Dr. Suess is easily one of the most well-known and beloved children's book authors of all time, and for a good reason. His books are full of off-the-wall stories and fun rhymes that keep kids interested and entertained, some of which I'm sure we're all familiar with. But they aren't just meaningless jumbles of words that sound alike; all of those fun verses are packed full of important life lessons and little reminders that we could all stand to hear, no matter how old we get. So, let's just take a moment, and listen.
1. "Oh the things you can find, if you don't stay behind!"
2. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
3. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
4. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
5. “If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good."
6. “You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?”
7. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
8. “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”
9. “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
10. “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”
11. “If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”
12. “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!”
13. “With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.”
14. “You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
15. “It is better to know how to learn than to know.”
16. “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”
17. “So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!”
18. “Think and wonder, wonder and think.”
19. “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
20. “Don't give up. I believe in you all. A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
21. “So be sure when you step, 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.”
22. “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
23. “You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may!”
24. “When he worked, he really worked. But when he played, he really PLAYED."
25. “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”
26. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
27. “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
28. "I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights."
29. "It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become."
30. "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
Even though Dr. Suess is not around anymore, his books are still read every day. And I think we can all agree that he deserves some recognition and thanks for being such a big part of our childhoods, and sharing these words of wisdom that are relevant at any age. So even if you missed it this year, next year let's all celebrate his birthday, March 2nd, with Read Across America Day.
And before you go, I leave you with one last Suess quote, not from one of his books, but from the man himself:
“Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.” -Dr. Seuss
