A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

27 Classic Children’s Book Quotes Every Adult Needs To Hear

"All grown-ups were once children... but only a few of them remember it."

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The Secret Garden

“Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” —Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

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A Light in the Attic

“How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ‘em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ‘em.” —Shel Silverstein, A Light in The Attic

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Little Women

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” —Louisa May Alcott, Little Women. These 25 children’s books are perfect for people of all ages.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.” —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

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Peter Pan

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” —J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

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The Hobbit

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

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The Tale of Despereaux

“There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.” —Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux

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Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.” —Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

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The Twits

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked chin and stick out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” —Roald Dahl, The Twits

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The Rainbow Fish

“The more he gave away, the more delighted he became.” – Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish

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A Wrinkle in Time

“I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” —Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

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Tuck Everlasting

“You can’t pick out the pieces you like and leave the rest. Being part of the whole thing, that’s the blessing.” —Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting

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Giraffes Can’t Dance

“We all can dance,” he said, “if we find the music that we love.”—Giles Andreae, Giraffes Can’t Dance

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Snow White

“It is when we are most lost that we sometimes find our truest friends.” —Brothers Grimm, Snow White

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The Phantom Tollbooth

“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.” —Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

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The Little Prince

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

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Ella Enchanted

“I wished she’d never stop squeezing me. I wished I could spend the rest of my life as a child, being slightly crushed by someone who loved me.”—Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

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The Velveteen Rabbit

“By the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” —Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

“It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia.”– Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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The Little Engine That Could

“I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can.” —Watty Piper, The Little Engine That Could

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The Lorax

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” —Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“There’s no place like home.” —L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean that it is not real?” —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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Charlotte’s Web

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.” —E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

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Mary Poppins

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and the job’s a game.” —P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins

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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

“If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.” —Laura Numeroff, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

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One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” ― Dr. Seuss, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest