Top 200 L. Frank Baum Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “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

52. “Do not, I beg of you, dampen today’s sun with the showers of tomorrow. For before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that way it may be preserved indefinitely.”

— L. Frank Baum

53. “A little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more.”

— L. Frank Baum

54. “The throne belongs to whoever is able to take it.”

— L. Frank Baum

55. “Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities.”

— L. Frank Baum

56. “It is useless to fight people with shooting heads; no one can withstand them.”

— L. Frank Baum

57. “People who are always understood are very common. You are sure to respect those you can’t understand, for you feel that perhaps they know more than you do.”

— L. Frank Baum

58. “Do you think Oz could give me courage?” asked the Cowardly Lion.”

— L. Frank Baum

59. “Where is the Emerald City?” he inquired. “And who is Oz?” “Why, don’t you know?” she returned, in surprise. “No, indeed. I don’t know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all,” he answered sadly.”

— L. Frank Baum

60. “Do not, I beg of you, dampen today’s sun with the showers of tomorrow.”

— L. Frank Baum

61. “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

62. “Dorothy said nothing. Oz had not kept the promise he made her, but he had done his best. So she forgave him. As he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad Wizard.”

— L. Frank Baum

63. “I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-wisp.”

— L. Frank Baum

64. “The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.”

— L. Frank Baum

65. “A beautiful girl is much superior to a little yellow bird, and a boy – such as I was – far better than a Green Monkey.”

— L. Frank Baum

66. “Nothing can resist your kind heart and your sharp axe.”

— L. Frank Baum

67. “One who is Master of himself is always a King, if only to himself.”

— L. Frank Baum

68. “Suppose we try kindness,” suggested the Tin Woodman. “I’ve heard that anyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be.” At.”

— L. Frank Baum

69. “All the magic isn’t in fairyland,” he said gravely. “There’s lots of magic in all Nature, and you may see it as well in the United States, where you and I once lived, as you can here.”

— L. Frank Baum

70. “The mule is a very intelligent animal, but to get his attention you have to hit him on the head with a stick.”

— L. Frank Baum

71. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. “The house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?”

— L. Frank Baum

72. “24. Home Again Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she looked up and saw Dorothy running toward her. “My darling child!” she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses. “Where in the world did you come from?” “From the Land of Oz,” said Dorothy gravely. “And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be at home again!”

— L. Frank Baum

73. “It wouldn’t matter,” remarked the educated Woggle-Bug. “he can’t get broke so long as he is stuffed with money.”

— L. Frank Baum

74. “The Witch was too much afraid of the dark to dare go in Dorothy’s room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of water was greater than her fear of the dark.”

— L. Frank Baum

75. “As a matter of fact, we are none of us above criticism; so let us bear with each other’s faults.”

— L. Frank Baum

76. “We dare not harm this little girl,” he said to them, “for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil. All we can do is carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there.”

— L. Frank Baum

77. “To be angry once in a while is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. But to be angry morning, noon and night, as I am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in life.”

— L. Frank Baum

78. “I do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?” “Oh, yes,” replied Dorothy. “Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us.”

— L. Frank Baum

79. “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

80. “We all have our weaknesses, dear friends; so we must strive to be considerate of one another.”

— L. Frank Baum

81. “Toto did not like this addition to the party at first. He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest.”

— L. Frank Baum

82. “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

83. “For although I feel that I know a tremendous lot, I am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. It will take me a little time to discover whether I am very wise or very foolish.”

— L. Frank Baum

84. “No one has the right to destroy any living creatures, however evil they may be, or to hurt them or make them unhappy. I will not fight, even to save my kingdom.”

— L. Frank Baum

85. “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

86. “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

87. “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

88. “Oh, if Shakespeare says it, that’s all right.”

— L. Frank Baum

89. “Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me.”

— L. Frank Baum

90. “Why, when it comes to Law, I have nothing to say” answered that personage. “for laws were never meant to be understood, and it is foolish to make the attempt.”

— L. Frank Baum

91. “The women of the world will dominate politics, some day, and you mustn’t be too old-fashioned in your notions to join the procession of progress.”

— L. Frank Baum

92. “But why fight at all, in that case?” asked the girl. “So I may die with a clear conscience,” returned the Wizard, gravely. “It’s every man’s duty to do the best he knows how; and I’m going to do it.”

— L. Frank Baum

93. “Are you so very hungry?” asked Dorothy, in wonder. “You can hardly imagine the size of my appetite,” replied the Tiger, sadly. “It seems to fill my whole body, from the end of my throat to the tip of my tail. I am very sure the appetite doesn’t fit me, and is too large for the size of my body. Some day, when I meet a dentist with a pair of forceps, I’m going to have it pulled.” “What, your tooth?” asked Dorothy. “No, my appetite,” said the Hungry Tiger.”

— L. Frank Baum

94. “Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us.”

— L. Frank Baum

95. “The absurd and legendary devil is the enigma of the Church.”

— L. Frank Baum

96. “This is the way to get ideas: never to let adverse circumstances discourage you, but to believe there is a way out of every difficulty, which may be found by earnest though.”

— L. Frank Baum

97. “The reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good.”

— L. Frank Baum

98. “Please make yourselves at home here for a few minutes, while I attend to an errand,” said the Nome King, getting up from the throne. “I shall return pretty soon, when I hope to find you pieceful – ha, ha, ha! – that’s a joke you can’t appreciate now but will later. Be pieceful – that’s the idea. Ho, ho, ho! How funny.” Then he waddled from the cavern, closing the door behind him.”

— L. Frank Baum

99. “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

100. “All your troubles are due to those ‘ifs’,” declared the Wizard.”

— L. Frank Baum