“…whatever we learn has a purpose, and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you’re sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it’s much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”
“The only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that’s hardly worth the effort.”
“You must never feel badly about making mistakes,” explained Reason quietly, “as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.”
“…it’s not just learning that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things that matters.”
“…what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do.”
“…so many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”
“And remember, also,” added the Princess of Sweet Rhyme, “that many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you’ll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.”
“…if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn’t there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That’s why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones.”
See. This is why I LOVE this book and have my 5th graders read it every single year! Definitely a childhood favorite!!
I love these quotes. I need to read this book.oI
Wow! When you separate the quotes out like that, you can really see the wisdom weaved into the story. Thanks for sharing it.
Love this post! Can you believe I’ve never read this book? 🙂
Oh how I love this book!!!
I used to sit and read with a notebook and pen by my side, writing down all the great lines I wanted to remember. (I absolutely could not bring myself to highlight in a book!!). I haven’t done that in a long time, but I just finished Life of Pi, and felt like doing it again. 🙂
Thanks for these wonderful quotes!
Guys, if you’ve never read this book, please get reading! I absolutely adore it. I try not to over hype this story, but I don’t know how.
I just finished reading it with my boys, which was a delight.
I loved this book as a child but haven’t re-read as an adult. Obviously, TPT should be next on my TBR list! Thanks for sharing all this wisdom!
It’s such a philosophy, and all in one book. I need to go re-read it.
I can see why grownups like this book. As a child, I felt it wanted to teach me stuff I didn’t want to learn. As a child I wanted to have more fun than I saw in this book. Maybe I will take another look cause I am pretty grownup now…sometimes…
Pen and Ink, I hope you will. I found it really fun to read in a group setting. Even my reluctant readers connected to the story, partially from all the potential activities/discussions that naturally spring from it.
I’d never heard of this book until I was grown. A friend loaned it to me saying her son loved it. I tried to read it, but I didn’t care about the main character. I seem to recall that he was bored and I was bored right along with him. So I didn’t keep reading. Maybe I shall give it another try. Because I love those quotes.
I love the Phantom Tollbooth. I was fortunate to meet Norton Juster a couple years ago, and he is even more delightful than his book. 🙂 and full of wisdom of his own.
I loved THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH as a kid. I should read it again.
I just saw Faith’s comment! Wow, that’s so cool!
It sounds so good! Can you believe I’ve never read it? Sounds like a new bedtime book for my girl is coming our way.
One of my favorite childhood books! I remember my fifth grade teacher reading it to us. I went to a small Catholic school, and the last 30 minutes of the day were spent with Sr. Natalie (yep!) reading to us. 5th Grade was all about The Phantom Tollbooth and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe…
Sigh. I read this book far too long ago to appreciate it… must read it again!!