The best Nick Carraway quotes from The Great Gatsby shone brightly in Baz Luhrmann's movie adaptation and are perfectly delivered by Tobey Maguire.

Baz Luhrmann's 2013 interpretation of The Great Gatsby is a visually stunning and surprisingly faithful adaptation of the classic novel on which it is based. Keeping most of the iconic lines from the novel in the film, Baz Luhrmann uses the spectacular, star-studded cast to present the story.

Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy are played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan respectively. F. Scott Fitzgerald's poetic lines are incorporated in various ways in the film, and Nick's fascination and bewilderment with Gatsby and big city life feel as authentic on the silver screen as they did in the novel.

Updated on February 6th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: The best Nick Carraway quotes have a powerful effect that goes beyond Baz Luhrmann's movie adaptation and even the original novel itself, making them some of the most memorable lines ever written.

An Afternoon Drive

"Gatsby Looked, In That Moment, As If He Had... Killed A Man."

There are several heated and intense moments between characters throughout the movie, and this Nick Carraway quote appears in both versions of the story to emphasize a particularly tense moment for Gatsby.

The quote is said in a voice-over during a tense meeting between the main characters Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan, and, although Nick doesn't seem to know that Gatsby was involved in the deadly hit and run, it's an odd coincidence.

Unreliable Narrator

"I Am One Of The Few Honest People I Have Ever Known."

Nick Carraway narrates the lives of the people around him both in the novel and in the 2013 movie, and this quote is said very early on in both versions.

It's such a memorable quote because of how odd it is that a narrator would even bring this up in a work of fiction in the first place. It cues the audience to wonder if Nick's narration and the way he presents the events are actually honest.

Old Sport

"His Smile Was One Of Those Rare Smiles That You Might Come Across Four Or Five Times In Life."

From the moment Nick meets Jay Gatsby, it's obvious to him that the elusive millionaire is of a different sort when compared to his party guests. A relaxed, level-headed, and somewhat solitary individual, Nick found the man's presence both comforting and slightly confounding.

A truly unique person, Nick uses this quote to highlight just how different he considered Gatsby to be. He stood out from the backdrop of New York's superfluous high life, and it helped to highlight the fact that, ultimately, Gatsby's incorruptible spirit was just too pure for the rotten world around him.

Sage Wisdom

"In My Younger And More Vulnerable Years, My Father Gave Me Some Advice."

The novel and the film starts with the very same line, and this iconic line of Nick Carraway sets the stage for the events to come. By using the same first line to start the film, the movie is able to effectively capture the essence of this character.

The introductory scene shows Nick Carraway and introduces the viewers to Gatsby, as well. Nick's first few lines about Gatsby are incredible. They paint him as the extremely hopeful yet eccentric character that he is.

An Outsider's View

"I Was Within And Without..."

"I was withing and without. Enhanced and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." This is probably the most mesmerizing line from the novel, and it was used to great effect in the film. It shows the very many yellow windows and a Nick who is looking out from inside, as well as a Nick looking in from the outside.

This quote is from the time Nick gets incredibly drunk at the apartment and the party gets to his head. It's meant to depict how ingratiated in Gatsby's eccentric life he was while still feeling removed from it.

New Money

"Young Men Don't Just Drift Cooly Out Of Nowhere And Buy A Palace On Long Island."

Much of F. Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus serves as a commentary on elitism within society's upper circles. There's a distinctive split between so-called "old money" held by established socialites and "new money" held by self-made men and women.

Here, Nick remarks on how odd Gatsby's behavior seems, implying that there must have been some sort of motive for a young Gatsby to purchase the property he did. Of course, it is eventually revealed that Gatsby sought out the property because of its relationship to Daisy Buchanan's dwelling just across the river.

The Green Light

"Possibly It Had Occurred To Gatsby..."

"Possibly it had occurred to Gatsby that the colossal significance of that light had vanished forever." The green light across the bay was very important to Gatsby. It was an almost enchanted object that held so much significance for him. It was his light of hope, of one day getting back with Daisy, and his idea of getting back with Daisy mainly revolved around reclaiming the past. Therefore, the moment Daisy puts her arm around him, he realized how she was actually there with him.

Which meant that the green light no longer held the same significance. What he thought was far away was now right there next to him, but it remained impossibly distant, still.

Lost Loves

"You Can't Repeat The Past."

Gatsby is obsessed with the past, and he thinks it is possible to change the past entirely. He wants Daisy to say that she never loved Tom; he thinks it is possible to excise the five years they have been away from each other. Nick calls him out on this and says that he is expecting too much of Daisy.

Nick understands that, fundamentally, there is no way of going back in time, nor is it possible to repeat the past. Gatsby, however, is unwilling to accept this and goes on believing in the possibility with the enduring hope that only he is capable of.

Cynic

"Reserving Judgements Is A Matter Of Infinite Hope."

Jay Gatsby typically tries to see the good in everyone and has a boundless optimism which ultimately gives way to the naivety that leads to his demise. Nick is, by contrast, less trusting and more cynical, particularly during the finale of the film.

With this quote, Nick showcases that he's not often willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, and it makes his admiration for Gatsby all the more special. Unfortunately, by the time the credits roll, Nick's distrust of New York's upper echelon and the destructive people in it proves to have served him well.

The Great Gatsby

"They're A Rotten Crowd. You're Worth The Whole Damn Bunch Put Together."

This is the last thing Nick says to Gatsby, and it is the first time he complimented Gatsby. It was also the last time he saw Gatsby before he was killed. Nick is the wallflower who witnessed the entire story play out. He saw what everyone had done, what they had not done, what they said, and what they didn't say.

After Gatsby tells Nick his entire life story, Nick is even more affected by Gatsby's unwavering hope and optimism. Nick goes on to say how Gatsby is better than Daisy, Tom, and all of the others.

Money and Power

"They Were Careless People, Tom And Daisy..."

"They were a careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and people. And then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness." Viewers get to witness the magic being chipped away as Nick grows thoroughly disillusioned by what he witnesses. Even though it was Daisy who had hit Myrtle with the car and it was Tom who had the affair with Myrtle, they both get away with everything, and the entire blame is pinned up on Gatsby.

Gatsby's whole world comes crashing down and even his life is ended by the mess that Daisy and Tom created, but Daisy and Tom face no consequence for their actions only because they were wealthy. The disillusionment comes across very clearly in this quote.

Incorruptible

"I Remembered How We Had All Come To Gatsby's..."

"I remember how we had all come to Gatsby's and guessed at his corrupting while he stood before us concealing an incorruptible dream." There was a clear distinction in society between old money and new money in The Great Gatsby, and the fact of the matter was that Gatsy had tried to work inside an already corrupt world and knew that the only way to achieve anything was through means that the old money folk would turn their noses up at.

And that's what they did, and they attended his parties all the same. However, Gatsby had done whatever he had with a singular dream in mind; he wanted to be worthy enough for Daisy—everything he did was for Daisy.

Orgastic Future

"Gatsby Believed In The Green Light..."

The final sequence in the film is heavy on dramatic tension. Nick Carraway visualizes the dead Gatsby imagining what it would have been like the first time Gatsby viewed the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.

Baz Luhrmann literally paints the words on the screen as he tries to capture the intensity of emotions in this line. Nick knew that there was no one else who was as incredibly optimistic and hopeful as Gatsby, and Gatsby's belief in the green light and his dream was something that Nick hadn't seen in the others around him.

Eternal Optimism

"Tomorrow, We Will Run Faster, Stretch Out Our Arms Further... And One Fine Morning—"

The movie ends with the same lines as the novel, lines that are etched into the memories of any literature enthusiast. Nick Carraway's thoughts don't meld into one coherent idea here, and the movie doesn't change this.

It keeps it the same way, as Nick stops this thought mid-way. The quote also looks unfinished. It could reflect the concurrent thoughts Nick had about Gatsby's hope and relentlessness towards pursuing it.

The Tides Of Time

"So We Beat On, Boats Against The Current, Borne Back Ceaselessly Into The Past."

The very final line of the novel is the final line of the film, as well. This quote appears on screen as being typed into a typewriter. This allows the movie to beautifully tie in with the novel, giving a nod to the incredible piece of literature from which this movie is adapted.

As much as Nick thought Gatsby was obsessed with the past, Nick has become the same way. Gatsby was obsessed with returning to the past and rewriting his history with Daisy, and Nick Carraway was obsessed with Gatsby, and he may be now realizing why Gatsby was the way he was.

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