Astrid Lindgren > Quotes

“A childhood without books – that would be no childhood. That would be like being shut out from the enchanted place where you can go and find the rarest kind of joy.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“Give the children love, more love and still more love – and the common sense will come by itself.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“The children came to a perfume shop. In the show window was a large jar of freckle salve, and beside the jar was a sign, which read: DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES?

'What does the sign say?' ask Pippi. She couldn’t read very well because she didn’t want to go to school as other children did.

'It says, "Do you suffer from freckles?"' said Annika.

'Does it indeed?' said Pippi thoughtfully. 'Well, a civil question deserves a civil answer. Let’s go in.'

She opened the door and entered the shop, closely followed by Tommy and Annika. An elderly lady stood back of the counter. Pippi went right up to her. 'No!' she said decidedly.

'What is it you want?' asked the lady.

'No,' said Pippi once more.

'I don’t understand what you mean,' said the lady.

'No, I don’t suffer from freckles,' said Pippi.

Then the lady understood, but she took one look at Pippi and burst out, 'But, my dear child, your whole face is covered with freckles!'

'I know it,' said Pippi, 'but I don’t suffer from them. I love them. Good morning.'

She turned to leave, but when she got to the door she looked back and cried, 'But if you should happen to get in any salve that gives people more freckles, then you can send me seven or eight jars.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“But Nightshirts aren't dangerous," Pippi assured her. "They don't bite anybody except in self defense.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“But still, if it's true, how can it be a lie?”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Don't you worry about me. I'll always come out on top.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“I don't want to write for adults. I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“You understand Teacher, don't you, that when you have a mother who's an angel and a father who is a cannibal king, and when you have sailed on the ocean all your whole life, then you don't know just how to behave in school with all the apples and ibexes.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“He's the strongest man in the world.'

'Man, yes,' said Pippi, 'but I am the strongest girl in the world, remember that.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Men då sa Jonatan att det fanns saker som man måste göra, även om det var farligt. ’Varför då’, undrade jag. ’Annars är man ingen människa utan bara en liten lort’, sa Jonatan.”
― Astrid Lindgren, The Brothers Lionheart

“I have noticed several times that people don't think I know how to behave even when I'm trying as hard as I can.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“But I can't kill anyone,' said Jonathan, 'you know that Orvar!' 'Not even if it means your life?' asked Orvar. 'No, not even then,' said Jonathan. Orvar couldn't understand this and Mattias hardly could, either. 'If everyone were like you,' said Orvar, 'then evil would rule for all eternity!' But then I said that if everyone were like Jonathan, then there would be no evil.”
― Astrid Lindgren, The Brothers Lionheart

“„Lass dich nicht unterkriegen; sei frech und wild und wunderbar.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“The girl hurried away, but then Pippi shouted, "Did he have big ears that reached way down to his shoulders?"
"No," said the girl and turned and came running back in amazement. "You don't mean to say that you have seen a man walk by with such big ears?"
"I have never seen anyone who walks with his ears," said Pippi. "All the people I know walk with their feet.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Why did you save Park's life, was that so good?'

'I don't know if it was such a good thing to do,' said Jonathan. 'But there are things you have to do, otherwise you're not a human being, just a piece of dirt. I've said this to you before.'

'But what if he'd realized who you were?' I said. 'And they had caught you!'

'Well, then they would've caught Lionheart and not a piece of dirt,' said Jonathan.”
― Astrid Lindgren, The Brothers Lionheart

“As the children were sitting there eating pears, a girl came walking along the road from town. When she saw the children she stopped and asked, "Have you seen my papa go by?"
"M-m-m," said Pippi. "How did he look? Did he have blue eyes?"
"Yes," said the girl.
"Medium large, not too tall and not too short?"
"Yes," said the girl.
"Black hat and black shoes?"
"Yes, exactly," said the girl eagerly.
"No, that one we haven't seen," said Pippi decidedly.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“If I have managed to brighten up even one gloomy childhood – then I’m satisfied.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“No Fridolf, bother all this learning. I can't study anymore because I must climb the mast to see what kind of weather we're going to have tomorrow.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Men jag kan inte döda någon’, sa Jonatan, ’det vet du, Orvar!’ […]
’Om alla vore som du’, sa Orvar, ’då skulle ju ondskan få regera i all evinnerlighet!’
Men då sa jag att om alla vore som Jonatan, så skulle det inte finnas någon ondska.”
― Astrid Lindgren, The Brothers Lionheart

“Imagine,”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Aren't you going to dry the floor?' asked Annika.

'Oh, no, it can dry in the sun,' answered Pippi. 'I don't think it will catch cold so long as it keeps moving.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Summer would not last forever; he knew it and Ronia knew it. But now they began to live as if it would, and as far as possible they pushed away all painful thoughts of winter.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Ronia, the Robber's Daughter

“At least, not in this country,' she added after a moment's thought. 'In China it's a little different. Once I saw a Chinaman in Shanghai. His ears were so big he could use them for a raincoat. When it rained, he just crept in under his ears and was warm and snug as could be. Not that the ears had such a rattling good time of it, you understand. If it was specially bad weather, he'd invite friends and acquaintances to pitch camp under his ears too. There they sat, singing their sorrowful songs while it poured down outside.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Allt stort som skedde i världen skedde först i någon människas fantasi.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“Und wenn ich mal heirate, dann muss mein Mann zwei Bedingungen erfüllen: Er muss Bücher und Kinder lieben, alles andere ist nicht so wichtig. Ich meine, wie er aussieht und so. Obwohl es ja nicht schaden könnte, wenn er schöne Zähne hätte.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Britt-Mari erleichtert ihr Herz

“Ge barnen kärlek, mera kärlek och ännu mera kärlek, så kommer folkvettet av sig själv.”
― Astrid Lindgren

“Well, well, so you aren't going to be a maidservant this time?" said Pippi, stroking his back. "Oh, that was a lie, that's true," she continued. "But still, if it's true, how can it be a lie?" she argued. "You wait and see, it's going to turn out he was a maidservant in Arabie after all, and if that's the case, I know who's making the meatballs at our house hereafter!”
― Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

“Instead, I ask you with all my heart, come back to Matt's fort with us now! It's not because I like you - don't think that, whatever you do! But, my daughter does - I know that now - and perhaps I can learn too.”
― Astrid Lindgren, Ronia, the Robber's Daughter

“- Пустяки, дело житейское, - успокоил Малыша Карлсон. - Если человеку мешает жить только ореховая скорлупа, попавшая в ботинок, он может считать себя счастливым.”
― Lindgren Astrid