We Didn't Expect These to Be the Most Popular Stephen King Book Quotes

By Maggie Panos
Everett Collection
Everett Collection

Whether you've been a lifelong Stephen King fan or you're just now getting around to checking out some of his timeless (and usually terrifying) novels, you have to admit that the man is a genius. Not only does he tell insane stories, he also always weaves a few astute observations about human nature into his books. I'm not surprised that people tend to highlight certain passages of his, but I am surprised by which ones people have highlighted the most.

According to Kindle's data, the most popular quotes in all of his books are below, and five out of 10 are from King's 2011 time-travel thriller, 11/22/62. Classics like Carrie and It didn't even make the list, but there at least a couple from The Shining in there.

  1. 11/22/63: "But stupidity is one of two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances."
  2. 11/22/63: "We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why. Not until the future eats the present, anyway. We know when it's too late."
  3. 11/22/63: "Home is watching the moon rise over the open, sleeping land and having someone you can call to the window, so you can look together. Home is where you dance with others, and dancing is life."
  4. 11/22/63: "Artistic talent is far more common than the talent to nurture artistic talent."
  5. 11/22/63: "In America, where surface has always passed for substance, people always believe guys like Frank Dunning."
  6. Doctor Sleep: "There came a time when you realized that moving on was pointless. That you took yourself with you wherever you went."
  7. The Shining "She had never dreamed there could be so much pain in a life when there was nothing physically wrong."
  8. Mr. Mercedes "Every religion lies. Every moral precept is a delusion. Even the stars are a mirage. The truth is darkness, and the only thing that matters is making a statement before one enters it. Cutting the skin of the world and leaving a scar. That's all history is, after all: scar tissue."
  9. The Shining "That's your job in this hard world, to keep your love alive and see that you get on, no matter what. Pull your act together and just go on."
  10. Finders Keepers "A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes down what he sees. A good novelist realizes he is a secretary, not God."