"...when the commotion subsided he looked at Anne and winked with inexpressible drollery. 'I think your Gilbert Blythe is handsome,” confided Anne to Diana, “but I think he’s very bold. It isn’t good manners to wink at a strange girl.”
Gilbert Blythe as portrayed by Jonathan Crombie might not be much of a talker; it could be said that he can hold a conversation with his expressions alone. But when he does have something to say, it’s always memorable. Here are our picks for some of Gilbert’s best quotable moments.
"Anne Shirley! What in heck are you doing?"
This is surely not the most profound of statements, but it is memorable. It’s the incredulity in Gilbert’s voice as he rows up on Anne, who is desperately holding on to the bridge piling after her boat sinks, that makes it so. We think this might have been a moment where he began to realize that he would probably always be surprised by the scrapes Anne gets herself into.
"Life’s too short to hold grudges anyway."
This quote is definitely something to take to heart. When Gilbert said this to Anne, he was earnest and showed the maturity that had developed since the day of the “slate incident” years before. When you hold a grudge, the person you are really hurting is yourself. It’s better to reflect and let it all go and move on.
"All pioneers are considered to be afflicted with moonstruck madness."
Gilbert’s encouragement to Anne, when she is feeling down because of her story becoming a Rolling's Reliable advert, is another quote to take to heart. People who step outside of what is considered normal are ridiculed and discounted, but are often “ahead of their time.” His encouragement to Anne to not give up or take to heart the criticism of the Avonlea gossips means a lot, and shows how insightful he is.
"I won't change. That's the least I can promise you."
Growing up, accepting that things cannot always remain the same, is hard. Change, in some form is inevitable. But people, who you know well and who have grown with you, can remain the same at their core even when it seems like they’re becoming someone else. Anne might not have been ready to really hear what Gilbert was trying to tell her, but his promise to not change really means that as things change around them, he is steadfast and can be depended upon. And that’s a rare quality.
"Well I hope you keep on dreaming. It'll be three years before I finish medical school. Even then there won't be any diamond sunbursts or marble halls."
The scene of Anne and Gilbert on the bridge warms the heart for many reasons, but it’s Gilbert laying it all on the line again after being rejected by Anne twice that stands out. He is telling Anne that even though he can’t give her a life of wealth, or grandiose adventure, he hopes that she can still be happy and hold on to the dreams that are close to her heart. His words show how much he loves her and such earnestness should be aspired to.
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What is your favorite Gilbert Blythe quote? See more wonderful Gilbert related moments by watching all the Anne of Green Gables films on GazeboTV.
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