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Roald Dahl

31 quotes

“Must Israel, like Germany, be brought to her knees before she learns how to behave in this world?”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched rapidly from being much pitied victims to barbarous murderers. Never before has a race of people generated so much sympathy around the world and then, in the space of a lifetime, succeeded in turning that sympathy into hatred and revulsion.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Closing comments] Now is the time for the Jews of the world to follow the example of the Germans and become anti-Israeli. But do they have the conscience? And do they, I wonder, have the guts?”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Not a chivalrous affair" Literary Review (August 1983), as cited in Michael Coren "From the NS archive: Tale of the unexpected" New Statesman (26 August 1983, republished 8 October 2021)
“[M]akes one wonder in the end what sort of people these Israelis are. It is like the good old Hitler and Himmler times all over again.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From the Literary Review article of August 1983, as cited by Anna Steinman in "Roald Dahl: Proudly antisemitic" The Jewish Chronicle (15 September 2011)
“[Responding to criticism as to how he ended his Literary Review article] Perhaps I shouldn't have said that, but it came from my wartime experience [in the RAF], we saw almost none of them in the armed forces then. I mean if you and I were in a line moving towards what we knew were gas chambers I’d rather have a go at taking one of the guards with me; but they were always submissive.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This I did not dare to say, but there is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it's a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. I mean Hitler, I mean there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason...”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From an interview by Michael Coren "From the NS archive: Tale of the unexpected" New Statesman (26 August 1983, republished 8 October 2021)
“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul and that, I am sure, is why he does it.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Goodbye school" in Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984)
“It was all this, I think, that made me begin to have doubts about religion and even about God. If this person, I kept telling myself, was one of God’s chosen salesmen on earth, then there must be something very wrong about the whole business.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Headmaster" in Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984)
“I find that the only way to make my characters really interesting is to exaggerate all their good or bad qualities and so if a person is nasty or bad or cruel, you make them very nasty and very bad and very cruel. And if they're ugly, you make them extremely ugly. That I think is fun and makes an impact.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From Todd McCormack The Author's Eye (1988 documentary on Dahl) cited in Donald Sturrock Storyteller: The Authorised Biography of Roald Dahl New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010, p. 512
“You know, I'm not frightened. It's just that I will miss you all so much.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There's enough chocolate in there to fill every bathtub in the entire country! And all the swimming pools as well!”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must hurry!” said Mr. Wonka. “We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it!”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is very difficult to phone people in China, Mr. President," said the Postmaster General. "The country is so full of Wings and Wongs, every time you wing you get the wong number.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hooray!” said the Chief of the Army. “Let's blow everyone up! Bang-bang! Bang-bang!”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m afraid the camera got smashed against the side of the Space Hotel, Mr. President,” Shuckworth replied. The President said a very rude word into the microphone and ten million children across the nation began repeating it gleefully and got smacked by their parents.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Grown-ups are quirky creatures, full of quirks and secrets.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A Message to Children Who Have Read This Book - When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important: a stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good, either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The matter with human beans," the BFG went on, "is that they is absolutely refusing to believe in anything unless they is actually seeing it right in front of their own schnozzles.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is the repulsant snozzcumber! I squoggle it! I mispise it! I dispunge it! But if I is refusing to guzzle up human beans like the other giants, I must spend my life guzzling up icky-poo snozzcumbers instead. Or else I will be nothing but skin and groans".”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dreams is very mystical things," the BFG said. "Human beans is not understanding them at all. Not even their brainiest professors is understanding them.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ah, but they is not killing their own kind," the BFG said. "Human beans is the only animals that is killing their own kind.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One right is not making two lefts.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Little Billy’s mother was always telling him exactly what he was allowed to do and what he was not allowed to do. All the things he was allowed to do were boring. All the things he was not allowed to do were exciting. One of the things he NEVER NEVER was allowed to do, the most exciting of them all, was to go out through the garden gate all by himself and explore the world beyond.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For her, this was always a blissful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she, on her side, was content to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that warm male glow that came out of him to her when they were alone together. She loved him for the way he sat loosely in a chair, for the way he came in a door, or moved slowly across the room with long strides. She loved the intent, far look in his eyes when they rested in her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1953 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lamb to the Slaughter" (1953)
“It began in 1982 when the Israelis invaded Lebanon. They killed 22,000 civilians when they bombed Beirut. It was very much hushed up in the newspapers because they are primarily Jewish-owned. I’m certainly anti-Israeli and I’ve become anti-Semitic in as much as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism. I think they should see both sides. It’s the same old thing: we all know about Jews and the rest of it. There aren’t any non-Jewish publishers anywhere, they control the media – jolly clever thing to do – that’s why the president of the United States has to sell all this stuff to Israel ...”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1990 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Bryan Appleyard in "Roald and the promiscuous girl" The Independent (21 March 1990), p. 15. Quoted in The Guardian (6 November 2018).
“It soon began to dawn on me He wasn’t very bright, Because when he was twenty-three He couldn’t read or write. ‘What shall we do?’ his parents sob. ‘The boy has got the vapors! He couldn’t even get a job Delivering the papers!’ ‘Ah-ha,’ I said, ‘this little clot Could be a politician.’ ‘Nanny,’ he cried, ‘Oh Nanny, what A super proposition!’ ‘Okay,’ I said, ‘let’s learn and note The art of politics. Let’s teach you how to miss the boat And how to drop some bricks, And how to win the people’s vote And lots of other tricks. Let’s learn to make a speech a day Upon the T.V. screen, In which you never never say Exactly what you mean. And most important, by the way, Is not to let your teeth decay, And keep your fingers clean.’ And now that I am eighty-nine, It’s too late to repent. The fault was mine the little swine Became the President.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Words,” he said, “is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So you must simply try to be patient and stop squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know exactly what words I is wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around.” “That happens to everyone,” Sophie said. “Not like it happens to me,” the B.F.G. said. “I is speaking the most terrible wigglish.” “I think you speak beautifully,” Sophie said. “You do?” cried the B.F.G., suddenly brightening. “You really do?” “Simply beautifully,” Sophie repeated. “Well that is the nicest present anyone is ever giving me in my whole life!” cried the B.F.G. “Are you sure you is not twiddling my leg?” “Of course not,” Sophie said. “I just love the way you talk". “How wondercrump!” cried the B.F.G., still beaming. “How whoopsy-splunkers! How absolutely squiffling! I is all of a stutter.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source