Roald Dahl's greatest philosophical quotes ever

Not only did legendary writer Roald Dahl create unforgettable characters, he also put words of wisdom into their mouths! Discover our favourites here and tell us your favourites on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks or by email childrens.books@theguardian.com

Dominic Hamlin

Fri 27 Nov 2015 03.30 EST

Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 06.20 EDT

Everything we ever needed to know about how to live our lives is most likely to be found in a Roald Dahl book. Not only did Dahl create some of children’s literature’s most unforgettable characters in tales that transcend the generations, what is perhaps most captivating about his work is that, beneath the wonderfully eccentric stories, there always lies a warm sentiment in his words to inspire both young and old. Here are some of the greatest philosophical quotes from one of our favourite authors of all time.

Well, maybe it started that way. As a dream, but doesn’t everything. Those buildings. These lights. This whole city. Somebody had to dream about it first. And maybe that is what I did. I dreamed about coming here, but then I did it.”
James and the Giant Peach

No book ever ends
When it’s full of your friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me.”
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.”
The Witches

Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! 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.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I understand what you’re saying, and your comments are valuable, but I’m gonna ignore your advice.”
Fantastic Mr Fox

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 it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
The Twits

So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”
Matilda

A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

I is not understanding human beans at all,’ the BFG said. ‘You is a human bean and you is saying it is grizzling and horrigust for giants to be eating human beans. Right or left?’ ‘Right,’ Sophie said. ‘But human beans is squishing each other all the time,’ the BFG said. ‘They is shootling guns and going up in aerioplanes to drop their bombs on each other’s heads every week. Human beans is always killing other human beans.’ He was right. Of course he was right and Sophie knew it. She was beginning to wonder whether humans were actually any better than giants.”

The BFG

You can fake a mouth-smile any time you want, simply by moving your lips. I’ve also learned that a real mouth-smile always has an eye-smile to go with it. So watch out, I say, when someone smiles at you but his eyes stay the same. It’s sure to be a phony.”
Danny the Champion of the World

We want to add your favourite Roald Dahl quotes to this blog. You can either email them to childrens.books@theguardian.com or share on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks!

Your favourites:

'those who don't believe in magic, will never find it' @GdnChildrensBks

— Victoria Burke (@slate_seven) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks I understand what you’re saying, and your comments are valuable, but I’m gonna ignore your advice. Fantastic Mr Fox :)

— flygirl (@ThorntonRigg1) November 27, 2015

@GuardianBooks @GdnChildrensBks It's what people do that's important, not what they say.

— Ruby Speechley (@rubyspeechley) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks 'Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog' Matilda

— Louise Prinjha (@LouisePrinjha) November 27, 2015

I love this. 'It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.' The Witches https://t.co/e9s8yrvw68

— Jane Haryott (@janeharyott) November 27, 2015

@GuardianBooks @GdnChildrensBks You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of #DahlQuotes #CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory

— Golden Hare Books (@GoldenHare1) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks "A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men" Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

— Liz McGrath (@Liz__McGrath) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks "A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” #roalddhal

— HayleyStatter (@HayleyStatter) November 27, 2015

What a lot of hairy-faced men there are around nowadays. The Twits @GdnChildrensBks

— Katie Lovell (@katie_lovell27) November 27, 2015

'If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely' The Twits https://t.co/oSVGbCSs7D

— Wendy Storer (@WendyStorer) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks 'A person who has good thoughts can never be ugly' https://t.co/3hYvL3m02s pic.twitter.com/ugmgcyVdOh

— Marie Naffah (@MarieNaffah) November 27, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks This was read out at our Daughter's funeral in February. It describes Eve beautifully. #RIPEve 👼 pic.twitter.com/3C1APJVl9b

— Eve Shepherd*EvesMum (@Mjeshep) November 27, 2015

By email

Francis: “Thank goodness we don’t meet many people like her in this world, although they do exist and all of us are likely to come across at least one of them in a lifetime. If you ever do, you should behave as you would if you met an enraged rhinoceros out in the bush — climb up the nearest tree and stay there until it has gone away”

Thomas: “Daddy I want another pony” (Veruca Salt)