Quote#Wisdom
His father thought he had a wond'rous wise look when he was born, and…
Quote byL. Frank Baum · 1856–1919
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Short stories, "The Wond'rous Wise Man", in Mother Goose in Prose (1897).
English (original)
His father thought he had a wond'rous wise look when he was born, and so he named him Solomon, thinking that if indeed he turned out to be wise the name would fit him nicely, whereas, should he be mistaken, and the boy grow up stupid, his name could be easily changed to Simon.
— L. Frank Baum
More from L. Frank Baum
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.
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.
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.
Now we can cross the Shifting Sands.
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.