L. Frank Baum quotes:

Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity.

That proves you are unusual,' returned the Scarecrow; 'and I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed.

I believe that dreams - day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing - are likely to lead to the betterment of the world.

The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.

Courage~ What makes the flag on the mast to wave? What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot?~Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz

Stunt dwarf or destroy the imagination of a child and you have taken away its chances of success in life. Imagination transforms the commonplace into the great and creates the new out of the old.

"In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child," says good old Santa Claus; and if he had his way the children would all be beautiful, for all would be happy.

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations."

Flowers are beautiful, for instance, but we are not inclined to marry them. Duty, on the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you are inclined to act, or not. In this case, I obey the bugle call of duty.

If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains.

Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then - oh, why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow why, oh why, can't I.

I'll miss you most of all scarecrow.

No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.

The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last in the bosom of Sitting Bull. With his fall the nobility of the Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them.

It is a callous age; we have seen so many marvels that we are ashamed to marvel more; the seven wonders of the world have become seven thousand wonders.

There is no place like home.

I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart.

I never deal in transformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likes to make things appear to be what they are not.

And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.

I can't give you a brain, but I can give you a diploma.

The Imaginative Child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization

I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

The queerness doesn't matter so long as they're friends.

Dismal"

In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child,

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

It seems unfortunate that strong people are usually so disagreeable and overbearing that no one cares for them. In fact, to be different from your fellow creatures is always a misfortune.

All the same,' said the Scarecrow,'I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.''I shall take the heart,' returned the Tin Woodman,'for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.

True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid...

Like all bullies and marauders, Gos was a coward at heart

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.

True courage is in facing damger when you are afraid.

If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.

In this world in which we live simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders

If we walk far enough," says Dorothy, "we shall sometime come to someplace.

You have some queer friends, Dorothy,' she said.The queerness doesn't matter, so long as they're friends,' was the answer

Not willingly," admitted the tiger. "But here is the alternative; either you transform yourself into an eye for our child, or I and my dear wife will tear you into shreds.

Perhaps it is better to be a machine that does its duty than a flesh-and-blood person who will not, for a dead truth is better than a live falsehood.

One can be ugly in looks, but lovely in disposition.

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.

To 'know Thyself' is considered quite an accomplishment.

No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.

I shall take the heart. For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.

The Scarecrow watched the Woodman while he worked and said to him "I cannot think why this wall is here nor what it is made of." "Rest you brains and do not worry about the wall," replied the Woodman, "when we have climbed over it we shall know what is on the other side.

All the same,' said the Scarecrow, 'I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.' I shall take the heart,' returned the Tin Woodman, 'for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.

"It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully, "for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly."

You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage.

To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad, therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition. Variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one another's society; so let us be content.

Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.

Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it. Why my little party's just beginning. ~ Wicked Witch of the West Wizard of Oz

Lions and tigers, and bears, oh my! - Dorothy in Wizard of Oz

It's so kind of you to want to visit me in my loneliness. - The Wicked Witch of the West. Now I know I have a heart, because it's breaking. - The Tin Woodsman Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.

. . .It is the Law that while Evil, unopposed, may accomplish terrible deeds, the power of Good can never be overthrown when opposed to Evil. . .

A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.

A curious thing about Ugu the Shoemaker was that he didn't suspect in the least that he was wicked. He wanted to be powerful and great, and he hoped to make himself master of all the Land of Oz that he might compel everyone in that fairy country to obey him, His ambition blinded him to the rights of others, and he imagined anyone else would act just as he did if anyone else happened to be as clever as himself.

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

â?¦and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were.

An eastern contemporary, with a grain of wisdom in its wit, says that "when the whites win a fight, it is a victory, and when the Indians win it, it is a massacre.

And I' declared the Sawhorse, filling an awkward pause, 'am only remarkable because I can't help it.

As the years pass, and we look back on something which, at the time, seemed unbelievably discouraging and unfair, we come to realize that, after all, God was at all times on our side. The eventual outcome was, we discover, by far the best solution for us, and what we thought should have been to our best advantage, would in reality have been quite detrimental.

Beautiful things may be admired, if not loved,

But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward,'" said the Scarecrow. 'I know it,' returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. 'It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.' 'Perhaps you have heart disease,' said the Tin Woodman. 'It may be,' said the Lion.

But you will admit that it is a very good thing to be alive.

Demons may be either good or bad, like any other class of beings.

During the year I stood there I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth.

Everything has to come to an end, sometime.

Everything in life is unusual until you become accustomed to it.

Everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it -The Scarecrow - The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 103 chapter 13

Familiarity with any great thing removes our awe of it.

Familiarity with any great thing removes our awe of it. The great general is only terrible to the enemy; the great poet is frequently scolded by his wife; the children of the great statesman clamber about his knees with perfect trust and impunity; the great actor who is called before the curtain by admiring audiences is often waylaid at the stage door by his creditors.

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

For I consider brains far superior to money in every way. You may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to his advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of his days.

He brought toys to the children because they were little and helpless, and because he loved them.

He is my dog, Toto," answered Dorothy. "Is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the Lion. "Neither. He's a-- a-- a meat dog," said the girl.

How very wet this water is.

I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," spoke the Beast, in a voice that was one great roar. Who are you, and why do you seek me?

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

I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.

I shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid.

I think the world is like a great mirror, and reflects our lives just as we ourselves look upon it.

I think the world is like a great mirror, and reflects our lives just as we ourselves look upon it. Those who turn sad faces toward the world find only sadness reflected. But a smile is reflected in the same way, and cheers and brightens our hearts. You think there is no pleasure to be had in life. That is because you are heartsick and-and tired, as you say. With one sad story ended you are afraid to begin another-a sequel-feeling it would be equally sad. But why should it be? Isn't the joy or sorrow equally divided in life?

If we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. I think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong.

If you only have brains on your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.

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.

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. So I believe that day dreams with your eyes wide open are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it.

In other words, the more stupid one is, the more he thinks he knows.

It is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our prisoners.

It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool.

It is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly.

It isn't what we are, but what folks think we are, that counts in this world.

I've married a man who owns nine cows," said Jinjur to Ozma, "and now I am happy and contented and willing to lead a quiet life and mind my own business." "Where is your husband?" asked Ozma. "He is in the house, nursing a black eye," replied Jinjur, calmly. "The foolish man would insist upon milking the red cow when I wanted him to milk the white one; but he will know better next time, I am sure.

Mortals seldom know how greatly they are influenced by fairies, knooks and ryls, who often put thoughts into their heads that only the wise little immortals could have conceived.

My people have been wearing green glasses on their eyes for so long that most of them think this really is an Emerald City.

My world, my world... How can such a good little girl like you destroy all of my beautiful wickedness. - Wicket Witch of the North

Never give up. No one knows what's going to happen next.

Never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders.

No Queen with a frozen heart is fit to rule any country.

No, indeed; I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all.

Nobody gets in to see the wizard. Not nobody.

Now I know I've got a heart because it is breaking. - Tin Man

Oh - You're a very bad man!" Oh, no my dear. I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad Wizard.

Oh, I see;" said the Tin Woodman. "But, after all, brains are not the best things in the world." Have you any?" enquired the Scarecrow. No, my head is quite empty," answered the Woodman; "but once I had brains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should much rather have a heart.

Oh, if Shakespeare says it, that's all right.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

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

Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me.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. For aside from my evident inability to do anything "great," I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward.

Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?

The absurd and legendary devil is the enigma of the Church.

The more one knows, the luckier he is, for knowledge is the greatest gift in life.

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

There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Time is given us to be happy and for no other reason [...] When we waste time, we waste happiness.

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.

To destroy an offender cannot benefit society so much as to redeem him.

To please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward.

Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him; but he knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too.

Unless one can think wisely it is better to remain a dummy.

We consider a prisoner unfortunate. He is unfortunate in two ways-because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. Therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong.