Sometimes the best wisdom and inspiration is the simple kind. When it comes to lessons on life, Dr. Seuss had a knack for delivering them in his quirky, fun and unique way. Enjoy a walk down memory lane with these timeless Dr. Seuss quotes that will live on forever.
On being true to yourself
Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you.
You are you. Now isn’t that pleasant?
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
On choosing your direction in life
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…
Only you can control your future.
You’re off to great places! Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so you get on your way!
On opportunities and experiences
Oh the things you can find, if you don’t stay behind!
If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.
Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’b be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.
On learning and potential
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.
It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) Kid, you’ll move mountains!
You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
On imagination and creativity
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.
Think and wonder. Wonder and think.
Oh, the thinks you can think!
On joy, optimism and fun
From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.
If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!
I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny.
Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.
On being in the moment
You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.
Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.
Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
On being grateful
Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky!
You’re in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.
It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store, What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
On being free
It’s opener there in the wide open air.
And turtles, of course…all turtles are FREE. As turtles and, maybe, ALL creatures, should be.
On overcoming challenges
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!
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
On love
You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.
To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.
We’re all a little weird and life’s a little weird. And when we find someone who’s weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.
On making choices
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that life’s a Great Balancing Act.
On making the world a better place
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
So, open your mouth, Lad! For every voice counts!
I loooooove Dr Seuss’s life lessons! I do think that being passionate about life is important, otherwise you’ll get bored. Don’t you think? From my experience, I earned wisdom when I started to let go on certain experiences whereas I was highly stressed out about some situations. I do believe that we do need wisdom on every area of life (just as you listed) and affirm what we want from our life. Good job!
Thanks for stopping by and I totally agree with all you’ve said here! Each time we experience a life lesson we gain a bit more wisdom – learning to let go is a big one so congrats on getting that, I believe the more we do this the more we attract what we want in life :)
Oh, how I love Dr. Seuss and I love that you’ve put all of these quotes together on a page. He really did have a knack for the truth, didn’t he? My favorite is: those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. Love it! These are great thoughts to be able to refer back to from time to time in case you need an attitude adjustment. Very nice. :)
Thanks Shannon, so glad you enjoyed this compilation! He sure did have a knack for putting the truth in to “bite sized pieces!” Thanks for sharing your favorite Dr. Seuss quote – one of mine for sure too :)
Hello, thank you very much for this article. Why? Because just now I heard sentences, which are inspiring and prompt to be thankful for everything what I have.
I never heard about this particular guy, from where he came from?
I am big fan of Earl Nightingale. He is great writer, speaker and leader in a personal development area.
Anyway, I like these sentences and I will bookmark your page to read them again.
Thanks, all the best, happy writing, Nemira.
My pleasure, Nemira! I’m happy I could introduce you to Dr. Seuss, as a children’s author he wrote such fun books as The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who!, Green Eggs and Ham, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, to name a few. I just love the simplicity yet depth of the lessons he shared. I can never get enough of quotes LOL!
I have much respect for Earl Nightingale too. I also love listening to Jim Rohn. There are so many influential people in the personal development realm we can learn so much from.
Thanks for stopping by, continue to enjoy your quotes and much health & happiness to you :)
I love these quotes. I think that Dr. Seuss was a very wise man. I think my favorite is the first quote about being true to yourself, that there is no one “youer than you”. These are all great quotes though and surprisingly profound. Thanks for sharing this! Keep up the good work!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the quotes Ian. I love the one you chose and hope they continue to inspire you, Dr. Seuss was indeed a wise man, and such a fun children’s author :)
Hi Jess,
Who doesn’t like Dr. Seuss?! So much wisdom delivered in such a fun way.
My favorite quote was this one, “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.â€
He was a firm believer in not taking life too seriously and could always look at things from a new and creative perspective. Never a dull moment for him!
We can learn much from him. Thanks so much for providing so many of his great quotes,
Warmly,
Heather :-)
Hi Heather! Glad you enjoyed revisiting these quotes and thanks for sharing your favorite – such a great one! I totally agree, we could all use a little more fantasy in our lives to help us not take things too seriously – life’s too short! Enjoy it while we can right?! Keep seeing the bright side :)
Hey Jess:
Thanks! I needed a shot of Seuss-juice today!
The medicine slips down so easily because the guy tells you true in very little words. Some of the biggest truths hit the heart best when the words are simple and from the heart.
That and a hot cup of cocoa can set anybody up right for the day.
Yay! I glad you enjoyed your “shot of Seuess-juice” (love that by the way)! Isn’t he awesome?! Take care = )