Step into the imaginative, witty, and profoundly philosophical world of Terry Pratchett.
If you’re a longtime Discworld fan or just discovering his literary brilliance, this collection of Terry Pratchett quotes will offer the humor, depth, and unique worldview he was known for.
From thoughtful insights about life and death to hilarious one-liners, Pratchett’s words resonate far beyond the page.
This guide gathers his best quotes across different works, characters, and themes—perfect for readers seeking inspiration, wisdom, or just a good laugh.
Explore and enjoy the genius of one of the greatest satirical authors of all time.
Best Terry Pratchett Quotes
- Sometimes it’s better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness
- The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it
- The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it
- They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance
- Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out
- Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you
- Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things
- In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this
- It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it’s called Life
- The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp
- A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on
- People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it’s the other way around
- There is no justice. There’s just us
Terry Pratchett Quotes Death
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- Don’t think of it as dying, just think of it as leaving early to avoid the rush
- You can’t give her that! It’s not safe! IT’S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY’RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE. SHE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO CUT HER FINGER. SHE’S SUPPOSED TO…CUT OTHER PEOPLE’S
- Death isn’t cruel – merely terribly, terribly good at his job
- YOU FEAR TO DIE? “It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
- No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away
- There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this
- Life is a habit that’s hard to break
- I’VE NEVER BEEN ENTIRELY SURE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO. I’VE ALWAYS TRIED TO DO THE JOB
- There is a rumour going around that I have found God. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys
- Life doesn’t cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh
- To die completely, a person must not only forget but be forgotten
- WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?
- Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying “End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH”, the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry
- There is no grave deep enough to hold the stories a man leaves behind
- Time… is a cruel master, but a fair one
Terry Pratchett Quotes from Discworld
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- In the beginning, there was nothing, which exploded
- The turtle moves
- The anthropomorphic personification of Death is not to be feared, but perhaps respected
- It is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done
- Genius is always allowed some leeway, once the hammer has been pried from its hands and the blood has been cleaned up
- Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought
- The gods play games with the fates of men. But sometimes they grow bored and give them a little help
- There are those who believe knowledge is something that is acquired — a precious thing. But there is another kind of knowledge
- The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the alarm clock of the soul
- Belief, in the absence of evidence, is a virtue
- You can’t map a sense of humour. Anyway, I always think the world’s a bit better with some madmen in it
- It is a popular fact that nine tenths of the brain is not used and, like most popular facts, it is wrong
- The world is full of lies. But the biggest lie is the one you tell yourself
- Magic doesn’t work when you’re not looking
Dodger Terry Pratchett Quotes
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- Dodger didn’t need reasons. He needed boots
- The world runs on lies. People like them better than the truth
- A man is not what he says, he is what he does
- It’s amazing what you can see when no one thinks you’re looking
- Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing something in spite of it
- There’s always a way, if you look for it
- Dodger lived on the edge, because the view was better
- Fear’s just hope with no place to go
- Dodger didn’t believe in luck, but he did believe in opportunity
- You could learn a lot from a rat
- Sometimes the best way to deal with the world is to pretend you’re not really in it
- When you grow up in the gutter, you learn how to climb
- Being clever’s not as good as being wise
- People don’t listen to boys from the streets – unless they shout
- A clean face and dirty boots tell their own story
Terry Pratchett Quotes Books
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- A book is a mirror: if an ape looks into it, don’t expect an apostle to look out
- The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
- Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself
- Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one
- Books: the best weapons in the world
- A man reading a book is a sign of civilization
- Libraries are the thin red line between civilization and barbarism
- Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn’t try it on
- The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouths they’ve been in
- If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people
- The first draft is just you telling yourself the story
- There’s nothing like a good book, except perhaps a bad one you can enjoy anyway
- In writing, the only rule is: don’t bore your reader
- Words are powerful things. They can start wars or end them
- People love a good story. That’s why books matter
The Truth Terry Pratchett Quotes
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- A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on
- The truth shall make ye fret
- People didn’t want the truth. They wanted a truth, something to entertain them
- News is what people don’t want you to know. Everything else is just advertising
- You can’t stop people thinking. You can try, but they just think more
- The truth isn’t easily marketable
- Some truths are not for telling
- Truth is like a mirror, it breaks if handled roughly
- The press is free. It just has to pay the price
- Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one
- Truth doesn’t have a side, but people do
- Sometimes the truth hurts. That’s why people prefer lies
- People like to believe stuff that fits their world
- The best lies are the ones that start with the truth
- Truth is heavy; few can carry it alone
Terry Pratchett Quotes Discworld
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- The turtle moves
- The Discworld rides on the backs of four giant elephants which, in turn, stand on the shell of a giant turtle
- All reality is virtual for sufficiently advanced minds
- Discworld is not flat because it’s unfinished – it’s flat because it works
- The universe doesn’t much care about what you believe
- In Discworld, anything is possible – especially the impossible
- Logic is a wonderful thing but it sometimes gets in the way of thinking
- You can’t understand magic if you don’t believe in stories
- Discworld: where impossible things are just Tuesday
- Time and space are just guidelines
- Ankh-Morpork: where you can buy anything if you’ve got the cash
- Wizards are just men who know how to bluff
- The Patrician always wins, because he knows how the game is played
- People in Discworld don’t believe in coincidences – only arrangements
- The end of the world is just a new chapter
Death Terry Pratchett Quotes
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- I HAVE TO DO MY JOB. IT’S WHAT I DO
- TIME IS THE STUFF LIFE IS MADE OF
- HUMANS FEAR THE FLAME, BUT THEY CAN’T HELP STARING INTO IT
- WHEN IT IS TIME TO GO, YOU GO
- I HAVE SEEN THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. IT IS NOT THE END
- DEATH IS VERY POLITE. HE KNOCKS
- EVERYTHING THAT STARTS, ENDS
- YOU ARE ALIVE. BELIEVE IT WHILE YOU CAN
- SOULS CAN’T BE OWNED. THEY’RE ON LOAN
- THE SAND NEVER LIES
- I TAKE NO PLEASURE IN IT, BUT IT MUST BE DONE
- IN THE END, WE ALL WALK TOGETHER
- I NEVER MISS AN APPOINTMENT
- LIFE IS A LOAN, NOT A GIFT
- WE ALL MEET EVENTUALLY – EVEN IF WE DON’T SHAKE HANDS
Terry Pratchett Quotes Discworld
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- Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day
- Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life
- Fire speaks, but people rarely listen
- Burning bridges makes it harder to retreat
- A good fire is comforting. A bad one is instructive
- Some men just want to watch the world learn
- Control fire, or be consumed by it
- Fire reveals the truth hidden in shadows
- Warmth isn’t always kindness
- Fire is light that bites
- Flames whisper wisdom
- The brightest flames burn the fastest
- You can’t unburn a page
- Fire teaches without speaking
Conclusion
Terry Pratchett’s quotes are more than just witty remarks—they’re deep reflections wrapped in humor, fantasy, and insight.
If you’re exploring Discworld or simply craving cleverness with soul, his words continue to entertain, provoke thought, and inspire readers of all ages.
