RD.COM Books Children's Books
ByBrianna Bell
Updated: Nov. 03, 2023
We've rounded up the most wonderful and whimsical Alice in Wonderland quotes so you can feel like you've fallen through the looking glass any day of the week
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Curiouser and curiouser Alice in Wonderland quotes
The timeless classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland offers bookworms of every age a whimsical escape from the ordinary. Lewis Carroll led readers headfirst into the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland, a place where logic takes a backseat and the laws of reality are merely suggestions. Whether you’re a seasoned wanderer of Wonderland or a curious newcomer, you’ll find something undeniably magical within the pages of this story. It’s why Alice in Wonderland quotes are so enduring.
Book quotes are one of the ways I love to quickly re-immerse myself in the whimsy of my favorite books. To give you a quick Alice fix, I’ve collected dozens of Alice in Wonderland quotes from the original book and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. I’ve also thrown in some quotes from the film adaptations, which are as wonderfully weird as their source material. Grab your teacup, put on your most eccentric hat and prepare for a journey as we explore the profound and peculiar words of Carroll’s masterpiece.
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Trippy Alice in Wonderland quotes
1. “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” —The White Queen in Through the Looking-Glass
2. “Off with their heads!” —The Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
3. “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, ‘Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'” —Alice in Through the Looking-Glass
4. “‘The time has come,’ the walrus said, ‘to talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing wax—of cabbages and kings.” —Tweedledee in Through the Looking-Glass
5. “The duch*ess! The duch*ess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur and whiskers! She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!” —The White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
6. “You know you say things are ‘much of a muchness’—did you ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?” —The Dormouse in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
7. “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?” —Alice in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
8. “‘Contrariwise,’ continued Tweedledee, ‘if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.'” —Tweedledee in Through the Looking-Glass
9. “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.” —The White Queen in Through the Looking-Glass
10. “‘Well, I never heard it before,’ said the Mock Turtle; ‘but it sounds uncommon nonsense.'” —The Mock Turtle in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland is known for some of the funniest quotes, and we have Carroll’s creative language to thank for that. He was a master at playing with form, resulting in whimsical sentences that might seem like gibberish at first glance yet frequently reveal their own kind of sense.
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Funny Alice in Wonderland quotes
11. “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” —The Cheshire Catin Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
12. “‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'” —The Kingin Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
13. “‘No, no! The adventures first,’ said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: ‘explanations take such a dreadful time.'” —The Gryphonin Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
14. “Well, some go this way, and some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the shortcut.” —The Cheshire Cat in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
15. “You may have noticed that I’m not all there myself.” —The Cheshire Cat in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
16. “If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.” —The duch*essin Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
17. “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” —The Red Queen in Through the Looking-Glass
The randomness and humor found in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass continue to make these beloved children’s books charming even over a century later, and these comical quotes are a prime example of that enduring appeal.
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Mad Hatter quotes
18. “‘Really, now you ask me,’ said Alice, very much confused, ‘I don’t think—’
‘Then you shouldn’t talk,’ said the Hatter.” —The Mad Hatter and Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
19. “‘If you knew Time as well as I do,’ said the Hatter, ‘you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.'” —The Mad Hatter and Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
20. “Have I gone mad?” —The Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
21. “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”—The Mad Hatter inAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland
22. “You’re not the same as you were before. You were much more, muchier. You’ve lost your muchness.” —The Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
The Hatter is known for saying provocative things that could be perceived as offensive—but that is also what makes him a fan favorite. And while all the Alice in Wonderland quotes above don’t necessarily come from the book, the Hatter’s memorable movie quotes are just as punchy.
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Alice quotes
23. “Curiouser and curiouser!” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
24. “I do wish I hadn’t drunk quite so much!” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
25. “‘I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,’ said Alice a little timidly: ‘but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.'” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
26. “When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought!” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
27. “And what is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversations?” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
28. “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.”—Alice in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
29. “Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
30. “‘Who cares for you?’ said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) ‘You’re nothing but a pack of cards!'” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice is endlessly curious, extremely trusting and a very caring young woman. Just how famous are her famous lines? Both her book and Disney movie quotes can be found printed on T-shirts, mugs and wall posters around the world.
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Inspirational quotes from Alice in Wonderland
31. “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” —The duch*ess in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
32. “But that’s just the trouble with me. I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.” —Alice in Disney’s Alice’s in Wonderland
33. “‘I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir,’ said Alice, ‘because I’m not myself, you see.'” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
34. “How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.” —Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
35. “Oh, ’tis love, ’tis love, that makes the world go round!” —The duch*ess in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
While there are many trippy Alice and Wonderland quotes, there are also plenty of inspirational quotes that feel warm-hearted and tender. Carroll’s world-building was certainly out of this world—he had a way of taking quirky characters and an outlandish plot, and making it deeply relatable to the human experience.
Originally Published: November 03, 2023
Author
Brianna Bell
Brianna Bell is a writer contributing all things bookish to Reader's Digest. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Globe & Mail, the Guardian and many other national and international publications. When she's not writing, she's reading, browsing bookstores or adding to her TBR list.
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