Quotes · verified word for word in the text
Inferno quotes
11 quotes from Inferno by Dante Alighieri. Source: Project Gutenberg e-text #1004 (public domain in the USA), the text this site’s reader shows. Each quote is copied exactly from that text and links to its passage in the reader; when this page was built, every quote was checked word for word against the reader’s text.
Through me the way is to the city dolent; Through me the way is to eternal dole; Through me the way among the people lost.
Justice incited my sublime Creator; Created me divine Omnipotence, The highest Wisdom and the primal Love.
Before me there were no created things, Only eterne, and I eternal last. All hope abandon, ye who enter in!
Of those things only should one be afraid Which have the power of doing others harm; Of the rest, no; because they are not fearful.
And he to me: “This miserable mode Maintain the melancholy souls of those Who lived withouten infamy or praise.
There is no greater sorrow Than to be mindful of the happy time In misery, and that thy Teacher knows.
Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize, Seized this man for the person beautiful That was ta’en from me, and still the mode offends me.
Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving, Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly, That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me;
Love has conducted us unto one death; Caina waiteth him who quenched our life!
Consider ye the seed from which ye sprang; Ye were not made to live like unto brutes, But for pursuit of virtue and of knowledge.’
Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.