Dr. Seuss Quotations

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells.

Step with care and great tact, and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

A person's a person, no matter how small.

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.

How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?

I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room.

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.

Preachers in pulpits talked about what a great message is in the book. No matter what you do, somebody always imputes meaning into your books.

When at last we are sure, You've been properly pilled, Then a few paper forms, Must be properly filled. So that you and your heirs, May be properly billed.

Sometimes, when I see my granddaughters make small discoveries of their own, I wish I were a child.

Every once in a while, I get mad. 'The Lorax' came out of my being angry. The ecology books I'd read were dull... In 'The Lorax,' I was out to attack what I think are evil things and let the chips fall where they might.

I meant what I said and I said what I meant.

I start drawing, and eventually the characters involve themselves in a situation. Then in the end, I go back and try to cut out most of the preachments.

The problem with writing a book in verse is, to be successful, it has to sound like you knocked it off on a rainy Friday afternoon. It has to sound easy. When you can do it, it helps tremendously because it's a thing that forces kids to read on. You have this unconsummated feeling if you stop.

Whenever things go a bit sour in a job I'm doing, I always tell myself, 'You can do better than this.'

You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.

The main problem with writing in verse is, if your fourth line doesn't come out right, you've got to throw four lines away and figure out a whole new way to attack the problem. So the mortality rate is terrific.

'The Lorax' book was intended to be propaganda.

I stay out of politics because if I begin thinking too much about politics, I'll probably... drop writing children's books and become a political cartoonist again.

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.

Hollywood is not suited for me, and I am not suited for it.

I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It's the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz. You'll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond 'Z' and start poking around!

Now... thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground, there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go 'round.

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

I am a zizzer zazzer zuzz as you can plainly see.

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.

Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky!

What it really said to me is how hard the people at our school work, ... All of our employees who work here are working hard to do what's right for our kids.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

A life is a life no matter how small

Writing for children is murder. A chapter has to be boiled down to a paragraph. Every word has to count.

On and on you will hike. And I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can do better than this.” The best slogan I can think of to leave with the kids of the U.S.A. would be “We can . . . and we’ve got to . . . do better than this.

You can't dribble on bow ties.

I box in yellow Gox box socks.

How true, how true" said the Sour Kangaroo, "And from now on, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to protect them with you!" And the Young Kangaroo in her pouch said "Me too!

For a host, above all, must be kind to his guests.

I know it may seem small and insignificant, but it's not about what it is, it's about what it can become. That's not a seed, any more than you're just a boy.

Fame you'll be famous, as famous as can be, with everyone watching you win on TV, Except when they don't because sometimes they won't..

Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

And what would you do if you met a jibboo?

All those Nupboards in the Cupboards they're good fun to have about. But that Nooth gush on my tooth brush.....Him I could do without.

Everything stinks until it's finished.

The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some from behind.

Oh, the thinks you can think!

And, now, come to this spot Where the spotlight is hot And you'll see in the spotlight A Juggling Jott Who can juggle some stuff You might think he could not... Such as twenty-two question marks, Which is a lot. Also forty-four commas And, also, one dot! That's the kind of Circus McGurkus I've got!

Don't live to please everyone. Embrace those who enjoy your company and to hell with the haters.

Unslumping yourself is not easily done.

It is fun to have fun.

Kid, you'll move mountains.

This book is to be read in bed.

And when you're alone there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

[Latin] allows you to adore words, take them apart and find out where they came from.

[A]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air. And be careful what you swallow.

Big Z, little Z, what begins with Z? I do. I'm a zizzer zazzer zuzz, as you can plainly see.

Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're real quite lucky.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night or waiting perhaps for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil or a better break or a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance. Everyone is just waiting.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't.

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind maker-upper to make up his mind

And will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed!

A kid is a guy I never wrote down to. He's interested in what I say if I make it interesting.

It's high time you were shown That you really don't know all there is to be known.

Think! Think and wonder. Wonder and think. How much water can 55 elephants drink?

I can read in red. I can read in blue. I can read in pickle color too.

Congratulations! Today is your day!

In the places I go there are things that I see that I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.

I speak for the trees!

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time".You have more potential than you believe you do.Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened.

Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.

It has often been said there’s so much to be read, you never can cram all those words in your head. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads. That's why my belief is the briefer the brief is, the greater the sigh of the reader's relief is. And that's why your books have such power and strength. You publish with shorth! (Shorth is better than length.)

I tend to basically exaggerate in life, and in writing, it's fine to exaggerate. I really enjoy overstating for the purpose of getting a laugh. For another thing, writing is easier than digging ditches. Well, actually, that's an exaggeration. It isn't.

Shorth is better than length.

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. Your heart's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders, You've got garlic in your soul.

Not here not there not anywhere!

Even though we may all become extinct, we can still leave our footprint in the sand.

I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees, Which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please; But I also speak for the brown Barbaloots, Who frolicked and played in their Barbaloot suits, Happily eating Truffula fruits. Now, since you've chopped the trees to the ground There's not enough Truffula fruit to go 'round! And my poor Barbaloots are all feeling the crummies Because they have gas, and no food, in their tummies.

If you'd never been born, then you might be an Isn't! An Isn't has no fun at all. No, he disn't.

Day Play We play all day. Night Fight We fight all night.

You can't build a substantial V out of turtles!

Catch! calls the Once-ler. He lets something fall. It's a Truffula Seed. It's the last one of all! You're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.

Be grateful you’re not in the forest in France Where the average young person just hasn’t a chance To escape from the perilous pants eating plants But your pants are safe, you’re a fortunate guy You ought to be shouting how lucky am I

Bump! Bump! Bump! Did you ever ride a wump? We have a Wump with just one hump. But, we know a man called Mr. Gump. Mr Gump has a seven hump Wump. So... if you Bump! Bump! Just jump on the hump on the Wump of Gump.

The news just came in from the County of Keck That a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck Is yawning so wide you can look down his neck. This may not seem very important, I know, but it Is, so I'm bothering telling you so.

Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.

Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.

Don't conform for the sake of pleasing others. Mold yourself into the person that you want to be.

I'm afraid that sometimes you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you.