Top 7 Quotes From the Hunger Games Series That Exemplify A Life Lesson

The Hunger Games series is filled with inspirational quotes about survival, and not giving in to the enemy. I find that some of these sayings could help me with life in general. So, let’s see the top 7 quotes from the series. 

1. “Pity does not get you aid. Admiration at your refusal to give in does.” –Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games 

The tributes would need sponsors in the arena in order to survive. The aid Katniss is referring to in the quote is the people of Panem that choose where their money goes to. Though people may pity you, chances are they won’t donate money to you. But strength and determination will. Katniss received a loaf of bread from District 11 after she covered Rue with flowers as a token of thanks. By burying Rue, she refused to give in to the Capitol and to them, it was a sign of rebellion. 

2. “Here’s some advice: stay alive.” –Haymitch Abernathy, The Hunger Games 

Being the drunk mentor that he is, Haymitch didn’t have much to say about how to get them out of the arena alive. Naturally, he assumed that like the tributes in the last 23 years, Katniss and Peeta wouldn’t survive. However, once he saw the fight in the two of them, he promised to try to help them. But this bit of advice was the plan anyways: stay away from the Cornucopia bloodbath, and try to find water. So, I think this quote would relate to everyday life because I take this to mean that you should focus on the big picture, and worry about the little things later. In the arena, what Katniss and Peeta are hoping to do is to get out of there alive because that’s the point of the Games, and that is the overall goal. 

3. “You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” –Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games

This quote talks about how Peeta was the one to help Katniss when she and her family were about to starve. In The Hunger Games, Peeta took a beating from his mother to give Katniss two loaves of perfectly good bread. When Katniss was in the arena, Peeta saved her from the Career pack, and she thought that she would never be able to stop owing him. To me, this quote means that you can never forget what someone has done for you, regardless of how small or big the action was. Even if it isn’t my last hope and I am not in the position that Katniss was in, I would never forget. 

4. “As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.” –Mr Everdeen, The Hunger Games

This quote from Katniss’s father has a double meaning. Of course, he means that as long as Katniss could find the plant for which she was named for, she wouldn’t starve as the roots are edible. But it’s about discovering your strengths; Katniss found herself in the woods while hunting with Gale, the one place where she could truly be herself. If she hadn’t discovered that she could hunt, she would never have been able to support her family, and they would all have starved or just relied on their yearly supply of tessera. 

5. “I want to do something right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do that there is a part of every tribute that they don’t own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I.” –Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games  

After Rue dies, Katniss, in grief and anger, buried her with wild flowers. In doing so, she told the Capitol that they had just let a little girl die in the arena, a fate that no one deserved, regardless of what they’ve done. This quote means that even though the Capitol controls what happens to the tributes, there is a part of every child that they don’t control. For example, in Katniss, they don’t own her compassion, nor do they control her actions when she wants to do something. The Capitol uses the children “as punishment” to the Districts, but really, it’s for entertainment. And it was this act that sparked the rebellion that led to their downfall. 

6. “At some point, you have to stop running and turn around and face whoever wants you dead. The hard thing is finding the courage to do it.” – Katniss Everdeen, Catching Fire 

In this quote, what Katniss means is, you can’t keep running forever. Eventually, you’d have to stop and face “the one who wants you dead”. But it may not be a person; it may be a difficult task or a fear. If you keep avoiding whatever that may be, it’s only going to get worse, so you will have to work up the courage to face it once and for all. For Katniss, this is most likely President Snow as she is the symbol of the rebellion. She played along until that last moment with the force field, where she destroyed the whole arena. Mockingjay is when Katniss finally faced Snow, and she was never afraid of him again. 

7. “Remember who the real enemy is.” –Haymitch Abernathy, Catching Fire 

When Haymitch tells this to Katniss in Catching Fire, she takes this to mean the brutal Career tributes in the arena. However, towards the end, she finally figures out that the real enemy was the Capitol, and this led to her destroying the force field, therefore blowing up the arena. In everyday life, I take this to mean that I can’t blame someone for something that they didn’t do, even if I’m just really angry with them. You have to remember who is on your side, and who is not. 

BONUS QUOTE: The true #1 Hunger Games quote (in my opinion)

“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!” –Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games

This well-known Hunger Games quote from Effie Trinket is a constant annoyance to Katniss. In fact, she uses it to lighten up the dull mood with Gale in the woods. However, the odds certainly weren’t in Primrose’s favour that day. Even after what Katniss did to prevent her sister from being reaped, none of it mattered as Prim’s name was drawn from the bowl. 

Though this quote absolutely does not teach anyone anything about life, I really like this one because it’s just so… Effie. Plus, this is the iconic quote from the Hunger Games, and it just had to be on this list. So, this is the honorary 8th quote.