Call Me by Your Name is a novel by André Aciman and adapted into a praised film, it captures the intoxicating charm of a first love and the touching lessons of heartbreak.
Set against the sun-drenched background of the Italian countryside, this narrative knits a tale of intense emotional and physical bond between its protagonists, Elio and Oliver.
The quotes from “Call Me by Your Name” are elegantly composed, reflecting the novel’s lyrical prose and the film’s provocative imagery. They dig deep into themes of desire, identity, and the bittersweet passage of time, offering you a deep insight into the intricacies of love and self-discovery.
Top Call Me by Your Name Quotes
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.” – Oliver
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
“Is it better to speak or die?” – Elio
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” – Marzia
“If not later, when?” – Elio
“Right now there’s sorrow. I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.” – Annella
“You are the only person I’d like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense. And if I should hear that you are not alive, my life as I know it, the me who is speaking with you now, will cease to exist.” – Oliver
“Time makes us sentimental. Perhaps, in the end, it is because of time that we suffer.” – Elio
“Cinema is a mirror of reality and it is a filter.” – Elio
“To feel nothing so as not to feel anything – what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
Also Read: You Matter Quotes (with Commentary)
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Love
“I remember everything.” – Elio
“You’ll kill me if you stop.” – Elio
“When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.” – Mr. Perlman
“Just remember I am here. Right now, you may not want to feel anything. Maybe you never wanted to feel anything. And maybe it’s not to me you’ll want to speak about these things. But feel something you obviously did.” – Mr. Perlman
“But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
“I can show you around. That’s what people do.” – Elio
“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.” – Elio
“Perhaps we were friends first and lovers second. But then perhaps this is what lovers are.” – Elio
“I may have come close, but I never had what you two have.” – Mr. Perlman
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out.” – Mr. Perlman
Inspirational Call Me by Your Name Quotes
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
“How you live your life is your business, just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. Most of us can’t help but live as though we’ve got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between.” – Mr. Perlman
“Cinema is a mirror of reality and it is a filter.” – Elio
“In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, to pray that their sons land on their feet. But I am not such a parent.” – Mr. Perlman
“If not later, when?” – Elio
“Let yourself feel it now while you’re still young.” – Annella
“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” – Elio
“Remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out.” – Mr. Perlman
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” – Marzia
“To make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Heartbreak
“I remember everything.” – Elio
“You’ll kill me if you stop.” – Elio
“Right now there’s sorrow, pain. Don’t kill it and with it the joy you’ve felt.” – Mr. Perlman
“Time makes us sentimental. Perhaps, in the end, it is because of time that we suffer.” – Elio
“If I could have him back, I’d only want to lose him again.” – Elio
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out.” – Mr. Perlman
“I can show you around. That’s what people do.” – Elio
“I’m sick, aren’t I? This feeling I want to go away.” – Elio
“We wasted so many days.” – Elio
“Is it better to speak or to die?” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Youth
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” – Marzia
“You had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you.” – Mr. Perlman
“To make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
“If not later, when?” – Elio
“We are not written for one instrument alone; I am not, neither are you.” – Elio
“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.” – Elio
“Right now there’s sorrow. I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.” – Annella
“What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she’s a stranger.” – Elio
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once.” – Mr. Perlman
“You’ll kill me if you stop.” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Identity
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.” – Oliver
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new.” – Mr. Perlman
“Is it better to speak or die?” – Elio
“Cinema is a mirror of reality and it is a filter.” – Elio
“In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, pray their sons land on their feet, but I am not such a parent.” – Mr. Perlman
“Every time I put myself in his way, I am brought back to this. That I’m not sick, that I don’t need to be cured, that I’m not a mistake.” – Elio
“I like the way you say things. I don’t know why you’re always putting yourself down though.” – Oliver
“Most of us can’t help but live as though we’ve got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between.” – Mr. Perlman
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are.” – Marzia
“Let yourself feel it now while you’re still young.” – Annella
Philosophical Call Me by Your Name Quotes
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” – Marzia
“Time makes us sentimental. Perhaps, in the end, it is because of time that we suffer.” – Elio
“What a terrible thing it is to wound someone you really care for and to do it so unconsciously.” – Sami
“Is it better to speak or to die?” – Elio
“Right now there’s sorrow. I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.” – Annella
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out.” – Mr. Perlman
“If not later, when?” – Elio
“Cinema is a mirror of reality and it is a filter.” – Elio
“To make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” – Mr. Perlman
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Desire
“You’ll kill me if you stop.” – Elio
“I remember everything.” – Elio
“I like the way you say things. I don’t know why you’re always putting yourself down.” – Oliver
“You never said anything to me about it, you just disappeared.” – Elio
“You are the only person I’d like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense. And if I should hear that you are not alive, my life as I know it, the me who is speaking with you now, will cease to exist.” – Oliver
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart’s worn out.” – Mr. Perlman
“I wanted you to know. Before I leave.” – Oliver
“Desire is not something to be judged or ashamed of, but something to be celebrated.” – Mr. Perlman
“Just remember. I am here.” – Annella
“I can show you around. That’s what people do.” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Memory
“I remember everything.” – Elio
“You are the only person I’d like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense.” – Oliver
“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.” – Elio
“Time makes us sentimental. Perhaps, in the end, it is because of time that we suffer.” – Elio
“I can show you around. That’s what people do.” – Elio
“What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she’s a stranger.” – Elio
“Every time I put myself in his way, I am brought back to this. That I’m not sick, that I don’t need to be cured, that I’m not a mistake.” – Elio
“The things that matter stay with you, seep into your skin.” – Annella
“If you remember me, then I don’t care if everyone else forgets.” – Elio
“I know myself only by your absence.” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Nature
“When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.” – Mr. Perlman
“Look at the apricots, this is their time.” – Annella
“Nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spots.” – Mr. Perlman
“You see, nature has a way of evening things out.” – Elio
“Apricots are the summer fruit.” – Elio
“Cor cordium, heart of hearts, the heart of the world.” – Elio
“Just watch, all this will be a figment of our imagination.” – Oliver
“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” – Mr. Perlman
“We are not written for one instrument alone; I am not, neither are you.” – Elio
“These trees are old, they’ve seen things we only get to read about.” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Relationship
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new.” – Mr. Perlman
“You are the only person I’d like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense.” – Oliver
“Is it better to speak or to die?” – Elio
“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” – Marzia
“What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she’s a stranger.” – Elio
“If you remember me, then I don’t care if everyone else forgets.” – Elio
“Perhaps we were friends first and lovers second. But then perhaps this is what lovers are.” – Elio
“You had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you.” – Mr. Perlman
“Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once.” – Mr. Perlman
“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.” – Elio
Call Me by Your Name Quotes on Acceptance
“Right now there’s sorrow, pain. Don’t kill it and with it the joy you’ve felt.” – Mr. Perlman
“Just remember. I am here.” – Annella
“In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, pray their sons land on their feet, but I am not such a parent.” – Mr. Perlman
“How you live your life is your business, just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once.” – Mr. Perlman
“Most of us can’t help but live as though we’ve got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between.” – Mr. Perlman
“Every time I put myself in his way, I am brought back to this. That I’m not sick, that I don’t need to be cured, that I’m not a mistake.” – Elio
“We may never speak about it again, but just remember that I am here.” – Mr. Perlman
“Desire is not something to be judged or ashamed of, but something to be celebrated.” – Mr. Perlman
“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” – Elio
“I remember everything.” – Elio
Also Read: One Tree Hill Quotes (with Related Verses)
Final Thoughts
The quotes from “Call Me by Your Name” resound with the universal truths of human experience, capturing the meaning of longing, the pain of good-bye, and the endless impact of deep connections.
Whether in written word or spoken via the characters in the movie, these quotes remind you of the transformative power of love and the significance of cherishing brief moments.
They serve not only as proof of the story’s emotional depth but also as touching reflections that encourage you to embrace your identities and the memories you cherish. As the narrative of Elio and Oliver uncurls, it invites you to reflect on your own life story and the memorable marks left by lost love and found self.