Famous Quotations from in Wonderland 1. Quotes by What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations? Curiouser and curiouser! I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle! Curiosity often leads to trouble. I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see. If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it. You're nothing but a pack of cards! But then, shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way -- never to be an old woman -- but then -- always to have lessons to learn! - 1 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland A cat may look at a king. I've read that in some book, but I don't remember where. I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it. If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see? It would be so nice if something made sense for a change. Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate! It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin; but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ve seen in my life! - 2 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin. Well, when one's lost, I suppose it's good advice to stay where you are until someone finds you. But who'd ever think to look for me here? But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. 2. Quotes by the Cheshire Cat and the Cheshire Cat - : Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. : I don't much care where. The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go. : so long as I get somewhere. The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough. and the Cheshire Cat - The Cat: By-the-bye, what became of the baby? I'd nearly forgotten to ask. : It turned into a pig. The Cat: I thought it would. - 3 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland The Cheshire Cat We're all mad here. and the Cheshire Cat - : But I don't want to go among mad people. The Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad. : How do you know I'm mad? The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here. : And how do you know that you're mad? The Cat: To begin with, a dog's not mad. You grant that? : I suppose so, The Cat: Well, then, you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad. 3. Quotes by the Mad Hatter The Mad Hatter Why is a raven like a writing desk? The Mad Hatter Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at. The Mad Hatter No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow. - 4 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter - : I've had nothing yet, so I can't take more. The Hatter: You mean you can't take less; it's very easy to take more than nothing. 4. Quotes by the Duchess The Duchess If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does. The Duchess Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it. The Duchess Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves. The Duchess That's nothing to what I could say if I chose. The Duchess There's a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is -- The more there is of mine, the less there is of yours. - 5 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland The Duchess Be what you would seem to be -- or, if you'd like it put more simply -- Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise. and the Duchess - : I didn't know that Cheshire cats always grinned; in fact, I didn't know that cats could grin. The Duchess: You don't know much; and that's a fact. 5. Quotes by the Mock Turtle The Mock Turtle We called him Tortoise because he taught us. The Mock Turtle Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with, and then the different branches of arithmetic -- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. The Mock Turtle Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense. The Mock Turtle What is the use of repeating all that stuff, if you don't explain it as you go on? It's by far the most confusing thing I ever heard! - 6 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland The Mock Turtle Ah! Then yours wasn't a really good school. Now at ours they had at the end of the bill. French, music, and washing -- extra. 6. Quotes by other characters in Wonderland The White Rabbit Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting! Eaglet Speak English! I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and I don't believe you do either! The Queen of Hearts Off with her head! The Queen of Hearts Sentence first -- verdict afterwards. The Queen of Hearts Now, I give you fair warning, either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice! - 7 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland The Queen of Hearts I warn you dear child, if I lose my temper, you lose your head. Understand? The King Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop. March Hare Ah, that's just it. If you don't think, then you shouldn't talk. Doorknob Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction. Dodo Ahoy, and other nautical expressions! The Gryphon The adventures first explanations take such a dreadful time. - 8 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland 7. Humorous conversations between and other characters and the Caterpillar - Caterpillar: Who are YOU? : This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. I -- I hardly know, sir, just at present -- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then. The White Queen and - The White Queen: Can you do addition? What's one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one? : I don't know. I lost count. Humpty Dumpty and - Humpty Dumpty: When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less. : The question is, whether you can make words mean so many different things. Humpty Dumpty: The question is: which is to be master - that's all. and the Mock Turtle - : And how many hours a day did you do lessons? The Mock Turtle: Ten hours the first day, nine the next, and so on. : What a curious plan! - 9 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland The Gryphon: That's the reason they're called lessons, because they lessen from day to day. March Hare and - March Hare: Have some wine. ( looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea.) : I don't see any wine. March Hare: There isn't any. : Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it. March Hare: It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited. and March Hare, Mad Hatter and The Dormouse - March Hare: Then you should say what you mean. : I do; at least - at least I mean what I say -- that's the same thing, you know. Hatter: Not the same thing a bit! Why, you might just as well say that, 'I see what I eat' is the same as 'I eat what I see'! March Hare: You might just as well say, that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"! The Dormouse: You might just as well say, that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"! and the Mad Hatter - : What a funny watch! It tells the day of the month, and it doesn't tell what o'clock it is! The Hatter: Why should it? Does your watch tell you what year it is? : Of course not, but that's because it stays the same year for such a long time together. The Hatter: which is just the case with mine. - 10 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland and the Dormouse - The Dormouse: You've got no right to grow here. : Don't talk nonsense. You know you're growing too. The Dormouse: Yes, but I grow at a reasonable pace, not in that ridiculous fashion., Mad Hatter and March Hare : I'm sorry I interrupted your birthday party. Thank you. March Hare: Birthday? My dear child, this is NOT a birthday party. Mad Hatter: Of course not. This is an unbirthday party. Mad Hatter: Do you care for tea? : Why, yes. I'm very fond of tea. March Hare: If you don't care for tea, you could at least make polite conversation! and the Duchess - The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit. : Perhaps it hasn't one. The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it. The Caterpillar and - The Caterpillar: What size do you want to be? : Oh, I'm not particular as to size, only one doesn't like changing so often, you know. - 11 -
Famous Quotations from in Wonderland and the Pigeon - : But I'm NOT a serpent, I tell you! I'm a -- I'm a -- The Pigeon: Well! WHAT are you? I can see you're trying to invent something! : I -- I'm a little girl. The Pigeon: A likely story indeed! I've seen a good many little girls in my time, but never ONE with such a neck as that! No, no! You're a serpent; and there's no use denying it. I suppose you'll be telling me next that you never tasted an egg! Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee - Tweedle Dum: If you think we're waxworks, you ought to pay, you know. Tweedle Dee: Contrarywise, if you think we're alive you ought to speak to us. Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum: That's logic. - 12 -