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’)
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Imagination, Thinking
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Baseball, Journeys, Graduation
Oh, the things you can find if you don’t stay behind!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
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
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: Graduation, Confidence, Choice
You’re in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Things may happen and often do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
—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, Service, Helping, Wilderness
Think and wonder, wonder and think.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Thinking
Be awesome! Be a book nut!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
It’s opener, out there, in the wide, open air.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
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
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
Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more …
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Christmas
All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Solitude, Loneliness
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: Challenges, Adversity, Problems
Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
—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
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
If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Fun
There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Oh, the places you’ll go!
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Action
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
Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Luck
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Life, Sadness
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
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
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’)
You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Individuality
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Simplicity, Questions
Bump! Bump! Bump! Did you ever ride a wump? We have a Wump with just one hump. But, we know a man called Mr. Gump. Mr Gump has a seven hump Wump. So… if you Bump! Bump! Just jump on the hump on the Wump of Gump.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
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’)
You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’)
Topics: Being True to Yourself
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
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