Cassandra Clare Quotes

Powerful Cassandra Clare for Daily Growth

About Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare is a renowned American novelist, best known for her extraordinary contributions to young adult fiction, particularly in the genres of fantasy and romance. Born on July 27, 1971, in Teotihuacan, Mexico, to Judy and John Clare, Cassandra's early life was filled with travel due to her father's diplomatic career. This nomadic existence provided a rich tapestry of cultural experiences that significantly influenced her storytelling. At the age of 15, Cassandra began writing fanfiction for "The Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose," which led to her creating "The Draco Trilogy" - a series of Harry Potter fanfiction novels. Her works garnered attention and admiration from fans, eventually leading to a literary agent offering representation. In 2007, Cassandra published her debut novel, "City of Bones," the first book in The Mortal Instruments series. The success of this urban fantasy saga led to its expansion with five more novels and multiple spin-offs, including The Infernal Devices trilogy and The Dark Artifices duology. These works have collectively sold over 35 million copies worldwide. In 2015, Cassandra co-authored the popular novel "Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy" with Wesley Chu. Her most recent series, The Last Hours, began publication in 2020. Throughout her career, Cassandra Clare has shown an unparalleled ability to weave intricate worlds and captivating narratives that resonate deeply with readers. With her vivid characters, complex plots, and richly imagined settings, Cassandra Clare continues to enchant audiences around the globe.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is like a seed. If it's genuine, it will always grow."

This quote suggests that authentic love has a natural tendency to flourish and strengthen over time, similar to how a seed grows into a plant when given the right conditions. The sentiment encourages the idea that if one plants genuine love (seeds of affection), it will eventually blossom into something beautiful and long-lasting. It also implies that forced or insincere "love" may not survive as it lacks the inherent strength to grow and adapt under various life circumstances.


"She was willing to let go a little now, because she had faith in him. Faith that he would find his own way, wherever it took him."

This quote signifies trust and belief in someone's ability to navigate their own path independently. The character, despite holding onto control, is prepared to relinquish some of it because they have faith in the other person's capacity to make decisions and find their direction in life. It emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in personal relationships, recognizing that sometimes allowing others to explore on their own is essential for their growth and self-discovery.


"The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."

This quote by Cassandra Clare suggests that one can choose to either avoid dealing with their past traumas (running from it) or face them and gain wisdom from the experiences (learning from it). The underlying message is that while the pain of the past can linger, confronting and understanding those experiences can lead to personal growth and resilience. It encourages a proactive approach to dealing with past difficulties rather than evading them.


"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

This quote emphasizes the idea that age should not be a barrier for personal growth, ambition, or the pursuit of dreams. It suggests that throughout one's life, it is possible, beneficial, and even essential to continue setting goals, learning, and striving towards new aspirations. This encourages a mindset of lifelong learning and development, emphasizing that age is simply a number and should not limit our potential or imagination.


"Life is not a set of instructions, Jem. It's a book of choices."

This quote suggests that life is not predetermined or strictly guided, but rather a series of decisions we make as we navigate our journey through it. Instead of being confined to following rules or instructions, we have the freedom and responsibility to choose our own path. The choices we make shape our experiences, define who we are, and ultimately determine our destiny. In essence, life is not dictated but self-authored.


I firmly believe that you can't get a good movie without risking a bad movie. A good adaptation of your book is worth it because it is such a wonderful experience to see your world translated onto the screen.

- Cassandra Clare

Bad, Movie, Firmly, Risking

Read everything! Don't just read things that are in your comfort zone or things that you think you're already going to like. Experiment; try new stuff and try new genres. If you read a lot of romance, then start reading mystery. If you read a lot of mystery, start reading fantasy.

- Cassandra Clare

Romance, Your, Lot, Comfort Zone

In my own work, I don't have favorite characters, but I have characters that I relate to the most. And I relate the most to Simon from 'The Mortal Instruments,' and also Tessa from 'The Infernal Devices.' They're more sort of bookish and shy characters.

- Cassandra Clare

Shy, My Own, Devices, Infernal

I am in the U.K. for inspiration because I'm doing a follow on series to 'The Infernal Devices,' called 'The Last Hours.' It's a re-telling of 'Great Expectations' with 'Shadowhunters'... because why not! It's set in 1903, so I'm doing a lot of locational research.

- Cassandra Clare

Doing, Inspiration, Why, Infernal

My father is a big believer in nature over nurture.

- Cassandra Clare

Big, Over, Believer, Nurture

We as artists are actively encouraged - by other authors, your agent, publisher, and society - not to think about money, strategy, how to manage your career, how to create a brand, because we're supposed to focus on the art.

- Cassandra Clare

Think, Other, Agent, Actively

I get a lot of inspiration from research in mythology and folklore. I find that, you know, stories people told each other thousands of years ago are still relevant now.

- Cassandra Clare

Research, Inspiration, Other, Thousands Of Years

For me, the triad of 'Harry Potter,' the 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight' feature strong women, and as a declared feminist, it's a wonderful thing. These women have really opened up this particular world of storytelling, which I'm very grateful for.

- Cassandra Clare

Strong, Storytelling, Very, Potter

In the same way that so many people read 'Harry Potter' and went to see 'Harry Potter,' just because a movie is about a kid, doesn't mean it's for kids, and just because a movie is about a girl, doesn't mean it's for girls.

- Cassandra Clare

Movie, Read, Harry, Potter

You know that I had heard so many times people say things like, 'You could never write 'Harry Potter' and have it be about Harriett Potter because nobody would read it; people only want to read an adventure story if it's about a boy,' and I thought, 'I don't think that's true.'

- Cassandra Clare

Thought, About, Harry, Potter

Nobody sells books like J.K. Rowling. We have a rule in publishing: Never compare anything to 'Harry Potter' because it's like lightning in a bottle.

- Cassandra Clare

Lightning, Compare, Sells, Potter

When a movie is being made out of a book, there is a mixed reaction on the part of fans because they are both extremely excited and they are also terrified. 'They are going to take my story, and they are going to mess it up; they are going to ruin it; they're going to do this; they're going to do that.'

- Cassandra Clare

Book, Movie, Part, Ruin

As long as they're making beloved books into movies, people are going to be like, 'That's not my mental image of them.' It takes that moment for it to click and become their mental image.

- Cassandra Clare

Making, Going, Image, Beloved

A lot of people have asked me about some of the characters that appear in 'Clockwork Prince,' like Aloysius Starkweather and Woolsey Scott. A lot of people like Woolsey Scott, which I was really happy about because he's very fun to write.

- Cassandra Clare

Some, Very, Which, Scott

There are so many stories about boys becoming heroes, learning their powers and becoming incredibly heroic. There have to be those stories for girls, too.

- Cassandra Clare

Becoming, Stories, About, Powers

You put books out into the world, and people form their own visuals and images and attachments to characters; those characters become part of them, and they have their feelings about them.

- Cassandra Clare

Own, Images, Visuals, Feelings

I think that 'City of Heavenly Fire' is definitely a book where all the characters are tested to their limits, and they have to make really significant choices about who they are and who they wanna be.

- Cassandra Clare

City, Think, I Think, Limits

In other people's books, I tend to love the really daredevil-y characters. I love Finnick from 'The Hunger Games.' And I think, probably, my favorite character of all time is Sherlock Holmes.

- Cassandra Clare

Love, Other, I Think, Sherlock

I think as women we've always been very used to growing up reading and identifying with male protagonists, especially in fantasy. There's a saying in publishing that girls will read about boys, but boys will only read about boys, and it's important to give women strong heroines.

- Cassandra Clare

Been, Very, Identifying, Protagonists

I tend to write in coffee shops and restaurants with friends of mine because if I'm at home, I get distracted by the television or the cats or my husband, or... you know - all of those things that make it easy to procrastinate.

- Cassandra Clare

Husband, Procrastinate, Tend, Distracted

I believe that writer's block is a symptom. It's not a disease, it's the symptom of a disease. So what I try to do is kind of do it like 'House'; write down the symptom and write down the other symptoms. Try to work backwards to figure out what the problem is.

- Cassandra Clare

Other, Disease, Figure, Block

I work on a word count basis, so I have to write three thousand words a day. I can write them in the morning, I can write them in the evening; as long as they get done.

- Cassandra Clare

Work, Words, Count, Evening

I think the main thing to remember when writing a novel is to stay true to the characters.

- Cassandra Clare

Think, I Think, Main Thing, Novel

Creating characters is like throwing together ingredients for a recipe. I take characteristics I like and dislike in real people I know, or know of, and use them to embellish and define characters.

- Cassandra Clare

Dislike, Like, Real People, Ingredients

And write what you love - don't feel pressured to write serious prose if what you like is to be funny.

- Cassandra Clare

Love, What You Love, Prose, Pressured

I have specific playlists for different books and characters. So, I need to have those with me. It helps me get into the mindset of the book.

- Cassandra Clare

Book, Mindset, Need, Helps

Music actually inspires me a lot. I listen to a lot of music, and often I find that if I can associate mentally a song or a piece of music with a particular character or scene, it helps me get back into the head of that character.

- Cassandra Clare

Song, Back, Often, Helps

There are not that many parts for actors who are not white - even less substantive ones.

- Cassandra Clare

White, Parts, Even, Substantive

I had just moved to New York in September 2001, and immediately 9/11 happened, and of course it completely changed the city and everybody who lived there.

- Cassandra Clare

City, New, Everybody, September

'City of Fallen Angels' ended on a cliffhanger. That was equally loved and hated by my readership.

- Cassandra Clare

City, Loved, Fallen, Readership

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