World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day, or International Day of the Book, is marked annually on April 23. This year however, it takes place at a time when the world news reads like a science fiction novel.
Samantha Choles, spokesperson for the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), says, “There is something we love more than paper, and that’s the stuff made from it. Like books.”
With South Africa’s lockdown extended for a further two weeks, it’s good time to unplug from the information overload, and open a book. “To inspire you, we have collated a treasury of quotes and quips from some of the world’s best-loved authors, both classic and contemporary, and their titles,” she says. “It will also be a good opportunity to see how many of these books you have read and which to add to your list.”
Classic quotes
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein
“Seaward ho! Hang the treasure! It’s the glory of the sea that has turned my head.” Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
“I gave my whole heart up, for him to hold.” Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
“That is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Be different and be damned!” Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion.” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
“And so, with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“Ask no questions and you’ll be told no lies.” Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank
“They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.” William Golding, Lord of the Flies
Contemporary quotes
“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” Nelson Mandela, The Long Walk to Freedom
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.” John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” Stephen King, Different Seasons
“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Classic quotes: children
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
“The Mole was a good listener, and Toad, with no one to check his statements or to criticize in an unfriendly spirit, rather let himself go. Indeed, much that he related belonged more properly to the category of whatmighthavehappenedhadIonlythoughtofitintimeinsteadoftenminutesafterwards.” Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
“‘Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
“There’s no place like home.” L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz
“I shall find out thousands and thousands of things!” Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
“Let the wild rumpus start!” Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
“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.” Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach
Contemporary quotes: children’s books
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter
“What a lot of hairy-faced men there are around nowadays. When a man grows hair all over his face it is impossible to tell what he really looks like. Perhaps that’s why he does it. He’d rather you didn’t know.” Roald Dahl, The Twits
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
“Well Gruffalo”, said the mouse. “You see? Everyone is afraid of me! But now my tummy’s beginning to rumble. My favourite food is – Gruffalo crumble!”
“Gruffalo crumble!” the Gruffalo said, and quick as the wind he turned and fled. – Julia Donaldson, The Gruffalo
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
“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…” Dr Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Piglet: “How do you spell love?”
Pooh: “You don’t spell it, you feel it.” A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
“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. Then fill the shelves with lots of books.” Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
“The best way to treat obstacles is to use them as stepping-stones. Laugh at them, tread on them, and let them lead you to something better.” Enid Blyton, Mr Galliano’s Circus
