comes alive, in a way…But a bean seed isn't connected to anything. Neither are people. We don't have plugs and wires that connect us to generat...

Family Quotes

Lina loved her little sister so much that it was like an ache under her ribs. The baby and Granny were all the family she had now […] Lina missed her parents with an ache that was as strong as wh...

Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes

"So the first mayor will pass the box to the next mayor, and that one to the next, and so on down through the years, all of them keeping it a secret, all the time?" "What else can we do?" asked the...

Youth Quotes

Lina had always liked her. Even when she was little, Clary did not treat her like a baby but gave her jobs to do—pulling up carrots, picking bugs off cabbages. (4.38)

Memory and The Past Quotes

The box ended up at the back of a closet, shoved behind some old bags and bundles. There it sat, unnoticed, year after year, until its time arrived, and the lock quietly clicked open. (The Instruct...

Power Quotes

Lina knew about the generator, of course. In some mysterious way, it turned the running of the river into power for the city. (1.67)