50 Lilac Quotes That’ll Make Your Heart Bloom With Hope

Whenever you need something to inspire you and refresh your mind, make sure you check out this list of the best lilac quotes!

The lilac is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in spring after a harsh and cold winter.

And though it symbolizes love, life after death, wisdom, and more, it’s looked to as a symbol of hope and renewal.

This flower is so beloved that we associate different colors and shades of pink and purple with it.

It also has a distinct smell that may remind us of our loved ones, especially our grandmothers.

Lilac Quotes That’ll Make Your Heart Bloom

With that, it’s clear that lilacs hold a special place in the hearts of many. So, what are you waiting for?

Dive deep into this list of the best lilac quotes and be refreshed, too!

Continue to the list below.

And don’t forget to check out these lavender quotes and daffodil quotes.

Best Lilac Quotes

1. “The smell of lilacs crept poignantly into the room like a remembered spring.” – Margaret Millar

2. “The lilac branches are bowed under the weight of the flowers. Blooming is hard, and the most important thing is to bloom.” – Yevgeny Zamyatin 

3. “The smell of moist earth and lilacs hung in the air like wisps of the past and hints of the future.” – Margaret Millar 

4. “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” – T.S. Eliot 

5. “If you do not want your lilac to become a tree, prune to a height of eight to nine feet, which keeps the blossoms at eye level.” – Kim Smith 

6. “The common lilac is amazingly fragrant, but once it’s finished blooming, it is a rather unattractive plant.” – Vincent Simeone 

7. “And stay, my dear, stay forever as my quiet song, in my lilac dawn.” – Sanober Khan

8. “I’ve not much interest in the important things of life. Only in the beautiful things. Just this lilac here makes me happy.” – Erich Maria Remarque

9. “Life is short, and life is beautiful, and everything is lovely. Love it, embrace it, smell the lilacs, play with the dog, and love endlessly and fiercely with everything you’ve got. Live without regret.” – Daisy Whitney

Famous Lilac Quotes

10. “Now that the lilacs are in bloom. She has a bowl of lilacs in her room.” – T.S. Elliot 

11. “A faint smell of lilac filled the air. There was always lilac in this part of town. Where there were grandmothers, there was always lilac.” – Laura Miller 

12. “When lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed, and the great star early drooped in the western sky in the night, I mourned and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.” – Walt Whitman 

13. “Lilac makes on occasion a sound between a sniff and a snort that’s as damning as all improper words in the language and, like them, can’t be written down.” – Leslie Ford 

14. “The last unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone.” – Peter S. Beagle

15. “And it’s always the lilac garden on the other side of the river. If the soul should ask you if that is far from here, you should say, ‘On the other side of the river, not this one, but the one over there.’” – Alejandra Pizarnik

16. “The breath of the enchanted wind mingles the fresh scent of the lilacs with the fragrance of the past.” – Marcel Proust

Also read: Famous Quotes

Short Lilac Quotes to Reflect On

17. “Lilacs, like memories, waft on the breeze.” – Rachel Hartman

18. “May—the lilacs are in bloom. Forget yourself.” – Marty Rubin 

19. “I cannot understand why my arm is not a lilac tree.” – Leonard Cohen 

20. “Snow is bruised lilac in half-light—such pure solace.” – David Mitchell 

21. “Philosophy—a purple bullfinch in a lilac tree.” – T. S. Eliot 

22. “Just now the lilac is in bloom. All before my little room.” – Betty S. Flowers 

23. “Fear is a slinking cat I find beneath the lilacs of my mind.” – Sophie Tunnell 

24. “Lilacs are May in essence.” – Jean Hersey

Also read: Short Quotes

Beautiful Lilac Quotes

25. “The true beloveds of this world are in their lover’s eyes lilacs opening, ship lights, school bells, a landscape, remembered conversations, friends, a child’s Sunday, lost voices, one’s favorite suit, autumn, and all seasons.” – Truman Capote

26. “My mom’s smile is genuine—a lilac beaming In the presence of her sun.” – Darcy Leech

27. “And from then on, whenever he smells lilacs, he’ll think about this moment—how the bees were circling above him, how purple the ink on the leaflets he’s been distributing suddenly seemed, how he realized, all at once, just how beautiful a woman can be.” – Alice Hoffman

28. “Like roses, one of the most beloved flowering shrubs, lilacs have a renaissance.” – Vincent Simeone 

29. “With its versatile form and lovely heart-shaped leaves, the lilac is an exceptional companion to a wide range of flowering trees and shrubs.” – Kim Smith 

30. “Strive not for the beauty of raiment, nor for stately dwellings. Behold the lilac.” – L.E. Modesitt Jr. 

31. “The ineffable beauty and fragrance of lilacs are enhanced by the many varieties of suitable companion plants.” – Kim Smith 

32. “One of the loveliest amongst flowering shrubs, which we profusely grow, is the lilac.” – Alfred Smee 

33. “Lilacs. False blue, white, purple—the color of lilac. Our great puffs of flowers are everywhere in New England. Lilacs in dooryards holding a quiet conversation with an early moon. Lilacs watching a deserted house. Lilacs, wind-beaten, staggering under a lopsided shock of bloom. You are everywhere.” – Amy Lowell

34. “Through the window of my mask, I see a wall of coral—its surface a living kaleidoscope of lilac flecks, splashes of gold, reddish streaks, and yellows, all tinged by the familiar transparent blue of the sea.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Informative Lilac Quotes That’ll Add to Your Knowledge

35. “If the lilacs bloomed earlier, it could mean we had a milder winter, so look out for potential insect outbreaks.” – David Wolfe 

36. “Lilacs are ordinarily conceived as being either purple or white.” – Cengage Learning 

37. “Lilacs are found growing where winters are cold enough to afford proper growth and ample blossoms.” – Kim Smith 

38. “The Persian lilac is also extremely useful, as much for the beauty and fragrance of the flowers as the ease with which it can be grown.” – Groombridge and Sons 

39. “Nothing is more wistful than the scent of lilac, nor more robust than its woody stalk, for we must remember that it is a tree as well as a flower, we must try not to forget this.” – Stevie Smith 

Lilac Quotes for Everyone Who Loves This Flower

40. . “The wind is tossing the lilacs, the new leaves laugh in the sun, and the petals fall on the orchard wall.” – Sara Teasdale 

41. “Alive to the loving past, she conjures her own. Nothing is wholly lost—sun on the stone. And lilacs in their splendor, like lost friends, come back through grief to tell her love never ends.” – May Sarton

42. “The spring is fresh and fearless, and every leaf is new. The world is brimmed with moonlight, the lilac brimmed with dew. Here in the moving shadows, I catch my breath and sing—my heart is fresh and fearless, and over-brimmed with spring.” – Sara Teasdale 

43. “When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone’s head open it smelled like abattoir and quite overpowered the scent of the wild lilacs you’d cut and brought into the house only this morning, which was already another life.” – Kate Atkinson 

44. “The strong floral fragrance was sickening, suffocating, and threatened to snuff out any lingering remainder of fragile lilac—of the mother she’d loved so, so much.” – Katherine McIntyre

45. “My grandmother had a lilac bush at her home in Long Island. I always associate the scent of it with her and try to have lilacs in my home.” – Aerin Lauder

More Lilac Quotes to Read When You Need Something to Refresh You

46. “And the lost heart stiffens and rejoices in the lost lilac and the lost sea voices and the weak spirit quickens to rebel for the bent golden-rod and the lost sea smell quickens to recover.” – T.S. Eliot 

47. “Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart; I breathe at this hour the fragrance of the lilacs, the violets, and the roses, as at 20 years ago.” – Victor Hugo 

48. “The sweet, languid, rather sleepy smell of lilacs wafts everywhere. And it is a city of lovers, many of them quite middle-aged. Walking with their arms around each other, embracing and kissing on park benches. A sensuousness very much bound up—it seems to me—with the heady ubiquitous smell of lilacs.” – Joyce Carol Oates

49. “I opened the large central window of my office room to its full on the fine early May morning. Then I stood for a few moments, breathing in the soft, warm air that was charged with the scent of white lilacs below.” – Angus Wilson

50. “In the garden where the lilacs were so tall, it was impossible to see the road. The leaves were dusty, the way they always were in August when the weather turned hot.” – Alice Hoffman

What Are the Things That You Associate With Lilacs?

As we all know, there are flowers for different occasions. But, what makes the lilac so different is that it’s the perfect flower for almost any commemoration. It’s a symbol for most things like love, hope, renewal, and even death, making it the perfect fit for just about anything.

Since it’s the earliest flower to bloom in spring, many people share and give bouquets of lilacs during this time. Sadly, these beautiful flowers only last for so long. But, though that is the case, their significance in different cultures cannot be questioned.

The lilac also has several medicinal uses, which are worth noting. For one, as an essential oil, it’s known to effectively treat skin disorders and act as a fever reducer, among many others. And, when used in aromatherapy, it’s known to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety and stress.

No doubt, many wonderful things come with this tiny flower. Make sure you watch out for it the next time you’re out and about!

Do you love lilacs? What’s your favorite flower? Comment below!

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.