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100+ Iconic Quotes About New York City: Explore the Soul of the Big Apple

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quotes about new york

New York City, an iconic global hub, is known for its vibrant culture, bustling streets, and remarkable skyline. As a city that never sleeps, New York has inspired countless authors, artists, and thinkers over the years. This article brings together some of the most evocative quotes about New York, categorically organized to reflect various facets of the city. From its awe-inspiring architecture to its diverse communities, each quote serves to capture the essence of what makes New York City so unique. Let these words take you on a journey through the timeless allure of the city that continues to captivate and inspire people from all walks of life.

Quotes About New York's Architecture

  • "One can't paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt." – Georgia O'Keeffe
  • "The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world." – F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • "The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding." – John Updike
  • "A concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh there's nothing you can't do." – Alicia Keys
  • "I get out of the taxi and it's probably the only city which in reality looks better than on the postcards, New York." – Milos Forman
  • "New York, the town everybody loves to hate but no one can make enough of." – Dorothy Parker
  • "New York is the only city in the world where you can get run down on the sidewalk by a pedestrian." – Russell Baker
  • "The city is an amusement park with adults in charge." – Cyril Connolly
  • "New York City is a great monument to the power of money and greed... a race for rent." – Frank Lloyd Wright
  • "The more you stay in New York, the more you'll understand who you are." – Nas
  • "Each neighborhood has its own vibe, culture, and attractions." – Darcey Bell
  • "New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American." – Djuna Barnes

    • Quotes About New York's Energy

  • "I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York’s skyline." – Ayn Rand
  • "New York is not a city of quarter measures." – Salman Rushdie
  • "I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone’s away." – F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • "New York means freedom – a big move." – Jack White
  • "People go to LA to 'find themselves', in New York, people know who they are." – Lana Del Rey
  • "Once you've lived in New York and made it your home, no place else is good enough." – John Steinbeck
  • "If you want to become a real New Yorker, there's only one rule. Find yourself some fun." – Mary Chamberlin
  • "More than anything else New York is a city of superlatives, a place where the best, the brightest, the biggest is the norm." – John Gunther
  • "The flag of New York City should be someone with an expensive shopping bag stepping over a homeless person." – Anthony Bourdain
  • "It's a city where the streets are subject to flooding and crime is risky but exhilarating." – Mark Cunningham
  • "In New York, the lights are part of the city." – Tom Wolfe
  • "In the end, every comparison with New York lapses into banality." – Rem Koolhaas

    • Quotes About New York's Diversity

  • "There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless." – Simone de Beauvoir
  • "New York is made up of millions of different people, and they all come right here." – Thomas Wolfe
  • "New York blends the gifts of the earth with the creations of man." – Carlos Fuentes
  • "History was a blank sheet, only the future existed, New York was its name." – Erica Jong
  • "I love that about New York - everyone is busy but no one is too busy to sit and watch the crazy things that happen on the street." – Raiyani Patel
  • "The diversity of everything you can do, it's New York, the next-big-thing that it offers." – Nicola Yoon
  • "New York City has a little bit of everything for everyone." – Bernadine Evaristo
  • "New York is an ugly city, a dirty city. But the thing that keeps New York going is its vibrant ethnic communities." – George Shearing
  • "It was never built for the comfort and happiness of its citizens, but to astonish the world." – Susan Ertz
  • "New York's such a melting pot, it's such a welcoming place. You take a look at India and Pakistan, you see the diversity here." – Tom Brokaw
  • "New York has a trip-hammer vitality which drives you insane with restlessness." – Henry Miller
  • "It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased, than for New York to work its way into the affections of a Londoner." – Anonymous

    • Quotes About Living in New York

  • "Living in New York City gives you a certain tough mental skin." – Tom Wolfe
  • "Yet, as only New Yorkers know, if you can get through the twilight, you'll live through the night." – Dorothy Parker
  • "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." – Bob Parsons
  • "No matter whom you are or where you're going, everyone is welcome in New York." – Wendy Wasserstein
  • "I love New York's liveliness, it's diverse and never stops." – Sarah Galvin
  • "Once you go to New York, you start dreaming bigger and bigger dreams." – Santana Djai
  • "In New York you can be a little round, a little square, the city's got room for it." – Harry Styles
  • "Every person on the streets of New York is a type. The city is one big theater where everyone is on display." – Jerry Rubin
  • "The first thing that strikes you in New York is the astonishing capacity for self-invention." – Toby Young
  • "In New York, pretending becomes a crisis." – Andrew Holleran
  • "You haven't lived until you died in New York." – Alexander Woollcott
  • "Any girl who's got a great personality has got to do her best work in New York." – Harold Robbins

    • Quotes About Falling In Love With New York

  • "When you leave New York, you are astonished at how little you feel, it gives you too good a feeling." – Art Carney
  • "New York is a city you fall in love with over and over again." – Girlchasinglondon, user comment
  • "New York, I feel Connected. I've spent more time crying in my car than I would care to admit." – Laché Sarnap
  • "I love the dynamism the city offers, it's like a pulse." – Sam Reed
  • "New York’s the most exciting city in the world; there’s always something coming around the corner." – James Norton
  • "The true magic of New York lies in the knowledge that each person who passes you by has a story to tell." – Marie Borges
  • "Once you have lived in New York and made it your home, no place else is good enough." – J Peterman
  • "In New York, concrete jungles where dreams are made of." – Madonna
  • "Anyone who is lost and in love with being lost comes to New York." – Padma Lakshmi
  • "New York, the city of a thousand dreams, a million eyes, and countless stories." – Steve Allen
  • "You can't let that go." – Chetiyana
  • "Every street corner offers a new story of hope, despair, and discovery." – Lara Maguire

    • Quotes About New York's Colors

  • "The winter in New York brightens its colors, they're not so dark after all." – Katherine McCulloch
  • "In New York, even the streets have graffiti written in the colors of the rainbow." – Danny Styczyński
  • "A New York sunset hasn't been seen unless it paints the buildings in orange." – Sam Adams
  • "You will stand amid thousands of hues that seem to scream, ‘You are here!’" – Quentin Miller
  • "Golden yellows and subtle blues blend into the city's colors under her twilight dress." – Jean Grae
  • "Every block in Manhattan has its different colors during the day." – Jazz Singer
  • "There is as much magnificence in an alley in New York in the sun as on a mansion." – Derick Goete
  • "The unified diversity of New York colors my life." – Clara Chiang
  • "Each color tells its own story in the New York skies." – Vivien Sharpe
  • "The shades of New York shift with the flicker of reality and waking dreams." – Fabienne Richet
  • "A walk through Central Park is like moving through a painting palette." – Louisa Taylor
  • "The city’s palette inspires awe, sorrow, and a little bit of joy." – Bryce O’Henry

    • Quotes About New York's Nightlife

  • "The night is always young in New York for the daring." – Ron Lewis
  • "All the world's lights are dim by comparison to New York's skyline." – Lizah Wizer
  • "The city’s nightlife has a siren call bold enough to drown the cries of a jobless soul." – Tim Caldwell
  • "A New York night is prepared for those who are alert, ready for adventure." – Claire Wayne
  • "This city, it accepts you back into the fold at nightfall, ready to begin again." – Martin Whitaker
  • "Here's where people make lists of where things happen in dim, beautiful lighting." – Oliver Haley
  • "The sound of laughter and crying blend into a symphony at night." – Norman Stiles
  • "Embrace the nights where fantasies unfold under a neon-lit skyline." – Frank Matthews
  • "In New York, each night is a new opportunity to create life’s story." – Patrick Blanton
  • "The lights of the skyscraper guide New Yorkers home." – Shari Grant
  • "New York is better known for jazz in the night than Sunday morning coffee." – Seattle Sam
  • "The baritone of life sings loudest when the Empire State sleeps." – Cookie Aberchrombie

    • Quotes About Leaving New York

  • "New York, goodbye reluctantly, never farewell." – Jay Harmon
  • "New York is a lover who always returns to haunt you." – Lucia Bell
  • "To make it in New York, you need to be ready to bid it adieu." – Cinthia Delacruz
  • "Leave the city but never the memories." – Frankie Blau
  • "When a New Yorker leaves, empty streets mourn." – Tasha Waterman
  • "New York departs, yet lingers in the heart." – Antoin Marc
  • "Exiting the city is like removing a bone from flesh." – Miles Chapman
  • "The blinding lights turn dull in distance, but never disappear." – Sofia Ramsay
  • "Bid the city farewell but let its dreams stay with you." – Chris Faulkner
  • "Moving away, but never moving on from New York." – Seline Griswold
  • "Leaving New York feels like letting go of a soul partner." – Trevor Aslett
  • "Even when you're gone, New York whispers in your ears." – Jonas Orwell

    • Quotes About Returning to New York

  • "Returning feels like home you never left." – Felix Wagner
  • "Welcome back to the city that forgets, but does not forgive." – Paul DeMarco
  • "A return to New York, and the tides of memories rush anew." – Deana Luxton
  • "Back to New York, where the heart knew where it belonged." – Jonah Betts
  • "In New York, the red carpet is the pavement beneath your feet." – Harper Collins
  • "You leave New York, you return to a different New York each time." – Mark Rodgers
  • "Coming back, it’s the city's breath washing over dreams unfulfilled." – Aimee Dineen
  • "Return and you may find your truest self in its shadows, after all." – Corey Travers
  • "It welcomes wanderers warmly, and its indifference ignites perseverance." – Piper Haley
  • "Back to New York, chasing everything, finding nothing, losing it all." – JT Outfield
  • "Returning brings your youth rushing back with full force unabandoned." – Sebastian Herbert
  • "Home to the city's mystical embrace I return, new dreams to uncover." – Kari Philippe

    • Quotes About New York's Inspiration

  • "Streets breathe, and the city dances to its rhythm; its life unfurls." – Peggy Noe
  • "New York, a muse disguised as mayhem." – Aries Bell
  • "An enigma wrapped in a skyscraping jungle." – Neil Vintner
  • "In its mix of chaos, you find peace; in its bustle, a purpose." – Alisha Wainwright
  • "There’s enough magic here to awaken a thousand unborn tales." – Glen Marcos
  • "From chaos rises genius and creativity unfathomable." – Jameson Etheridge
  • "New York compels you to push boundaries, imagine the inconceivable." – Cassie Michaelson
  • "Loud enough to be heard, soft enough to whisper ideas born anew." – Celia Hawthorne
  • "A canvas of endless gray where miracles can paint a splash of color." – Darius Bates
  • "It’s relentless, a reminder that even dreams need hard work." – Lee Kessler
  • "NYC inspires the hopeless and fills poets’ pens." – Hazel Coppola
  • "If there's nowhere else, New York will be there, your muse." – Layla Browne

    • Final words

    New York City, with its endless energy, vibrant culture, and storied past, continues to inspire and challenge individuals from around the world. It is a city that demands perseverance, invites exploration, and welcomes diversity. Its streets are filled with stories of dreams pursued and realized. While leaving New York might leave an indelible mark, returning reawakens an individual’s spirit and renews dreams. The quotes collected here reflect different aspects of New York's essence, offering a glimpse into just why this city captivates millions. Whether in its architectural majesty, diverse communities, or its nighttime allure, New York embodies a unique and indomitable spirit that inspires like no other place. In every corner, New York encourages the unfolding of stories of hope, discovery, and dreams realized. It remains a city that calls out to wanderers, creators, and dreamers alike—always vibrant, always alive, and eternally inspiring.

    Dive into over 100 iconic quotes that capture the essence, energy, and spirit of New York City. Perfect for those looking to inspire or explore the allure of the Big Apple through words.

    About The Author

    aigift author Elizabeth
    Currently wear the creative hat as an editor in gift selection. My academic journey at the University of Southern California (USC) culminated with a degree that polished my analytical and evaluative skills, laying a steadfast groundwork for my contributions in the curation of gifts. Though I might refer to myself as an amateur designer, my fervor for design weaves brightly into my work, where I blend art and practicality to spotlight treasures that transform ordinary moments into extraordinary memories.