Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens. Norton Juster More Quotes by Norton Juster More Quotes From Norton Juster I received a grant from The Ford Foundation to write a book for kids about urban perception, or how people experience cities, but I kept putting off writing it. Instead I started to write what became The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster writing kids book And some looked even more like each other than they did like themselves. Norton Juster That's the way most everyone gets here. It's really quite simple: every time you decide something without having a good reason, you jump to Conclusions whether you like it or not. It's such an easy trip to make that I've been here hundreds of times. Norton Juster phantom-tollbooth simple way One of the problems you have when you read with kids is that once they like something they want you to read it a hundred times. Norton Juster problem want kids There are good books and there are bad books, period, that's the distinction. Norton Juster good-book periods book You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work in people's bonnets. Then one day I realized that I'd never amount to anything without an education and, being naturally adept at spelling, I decided that— Norton Juster flower people years When you're very young and you learn something - a fact, a piece of information, whatever - it doesn't connect to anything. Norton Juster information pieces facts And when I'm writing, I write a lot anyway. I might write pages and pages of conversation between characters that don't necessarily end up in the book, or in the story I'm working on, because they're simply my way of getting to know the characters Norton Juster writing character book People always ask about my influences, and they cite a bunch of people I've never heard of Norton Juster citing influence people Just as I thought: boys are the cause of everything. Norton Juster causes boys I think really good books can be read by anybody. Norton Juster good-book book thinking There is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye. Norton Juster phantom-tollbooth noticing eye You see, it's really quite simple. A simile is just a mode of comparison employing 'as' and 'like' to reveal the hidden character or essence of whatever we want to describe, and through the use of fancy, association, contrast, extension, or imagination, to enlarge our understanding or perception of human experience and observation. Norton Juster essence simple character Would it be possible for me to see something from up there?" asked Milo politely. "You could," said Alec, "but only if you try very hard to look at things as an adult does." Milo tried as hard as he could, and, as he did, his feet floated slowly off the ground until he was standing in the air next to Alex Bings. He looked around very quickly and, an instant later, crashed back down to the earth again. "Interesting, wasn't it?" asked Alex. "Yes, it was," agreed Milo, rubbing his head and dusting himself off, "but I think I'll continue to see things as a child. It's not so far to fall. Norton Juster children fall thinking How can you see something that isn't there?" yawned the Humbug, who wasn't fully awake yet. "Sometimes, it's much simpler than seeing things that are,"he said. "For instance, if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn't there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That's why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones." "Then where is Reality?" barked Tock. "Right here,"cried Alec, waving his arms. Norton Juster arms eye real You see, to tall men I'm a midget, and to short men I'm a giant; to the skinny ones I'm a fat man, and to the fat ones I'm a thin man. Norton Juster skinny giants men Does everyone grow the way you do?" puffed Milo when he had caught up. "Almost everyone," replied Alec, and then he stopped a moment and thought. "Now and then, though, someone does begin to grow differently. Instead of down, his feet grow up towards the sky. But we do our best to discourage awkward things like that." "What happens to them?" insisted Milo. "Oddly enough, they often grow ten times the size of everyone else," said Alec thoughtfully, "and I've heard that they walk among the stars." And with that he skipped off once again toward the waiting woods. Norton Juster growing-up stars sky You can't improve sound by having only silence. The problem is to use each at the proper time. Norton Juster silence use sound We never choose which words to use, for as long as they mean what they mean to mean, we don’t care if they make sense or nonsense. Norton Juster use long mean Just because you have a choice, it doesn't mean that any of them 'has' to be right. Norton Juster choices mean
