March 2nd, 2016, marked the 112th birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel, the man whom we lovingly refer to as Dr. Seuss. This man filled our childhood with such exuberant stories that we did not even realize the wisdom laced into his colorful words. Once we begin treading our path at a university, that funny cat in the hat is replaced with exams, internships, and social schedules. What if we took a trip down memory lane, though? We like to believe that we are way too mature for children’s books, but those are the stories that set the foundation for our character. As I read Dr. Seuss at 20 years old, I realized that his lessons are even more relevant today than when I first read them. So let’s travel back to Whoville with Cindy, check on the Truffula trees with the Lorax, and maybe even find a bit of inspiration from Horton the Elephant.
1. “A person’s a person no matter how small.”– "Horton Hears a Who!"
2. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You are on your way, and you know what you know. You are the one who’ll decide where to go.” –"Oh, The Places You’ll Go!"
3. “When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad, you should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky! Some people are much more… oh, ever so much more… oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!” –"Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?"
4. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”–"The Lorax"
5. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”- "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
6. “Today You are You, that is truer than true, there is no one alive who is Youer than You.” –"Happy Birthday to You!"
7. “I’ve heard there are troubles of more than one king; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I’ve brought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have trouble with me!” –"I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew"
8. “I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.” –"Yertle the Turtle and Gertrude McFuzz"
9. “If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.” –"Oh! The Places You’ll Go!"
10. “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
11. “All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot.” –"The Lorax"
12. “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child.”
13. “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”
14. “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting… so get on your way!”–"Oh! The Places You’ll Go!"
15. “I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.”
16. “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!”–"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"
17. “They say I’m old-fashioned and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!”–"The Lorax"
18. “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” –"I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
19. “Step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” –"Oh! The Places You’ll Go!"
20. “Everything stinks ‘till it’s finished.”
