L. Frank Baum Quotes & Sayings

Everything has to come to an end, sometime. — L. Frank Baum

Why are you Ojo the Unlucky?" asked the tin man. "Because I was born on a Friday." "Friday is not unlucky," declared the Emperor. "It's just one of seven days. Do you suppose all the world becomes unlucky one-seventh of the time?" "It was the thirteenth day of the month," said Ojo. "Thirteen! Ah, that is indeed a lucky number," replied the Tin Woodman. "All my good luck seems to happen on the thirteenth. I suppose most people never notice the good luck that comes to them with the number 13, and yet if the least bit of bad luck falls on that day, they blame it to the number, and not to the proper cause. — L. Frank Baum

It's so kind of you to want to visit me in my loneliness. - The Wicked Witch of the West. Now I know I have a heart, because it's breaking. - The Tin Woodsman Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable. — L. Frank Baum

It is useless to fight people with shooting heads; no one can withstand them. — L. Frank Baum

Familiarity with any great thing removes our awe of it. The great general is only terrible to the enemy; the great poet is frequently scolded by his wife; the children of the great statesman clamber about his knees with perfect trust and impunity; the great actor who is called before the curtain by admiring audiences is often waylaid at the stage door by his creditors. — L. Frank Baum

You began it," declared Dorothy. "Well, you ended it, so we won't argue the matter. May we come out again? Or are you still cruel and slappy? — L. Frank Baum

the queerest people she had ever seen. — L. Frank Baum

The little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry, and said to the Witch, "Give me back my shoe!" "I will not," retorted the Witch, "for it is now my shoe, and not yours." "You are a wicked creature!" cried Dorothy. "You have no right to take my shoe from me." "I shall keep it, just the same," said the Witch, laughing at her, "and someday I shall get the other one from you, too." This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot. Instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear, and then, as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to shrink and fall away. "See what you have done!" she screamed. "In a minute I shall melt away. — L. Frank Baum

Floor and keep the fire fed with wood. Dorothy went to work meekly, with her mind made up to work as hard as she — L. Frank Baum

They seemed happy and contented, though," remarked the Wizard, "and those who are contented have nothing to regret and nothing more to wish for. — L. Frank Baum

Seems to me," said Cap'n Bill, as he sat beside Trot under the big acacia tree, looking out over the blue ocean, "seems to me, Trot, as how the more we know, the more we find we don't know." "I can't quite make that out, Cap'n Bill," answered the little girl in a serious voice, after a moment's thought, during which her eyes followed those of the old sailor-man across the glassy surface of the sea. "Seems to me that all we learn is jus' so much gained." "I know; it looks that way at first sight," said the sailor, nodding his head; "but those as knows the least have a habit of thinkin' they know all there is to know, while them as knows the most admits what a turr'ble big world this is. It's the knowing ones that realize one lifetime ain't long enough to git more'n a few dips o' the oars of knowledge. — L. Frank Baum

Lions and tigers and Funkyoid, oh my! — L. Frank Baum

A little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more. — L. Frank Baum

The generals commanded the colonels and the colonels commanded the majors and the majors commanded the captains and the captains commanded the private, who marched with an air of proud importance because it required so many officers to give him his orders. — L. Frank Baum

The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick. — L. Frank Baum

It is folly for us to try to appear otherwise than as nature has made us. — L. Frank Baum

Now then, Mr. Crab," said the zebra, "here are the people I told you about; and they know more than you do, who live in a pool, and more than I do, who live in a forest. For they have been travelers all over the world, and know every part of it."
"There's more of the world than Oz," declared the crab, in a stubborn voice.
"That is true," said Dorothy; "but I used to live in Kansas, in the United States, and I've been to California and to Australia
and so has Uncle Henry."
"For my part," added the Shaggy Man, "I've been to Mexico and Boston and many other foreign countries."
"And I," said the Wizard, "have been to Europe and Ireland."
"So you see," continued the zebra, addressing the crab, "here are people of real consequence, who know what they are talking about. — L. Frank Baum

Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City. — L. Frank Baum

As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.
What has happened?' the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby carriage along the sidewalk.
Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty
as you ought to know very well,' replied the man; 'and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City.'
Hm!' said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. 'If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?'
I really do not know,' replied the man, with a deep sigh. 'Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron. — L. Frank Baum

People lose a lot of time being afraid... People lose a lot of time in hating others, and there's no fun in it at all. — L. Frank Baum

Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar - except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole. — L. Frank Baum

It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. Toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long, and Dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly. — L. Frank Baum

We live in an age of progress," announced Professor Wogglebug, pompously. "It is easier to swallow knowledge than to acquire it laboriously from books. Is it not so, my friends?" "Some — L. Frank Baum

Wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and thought, I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how — L. Frank Baum

Toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. — L. Frank Baum

He drew from his pocket a tiny instrument which he placed against his ear. Ozma, observing this action in her Magic Picture, at once caught up a similar instrument from a table beside her and held it to her own ear. The two instruments recorded the same delicate vibrations of sound and formed a wireless telephone, an invention of the Wizard. Those separated by any distance were thus enabled to converse together with perfect ease and without any wire connection. — L. Frank Baum

How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking. — L. Frank Baum

Do not, I beg of you, dampen today's sun with the showers of tomorrow. - Emperor Nick Chopper (The Tin Woodsman) -The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 86 chapter 11 — L. Frank Baum

To please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward. — L. Frank Baum

Thereafter he walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, and when he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to harm it. The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything. "You people with hearts," he said, "have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn't mind so much. — L. Frank Baum

To destroy an offender cannot benefit society so much as to redeem him. (The Flying Girl, 1911) — L. Frank Baum

The Glass Cat is one of the most curious creatures in all Oz. It was made by a famous magician named Dr. Pipt before Ozma had forbidden her subjects to work magic. Dr. Pipt had made the Glass Cat to catch mice, but the Cat refused to catch mice and was considered more curious than useful.
This astonishing cat was made all of glass and was so clear and transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a window. In the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked like jewels but were intended for brains. It had a heart made of a blood-red ruby. The eyes were two large emeralds. But, aside from these colors, all the rest of the animal was of clear glass, and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful. — L. Frank Baum

As the years pass, and we look back on something which, at the time, seemed unbelievably discouraging and unfair, we come to realize that, after all, God was at all times on our side. The eventual outcome was, we discover, by far the best solution for us, and what we thought should have been to our best advantage, would in reality have been quite detrimental. — L. Frank Baum

I'm glass, and transparent, too, which is more than can be said of some folks," answered the cat. "Also I have some lovely pink brains; you can see 'em work. — L. Frank Baum

It seems strange," said he, as he watched the Tin Woodman work, "that my left leg should be the most elegant and substantial part of me." "That proves you are unusual," returned the Scarecrow. "and I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed." "Spoken like a philosopher!" cried the Woggle-Bug, — L. Frank Baum

You do not I will make an end of you, as I did of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow. Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle — L. Frank Baum

If we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. I think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong. — L. Frank Baum

The beauty of life is its sudden changes. No one knows what is going to happen next, and so we are constantly being surprised and entertained. — L. Frank Baum

Yet Burzee has its inhabitants - for all this. Nature peopled it in the beginning with Fairies, Knooks, Ryls and Nymphs. As long as the Forest stands it will be a home, a refuge and a playground to these sweet immortals, who revel undisturbed in its depths. — L. Frank Baum

Lions and tigers, and bears, oh my! - Dorothy in Wizard of Oz — L. Frank Baum

Education is a thing to be proud of. — L. Frank Baum

One who is Master of himself is always a King, if only to himself. — L. Frank Baum

...thanks for good deeds do not amount to much except to prove one's politeness. — L. Frank Baum

Then, to their surprise, they found before them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It was smooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads. — L. Frank Baum

I'm glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that there still are things in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at. — L. Frank Baum

I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,
spoke the Beast, in a voice that was one great roar.
Who are you, and why do you seek me? — L. Frank Baum

Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain ... only straw.
Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don't know ... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking ... don't they?
Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right. — L. Frank Baum

She clapped the heels of her shoes together three times, saying: "Take me home to Aunt Em!" Instantly — L. Frank Baum

There were no fences at all by the roadside now, and the land was rough and untilled. Toward evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shut out the daylight; but the travelers did not stop, and went on into the forest. — L. Frank Baum

But in the course of my wanderings I had the good fortune to save the ninth life of a tailor
tailors having, like cats, nine lives, as you probably know. The fellow was exceedingly grateful, for had he lost that ninth life it would have been the end of him; so he begged permission to furnish me with the stylish costume I now wear. It fits very nicely, does it not? — L. Frank Baum

A Glass Cat!" exclaimed Ojo, astonished. "Yes; she makes a very pleasant companion, but admires herself a little more than is considered modest, and she positively refuses to catch mice," explained Margolotte. "My husband made the cat some pink brains, but they proved to be too high-bred and particular for a cat, so she thinks it is undignified in her to catch mice. Also she has a pretty blood-red heart, but it is made of stone - a ruby, I think - and so is rather hard and unfeeling. — L. Frank Baum

Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out. L. Frank Baum — L. Frank Baum

I shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid. — L. Frank Baum

When I was young I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now that I am getting old my first book is written to amuse children — L. Frank Baum

woods. The road was still paved with yellow brick, but these were much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees, and the walking was not at all good. There were few — L. Frank Baum

Swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it immediately died. As soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharp edge of — L. Frank Baum

An eastern contemporary, with a grain of wisdom in its wit, says that when the whites win a fight, it is a victory, and when the Indians win it, it is a massacre. — L. Frank Baum

Is this a trial of thoughts, or of kittens?' demanded the Woggle-Bug.
'It's a trial of one kitten,' replied the Scarecrow; 'but your manner is a trial to us all. — L. Frank Baum

If you desire it," promised the Tin Woodman, leaning back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "I haven't related my history in a long while, because everyone here knows it nearly as well as I do. But you, being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how I became so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recite for your benefit my strange adventures. — L. Frank Baum

Reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole. When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad — L. Frank Baum

Don't let us quarrel. We all have our weaknesses, dear friends; so we must strive to be considerate of one another. And since this poor boy is hungry and has nothing whatver to eat, let us all remain quiet and allow him to sleep; for it is said that in sleep a mortal may forget even hunger. - Scarecrow — L. Frank Baum

To 'know Thyself' is considered quite an accomplishment. — L. Frank Baum

Never give up ... No one knows what's going to happen next. — L. Frank Baum

She said, "You might become politicians."
"No!" cried Beni, with sudden fierceness; "we must not abandon our high calling. Bandits we have always been, and bandits we must remain! — L. Frank Baum

I think you are a very good tiger," said Dorothy, patting the huge head of the beast. "In that you are mistaken," was the reply. "I am a good beast, perhaps, but a disgracefully bad tiger. For it is the nature of tigers to be cruel and ferocious, and in refusing to eat harmless living creatures I am acting as no good tiger has ever before acted. That is why I left the forest and joined my friend the Cowardly Lion. — L. Frank Baum

When I return I shall be as other men are."
"I have always liked you as you were," said Dorothy simply. — L. Frank Baum

Do try to be more cheerful and take life as you find it -The Scarecrow - The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 135 chapter 18 — L. Frank Baum

But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward,' said the Scarecrow.
'I know it,' returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. 'It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.'
'Perhaps you have heart disease,' said the Tin Woodman.
'It may be,' said the Lion. — L. Frank Baum

My heart is quite the best part of me. — L. Frank Baum

I think,' said the little Queen, smiling, 'that your friend must be the richest man in all the world.' 'I am,' returned the Scarecrow; 'but not on account of my money. For I consider brains to be far superior to money, in every way. You may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of days.' 'At the same time,' declared the Tin Woodman, 'you must acknowledge that a good heart is a thing that brains cannot create, and that money cannot buy. Perhaps, after all it is I who am the richest man in all the world.' 'You are both rich, my friends,' said Ozma gently; 'and your riches are the only riches worth having - the riches of content!' - The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 192 chapter 24 — L. Frank Baum

... and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. — L. Frank Baum

It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out. — L. Frank Baum

I can't give you a brain, but I can give you a diploma. — L. Frank Baum

And as they walked along he sang "Tol-de-ri-de-oh!" at every step, he felt so gay. — L. Frank Baum

Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine, intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one who had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes. The hair contrasted exquisitely with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day older than her two companions. — L. Frank Baum

My people have been wearing green glasses on their eyes for so long that most of them think this really is an Emerald City. — L. Frank Baum

It isn't what we are, but what folks think we are, that counts in this world. — L. Frank Baum

Everyone loved her, but her greatest sorrow was that she could find no one to love in return, since all the men were much too stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise. — L. Frank Baum

You see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them. — L. Frank Baum

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. — L. Frank Baum

Then close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, there's no place like home. — L. Frank Baum

I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart. — L. Frank Baum

It's the latest popular song," declared the phonograph, speaking in a sulky tone of voice.
"A popular song?"
"Yes. One that the feeble-minded can remember the words of and those ignorant of music can whistle or sing. That makes a popular song popular, and the time is coming when it will take the place of all other songs. — L. Frank Baum

And then I should get no brains," said the Scarecrow. "And I should get no courage," said the Cowardly Lion. "And I should get no heart," said the Tin Woodman. "And I should never get back to Kansas," said Dorothy. — L. Frank Baum

Dorothy did not feel nearly so bad as you might think a little girl who had been so suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the middle of a strange land — L. Frank Baum

And took no pains to hide his feelings. Indeed, he sometimes showed less respect for the old woman than he should have — L. Frank Baum

shoes were so cut and slashed that they were ready to fall from her feet. — L. Frank Baum

Can't you give me brains?" asked the Scarecrow.
"You don't need them. You are learning something every day. A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get. — L. Frank Baum

She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. She sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door. — L. Frank Baum

Childhood is the time of man's greatest content. 'Tis during these years of innocent pleasure that the little ones are most free from care. [ ... ] Their joy is in being alive, and they do not stop to think. In after-years the doom of mankind overtakes them, and they find they must struggle and worry, work and fret, to gain the wealth that is so dear to the hearts of men. — L. Frank Baum

Without knowing it the girl was arguing on the side of the world's expert criminologists, who hold that to destroy an offender cannot benefit society so much as to redeem him. — L. Frank Baum

In this world in which we live simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders — L. Frank Baum

Do you think Oz could give me courage? asked the Cowardly Lion. — L. Frank Baum

He brought toys to the children because they were little and helpless, and because he loved them. — L. Frank Baum

But love is a stubborn thing to conquer. When you think you've killed it, it's liable to bob up again as strong as ever. — L. Frank Baum

It's a bird of some sort. It's like a duck, only I never saw a duck have so many colors.
The bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the Magic Isle, and as it drew nearer its gorgeously colored plumage astonished them. The feathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples, and it had a yellow head with a red plume, and pink, white and violet in its tail. — L. Frank Baum

For I consider brains far superior to money in every way. You may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to his advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of his days. — L. Frank Baum

But could you not be mended?" asked the girl. "Oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know," replied the Princess. — L. Frank Baum

So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the Wildcat ran by he gave it a quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and it rolled over at his feet in two pieces. — L. Frank Baum

But you will admit that it's a good thing to be alive." "Especially — L. Frank Baum