Although Roald Dahl is known for writing books for children, a lot of what he writes about can be used as advice for all people!
1. “There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven’t started wondering about yet.”
The quote from James and the Giant Peach lets us know that we still have a lot to discover about the world and most of us haven’t even started thinking about these discoveries yet. Dahl is urging us to think more deeply about our world and to get up off the couch to discover it.
2. “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it.”
This one from Matilda reminds us that cutting corners may not produce the result that we want. To do something completely and to do it well, we must give it 100 percent and fully dedicate ourselves to the task at hand.
3. “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”
This quote from the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells us that the even the smartest people must enjoy a little bit of fun in their lives.
4. “If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
This quote from The Twits is a great reminder that it pays off to think positively. Dahl says that our good thoughts will shine through and people will certainly know that.
5. “Most of the really exciting things we do in our lives scare us to death.”
This one from Danny, The Champion of the World tells us that the things we do in our lives are not exciting unless they scare us. There must be an element of fear or some adrenaline, at least, to make these things exhilarating.
6. “Having power is not nearly as important as what you choose to do with it.”
The quote from Dahl himself implies that using power in the correct manner is more meaningful than having that power. There is a huge difference between exhibiting leadership qualities and abusing the power that you have.
7. “The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”
The quote from The Minpins reminds us that to find out the best-kept secrets, we can’t search at the surface level. We have to dig deeper to uncover these secrets and although that holds true for the physical sense as well, Dahl could also be referencing a more metaphoric kind of "digging deep."
8. “It’s impossible to make your eyes twinkle if you aren’t feeling twinky yourself.”
The quote from Danny, The Champion of the World warns us of fakeness. Dahl tells us that you can’t do something without believing in it. In that same regard, you can’t convince someone of something if you don’t feel it yourself.
9. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.”
According to The Witches, we should not be consumed in our actions or appearance if we have people that love us. If we have these kinds of people in our lives, we don’t need to pretend to be people that we aren’t because these people who love us do so for a reason. We don’t need to change to be loved.
10. “If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead ... become passionate about it.”
The quote from My Uncle Oswald brings us back to the idea that we should do the things that we love. If we find something that we like, such as a certain school subject, a major or a hobby, we should continue to do it and become passionate about it. That can also relate back to the expression: Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
11. “Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.”
The quote from Matilda, though a cliché, is important for us all to believe. If we believe that we can change the world, we will absolutely do great things. Dahl tells us that we all have the potential, intelligence and drive to accomplish it.
