''“We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.” ''
''“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” ''
''“Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? Its made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!”''
''“Fiona has the same glacial beauty of an iceburg, but unlike the iceburg she has absolutely nothing below the surface.” ''
''“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldnt be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” ''
''“Two hours of writing fiction leaves this writer completely drained. For those two hours he has been in a different place with totally different people.” ''
''“Id rather be fried alive and eaten by Mexicans.” ''
''“Im wondering what to read next." Matilda said. "Ive finished all the childrens books.” ''
''“We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.” ''
''“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” ''
''“I want an Oompa-Loompa! screamed Veruca.” ''
''“Having power is not nearly as important as what you choose to do with it.” ''
''“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” ''
''“Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy its unbelievable...” ''
''“When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important: A stodgy parent is not fun at all! What a child wants - and DESERVES - is a parent who is SPARKY!” ''
''“Words," he said, "is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life.” ''
''“But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance is there. The chance had to be there.” ''
''“It doesnt matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.” ''
''“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” ''
''“Nowadays you can go anywhere in the world in a few hours, and nothing is fabulous any more.” ''
''“There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, youll be free if you truly wish to be.” ''
''“I cannot for the life of me understand why small children take so long to grow up. I think they do it deliberately, just to annoy me.” ''
''“If you are good life is good.” ''
''“Grown ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets.” ''
''“Ive heard tell that what you imagine sometimes comes true. -Grandpa Joe” ''
''“All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen.” ''
''“You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of.” ''
''“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” ''
''“I am the maker of music, the dreamer of dreams!” ''
''“Dont gobblefunk around with words.” ''
''“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who dont believe in magic will never find it.” ''
''“Those who dont believe in magic will never find it.” ''
''“A little magic can take you a long way.” ''
''“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” ''
''“What I mean and what I say is two different things," the BFG announced rather grandly.” ''
