Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904–91,) better known as Dr. Seuss, was an American writer and illustrator. He is celebrated for bringing a whimsical touch and a colorful imagination to the world of children’s books.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Geisel attended Dartmouth College but later dropped out of Oxford University’s Lincoln College. After returning to America, he worked as a freelance cartoonist for magazines and advertising agencies, and as a Hollywood writer and animator.
Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1937,) which features a small boy who makes up a tall story about what he sees on the way home from school.
In 1957, Seuss began to write and draw a sequence of “Beginner Books” starting with The Cat in the Hat (1957.) This series used a simple vocabulary purposely to help teach reading—The Cat in the Hat uses just 220 different words and is 1702 words long. It was an extraordinarily critical and commercial success and made Dr. Seuss a household name. Within a year of publication, The Cat in the Hat was selling 12,000 copies a month; within five years, it had sold a million copies.
Dr. Seuss’s other popular children’s books include Horton Hatches the Egg (1940,) Green Eggs and Ham (1960,) and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990.) His books feature a playful way with political or social issues—consumerism, environmentalism, racism, etc. For adults, Dr. Seuss wrote You’re Only Old Once! (1986.)
Some of Dr. Seuss’s books were made into such popular movies as How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and The Cat in the Hat (2003.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Balance
Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
Oh, the things you can find if you don’t stay behind!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
If you keep your eyes open enough, oh the stuff you will learn. Oh the most wonderful stuff.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Adversity, Problems, Challenges
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
My uncle ordered popovers
from the restaurant’s bill of fare.
And, when they were served,
he regarded them with a penetrating stare.
Then he spoke great words of wisdom
as he sat there on that chair:
To eat these things, said my uncle,
You must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what’s solid,
but you must spit out the air!
And as you partake of the world’s bill of fare,
that’s darned good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.
And be careful what you swallow.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Media
Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Fun
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Fun
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly it’s true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Challenges
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
It’s opener, out there, in the wide, open air.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Adults are obsolete children.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Children, Inner-child
You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Carpe-diem
It’s a troublesome world. All the people who’re in it are troubled with troubles almost every minute. You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the places and people you’re lucky you’re not.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Challenges
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Luck
Think and wonder, wonder and think.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Thinking
Only you can control your future.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
If you’d never been born, then you might be an Isn’t! An Isn’t has no fun at all. No, he disn’t.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It’s the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz. You’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond ‘Z’ and start poking around.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Imagination
Now … thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground, there’s not enough Truffula Fruit to go ’round.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Simplicity, Questions
Oh, the places you’ll go!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Action
You’re in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Doing Your Best, Helping, Service, Wilderness
Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Sadness, Life
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own.And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Confidence, Graduation, Choice
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Baseball, Graduation, Journeys
I like nonsense—it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope… and that enables you to laugh at all of life’s realities.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Fantasy, Imagination
Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Balance
Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more …
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Christmas
Preachers in pulpits talked about what a great message is in the book. No matter what you do, somebody always imputes meaning into your books.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Authors & Writing
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night or waiting perhaps for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil or a better break or a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance. Everyone is just waiting.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Carpe-diem
All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Loneliness, Solitude
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