Fighting winter blues: 15 quotes from literature to inspire you when you’re feeling low

Here’s some wisdom gleaned from books to cheer you up for the cold months ahead.

Winter is almost here.There is a chill in the air in the mornings, which will soon give way to foggy, sunless days. In the weeks ahead, it’ll become harder to leave the comfort and warmth of your bed to brave the freezing outdoors. While the season may have its perks too (one looks forward to savouring hot drinks and food ensconced in woolly layers), it is a harrowing time for those who experience a dip in energy levels and winter blues. Here’s some wisdom from books to keep your spirits up as you brace for the cold months ahead:

Winter can be a harrowing time, especially for those who experience seasonal affective disorder. (Shutterstock)

When something is bothering me, I seek refuge. No need to travel far; a trip to the realm of literary memory will suffice. For where can one find more noble distraction, more entertaining company, more delightful enchantment than in literature?

– Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

“Heroes aren’t always the ones who win,” she said. “They’re the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. They don’t give up. That’s what makes them heroes.”

– Cassandra Clare, City of Heavenly Fire

Mind over matter represents the triumph of will over physical hindrance. Our thoughts are our weapon against the world.

– David Adam, The Man Who Couldn’t Stop

We can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life.

– P D James, The Children Of Men

I sit there thinking about how much courage it takes to live an ordinary life.

– Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don’t believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future.

– Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

Tomorrow is another day.

– Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

To regret one’s own experiences is to arrest one’s own development. To deny one’s own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one’s own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.

– Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more