My favourite quotes about London

A few lines that capture London quickly — the ones people actually reuse.

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.”
— Samuel Johnson

“There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere.”
— Vivienne Westwood

“To walk alone in London is the greatest rest.”
— Virginia Woolf

“London is a riddle. Paris is an explanation.”
— Ernest Hemingway

“I’ve been walking about London for the last thirty years, and I find something fresh in it every day.”
— Walter Besant

“London is a bad habit one hates to lose.”
— William Sansom

“If you’re curious, London’s an amazing place.”
— David Bailey

“A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.”
— Unknown

“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.”
— Samuel Johnson

“In London, everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.”
— Paddington Bear

Funny London Quotes

London has a sense of humour — usually dry, slightly brutal, and very accurate.

“I don’t know what London’s coming to — the higher the buildings the lower the morals.”
— Noel Coward

“Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics.”
— Oscar Wilde

“A person who is tired of London is not necessarily tired of life; it might be that he just can’t find a parking place.”
— Paul Theroux

“Stopping abruptly in central London is a heinous crime.”
— Beth O’Leary

“I hate London when it’s not raining.”
— Groucho Marx

“Take a perfect day, add six hours of rain and fog, and you have instant London.”
— Anonymous

“London is too full of fogs and serious people.”
— Oscar Wilde

“London would be a charming place if it were not for the people.”
— Unknown

“You can’t trust a person who doesn’t complain about London weather.”
— Unknown

Short Quotes About London

Short, sharp, and easy to reuse.

“Nothing is certain in London but expense.”
— William Shenstone

“Keep calm and go to London.”
— Unknown

“London is calling.”
— Unknown

“There’s no time to be bored in London.”
— Unknown

“Mind the gap.”
— London Underground

“London never sleeps.”
— Unknown

“Big city, bigger personality.”
— Unknown

Famous Quotes About London

The classic lines that keep showing up again and again.

“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.”
— Samuel Johnson

“London opens to you like a novel itself.”
— Anna Quindlen

“The streets of London have their map, but our passions are uncharted.”
— Virginia Woolf

“Aesthetically, London is just beautiful.”
— Sara Bareilles

“London is a nation, not a city.”
— Benjamin Disraeli

“He who is tired of London is tired of life.”
— Samuel Johnson

“London is the empire of the imagination.”
— Unknown

Quotes About Loving London

The kind of lines that capture why people keep coming back.

“I love thee, London, for thy many men and thy mighty deeds.”
— Philip James Bailey

“I think London’s sexy because it’s so full of eccentrics.”
— Rachel Weisz

“London is a bad habit one hates to lose.”
— William Sansom

“To walk alone in London is the greatest rest.”
— Virginia Woolf

“There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere.”
— Vivienne Westwood

“When I’m in London, I feel more like myself.”
— Unknown

“London is calling, so I must go.”
— Unknown

London City Quotes

London isn’t just a city — it’s layers of history, personality, and constant movement.

“My Dad says that being a Londoner has nothing to do with where you’re born.”
— Ben Aaronovitch

“One of the things I most liked about the city was that so few people ever asked you personal questions.”
— Julia Gregson

“London is a riddle. Paris is an explanation.”
— Ernest Hemingway

“Aesthetically, London is just beautiful — the architecture, the parks, the streets.”
— Sara Bareilles

“London is a collection of villages stitched together by chaos.”
— Unknown

“The man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.”
— Oscar Wilde

“London is full of people, but you can still feel completely anonymous.”
— Unknown

“In London, you’re never far from something unexpected.”
— Unknown

“Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.”
— J. K. Rowling

What People Say About London Now

A mix of modern voices and the kind of lines that come up again and again.

“There’s an energy in London that you don’t really get anywhere else.”
— Stormzy

“London has always felt like a place where anything can happen.”
— Idris Elba

“London is a city where you can be completely yourself.”
— Zadie Smith

“London isn’t trying to impress you — it just assumes you’ll keep up.”
— Unknown

“You don’t visit London once — you keep coming back until it makes sense.”
— Unknown

“London is chaotic, expensive, and unpredictable — and somehow still worth it.”
— Unknown

London Travel Quotes

The kind that makes you want to book a ticket — or at least start looking.

“London is a city that offers something new every time you visit.”
— Unknown

“When exploring London, take everything in rather than rushing between sights.”
— Richard Branson

“London opens to you like a novel itself — divided into chapters, scenes, and streets.”
— Anna Quindlen

“The streets of London have their map, but our passions are uncharted.”
— Virginia Woolf

“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.”
— Samuel Johnson

“In London, every walk feels like part of the story.”
— Unknown

“A journey through London is never quite the same twice.”
— Unknown

London Weather Quotes

It wouldn’t be London without mentioning the weather.

“Take a perfect day, add six hours of rain and fog, and you have instant London.”
— Anonymous

“Wet weather in London, but when was it anything else?”
— Cassandra Clare

“The English mist is always at work like a subtle painter.”
— Arthur Symons

“Everything in London is quite good, apart from the weather.”
— Sayed Kashua

“If you don’t like the weather in London, just wait five minutes.”
— Unknown

“London rain is less about weather and more about atmosphere.”
— Unknown

London Quotes for Instagram

Short, punchy, and made for captions.

“London is my cup of tea.”

“50 Shades of Earl Grey“

“Eye came. Eye saw. Eye conquered.”

“Relationship status: crushing on Big Ben.”

“Let’s cross that London Bridge when we come to it.”

“Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a ticket to London.”

“From London with love.”

“Falling hard for London.”

“London is calling.”

“Living like the royals.”

“Having a Thames-tastic time.”

“Sticks and scones may break my bones…”

“Having the best Thames in London”

“Keep calm and go to London.”

“Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a ticket to London”

Songs About London

Because London always ends up in lyrics.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner that I love London so.”
— Hubert Gregg

“There’s a hole in the world… and it goes by the name of London.”
— Stephen Sondheim

“Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London.”
— Ralph McTell

“London calling to the faraway towns.”
— The Clash

“Waterloo sunset’s fine.”
— The Kinks

This article is part of my London Travel Guide, which brings together neighbourhoods, hotels, itineraries and practical planning.

London has been making people laugh, dream, and fall in love for centuries — and these quotes prove it. Next time you’re wandering along the Thames or slipping into a pub, you might recognise a line or two.

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