Quote#Wisdom
"Then he was wrong to have been born at all. Cheek- eek-eek-eek, oo,…
Quote byL. Frank Baum · 1856–1919
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Later Oz novels, Rinkitink of Oz (1916), Ch. 5 : The Three Pearls.
English (original)
"Then he was wrong to have been born at all. Cheek- eek-eek-eek, oo, hoo!" chuckled Rinkitink, his fat body shaking with merriment. "But it's hard to prevent oneself from being born; there's no chance for protest, eh, Bilbil?"
— 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.