You have to really love something to get it tattooed on your body. And I mean really love something — once it’s in your skin, that ink isn’t going anywhere. Even if you get it removed, there will always be a scar.
Because of their permanence, tattoos can be a scary endeavor. But I can’t think of anything more worthy of permanent ink than something from my favorite novel. Certain books and quotes stay with you for a lifetime—so why not wear them forever on your skin?
Luckily, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Here are ten literary tattoos that inspire us (or maybe just fill us with extreme tattoo-envy):
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of those rare books that pretty much everyone on earth remembers fondly. I love the image too—the kids peeking over the edge of your arm, the dog scrambling to stay up. Cute and powerful.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
There are few things I love more than The Boxcar Children series—especially the first book where the kids are living on their own, trying to buy butter, making soup out of baby onions, and swimming in the river. It must be a fantasy of every child to ditch their parents and try to make a go of it in the woods, which makes this the perfect nostalgic tattoo.
Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Clearly
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I love it when a tattoo is unique and interpretive, like this text creating the silhouette of the white rabbit. Here’s the quote inside: “I could tell you my adventures beginning from this morning, but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”
Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Do any of these literary tattoos inspire you to get your own? Or maybe you already have one? Let us know in the comments!