Lady’s 25 London Quotes That Will Make You Fall in Love with the UK Capital

London inspires me. From the city skyline to the pretty streets, it’s always held me in awe. And I’m not alone. Many people have waxed lyrical about the UK capital over the centuries. Which is great, because it means there are a lot of sayings about the city. If you’re looking for inspiration, today I bring you A Lady in London’s favorite London quotes.

London Quotes

These London quotes span time and genre. Some are from books, others from diaries, and still more from everyday conversations.

From well-worn sayings to newer expressions, they’ll bring you a variety of viewpoints on the city and why it’s meant so much to so many people around the world.

These quotes are great for inspiration, but they can also be put to practical use. For example, if you’re looking for a good London caption for Instagram, they’re just the thing.

Whatever way you decide to use or enjoy them, I hope they inspire you to love this city as much as the people who wrote them.

Quotes about London

1. “In London, everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.”

– Paddington Bear, 20th-century friendly and polite bear from Peru. This London quote is from the book A Bear Called Paddington.

2. “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

– Samuel Johnson, 18th-century English writer, poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer

3. “A person who is tired of London is not necessarily tired of life; it might be that he just can’t find a parking place.”

– Paul Theroux, contemporary American travel writer and novelist. This London quote is from his book, Sunrise with Seamonsters.

4. “A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.”

– Unknown

5. “In London, love and scandal are considered the best sweeteners of tea.”

– John Osborne, 20th-century English playwright, screenwriter and actor

6. “The streets of London have their map, but our passions are uncharted. What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?”

– Virginia Woolf, 20th-century English writer. This London quote is from her 1922 novel, Jacob’s Room.

7. “I’ve been walking about London for the last 30 years, and I find something fresh in it every day.”

– Walter Besant, 19th-century novelist and historian

8. “London opens to you like a novel itself… It is divided into chapters, the chapters into scenes, the scenes into sentences; it opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.”

– Anna Quindlen, contemporary American author, journalist, and opinion columnist. This London quote is from her book, Imagined London: A Tour of the World’s Greatest Fictional City.

9. “I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.”

– Ben Okri, contemporary Nigerian poet and novelist.

10. “If you’re curious, London’s an amazing place.”

– David Bailey, contemporary English fashion and portrait photographer

11. “There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere.”

– Vivienne Westwood, contemporary British fashion designer

12. “Aesthetically, London is just beautiful; it’s a gorgeous city. The architecture, monuments, the parks, the small streets – it’s an incredible place to be.”

– Sara Bareilles, contemporary American singer-songwriter and actress

13. “There are two places in the world where men can most effectively disappear – the city of London and the South Seas.”

– Herman Melville, 19th-century American novelist, short story writer, and poet. This London quote is from his book, The South Seas.

14. “London is a modern Babylon.”

– Benjamin Disraeli, 19th-century British politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This abridged London quote is from his novel, Tancred: The New Crusade.

15. “To walk alone in London is the greatest rest.”

– Virginia Woolf, 20th-century English writer. This London quote is from a diary entry from March 1930.

16. “The best bribe which London offers to-day to the imagination, is, that, in such a vast variety of people and conditions, one can believe there is room for persons of romantic character to exist, and that the poet, the mystic, and the hero may hope to confront their counterparts.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th-century American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet

17. “London is a bad habit one hates to lose.”

– William Sansom, 20th-century British novelist, travel, and short story writer

18. “London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London.”

– Peter Ackroyd, contemporary English novelist, critical biographer, poet, and children’s writer. This London quote is from his book, London: The Biography.

19. “I like the spirit of this great London which I feel around me.”

– Charlotte Bronte, 19th-century English novelist and poet. This London quote is from her novel, Villette.

20. “Keep calm and go to London.”

– Unknown

21. “I came to London. It had become the center of my world and I had worked hard to come to it.”

– V. S. Naipaul, 20th and 21st-century Trinidadian-British writer. This London quote is from his book, An Area of Darkness.

22. “New York has a great energy, but London is better.”

– Jaime Winstone, contemporary English actress

23. “My Dad says that being a Londoner has nothing to do with where you’re born. He says that there are people who get off a jumbo jet at Heathrow, go through immigration waving any kind of passport, hop on the tube and by the time the train’s pulled into Piccadilly Circus they’ve become a Londoner.”

– Ben Aaronovitch, contemporary English author and screenwriter. This London quote is from his book, Moon Over Soho.

24. “The parks be the lungs of London.”

– Charles Dickens, 19th-century English writer and social critic. This London quote is from a collection of short pieces called Sketches by Boz.

25. “London’s greatest strength is our diversity.”

– Sadiq Khan, contemporary British politician and Mayor of London.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these London quotes and that they’ve inspired you as much as they’ve inspired me. This city is an amazing place, as everyone from bears to humans can tell you.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.

Pin it!