Norton Juster Quotes

Have you ever heard a blindfolded octopus unwrap a cellophane-covered bathtub?

And that's why people no longer care which words they use as long as they use lots of them.

We never choose which words to use, for as long as they mean what they mean to mean, we don’t care if they make sense or nonsense.

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.

You see, it's really quite simple. A simile is just a mode of comparison employing 'as' and 'like' to reveal the hidden character or essence of whatever we want to describe, and through the use of fancy, association, contrast, extension, or imagination, to enlarge our understanding or perception of human experience and observation.

Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens.

The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.

You may not see it now," said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo's puzzled face, "but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way.

…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 learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.

He punctuated this last thought with such a deep sigh that a house sparrow singing near by stopped and rushed home to be with his family.

Time is a gift, given to you, given to give you the time you need, the time you need to have the time of your life.

...it's just as bad to live in a place where what you do see isn't there as it is to live in one where what you don't see is.

I never knew words could be so confusing," Milo said to Tock as he bent down to scratch the dog's ear.
"Only when you use a lot to say a little," answered Tock.
Milo thought this was quite the wisest thing he'd heard all day.