L. Frank Baum Quotes

"Then why is the prison so fine, and why are you so kind to me?" he earnestly asked. Tollydiggle seemed surprised by the question, but she presently answered: "We consider a prisoner unfortunate. He is unfortunate in two ways — because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. Therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong. Ozma thinks that one who has committed a fault did so because he was not strong and brave; therefore she puts him in prison to make him strong and brave. When that is accomplished he is no longer a prisoner, but a good and loyal citizen and everyone is glad that he is now strong enough to resist doing wrong. You see, it is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our prisoners."

Be contented with your fate, for discontent leads to unhappiness, and unhappiness, in any form, is the greatest evil that can befall you.

There were forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed, so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the Woodman.

"Good day," said the Scarecrow, in a rather husky voice.

Non importa quanto squallide e grigie siano le nostre case; noi gente di carne e ossa preferiamo vivere lì piuttosto che in qualunque altro paese, per quanto bello possa essere. Non c'è niente di meglio della propria casa.

Enquanto eu estava apaixonado era o homem mais feliz do mundo.

— Pero el León en realidad no es cobarde — dijo Dorothy — . Lo he visto comportarse de lo más valiente. — Te equivocas, querida — protestó el León — . Ante los ojos de los demás puedo haber parecido valiente algunas veces, pero nunca he estado en un peligro que no me haya dado miedo.

"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"

I am afraid I shall never have any brains, after all!

"but you will admit that it's a good thing to be alive." "Especially"

"Why should I do this for you?" asked Oz.

"Because you are strong and I am weak; because you are a Great Wizard and I am only a helpless little girl," she answered.

The Emperor's state is always magnificent

"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."

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.

"I wouldn't ask anyone to take this dreadful form," said Woot; "it wouldn't be right, you know. I've been a monkey for some time, now, and I don't like it. It makes me ashamed to be a beast of this sort when by right of birth I'm a boy; so I'm sure it would be wicked to ask anyone else to take my place." They