Lyman Frank Baum (15th May 1856 – May 6th 1919) was better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum, which he wrote the Oz series of books under. He’s best known for the children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the thirteen novel sequels that followed, but he also wrote another nine fantasy novels, and a host of other works.
When you think of Baum, you automatically think of Oz, made famous by the popular movie, but Baum wrote 55 novels in all, including four lost works, 83 short stories, 200 poems and a unknown number of scripts. A prolific and insightful author his books anticipated the arrival of television, augmented reality, laptop computers, wireless telephones, and many other things before they were commonplace.
Today in celebration of the author and his works, we’re featuring our favourite quotes from L. Frank Baum from the Oz series and from other works and essays.
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others”
“It is a callous age; we have seen so many marvels that we are ashamed to marvel more; the seven wonders of the world have become seven thousand wonders.”
“I believe that dreams — day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing — are likely to lead to the betterment of the world.”
“I think the world is like a great mirror, and reflects our lives just as we ourselves look upon it.”
“To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad, therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition. Variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one another’s society; so let us be content.”
“There is no place like home.”
No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t you think?
Never give up. No one knows what’s going to happen next.
If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.
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