16 Literary Quotes to Welcome Winter

Quotes compiled by Beth O'Brien, staff member, Captain William Spry Public Library, opens a new window

Although winter technically doesn't begin until December 21, it feels like it arrives much sooner. The temperatures begin to drop below zero before then, with snow following not far behind. It's both a barren and beautiful time of year, and it's the perfect time to cozy up with a good book. To help put you in the mood for the changing of the seasons, here are 16 literary quotes to welcome winter!

“Wisdom comes with winters.” —Oscar Wilde

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ―Lewis Carroll

"In the falling quiet there was no sky or earth, only snow lifting in the wind, frosting the window glass, chilling the rooms, deadening and hushing the city." —Truman Capote

“Snow was falling,
So much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.” —Mary Oliver

"Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen." —Ernest Hemingway

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” —Charles Dickens

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus

“My breath came out in a fog and rose into the milky sky. Snow fell on my eyelashes, and all of Brooklyn turned white, a world in a globe. Every snowflake that I caught was a miracle unlike any other.” ―Alice Hoffman

"That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again." ― Ali Smith

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”―John Steinbeck


Looking for more inspiring quotes? Check out our blogs, 15 Literary Fall Quotes,, opens a new window and Our Favourite Quotes about Books, Reading, and Libraries!, opens a new window