Famous Roald Dahl Quotes, Sourced to the Book (and the Ones From the Films)

Famous Roald Dahl quotes come from his children’s books, his two memoirs and, often by mistake, the films made from them. A widely shared one is from The Twits (1980): “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.”

Each quote below names the book it comes from and who says it. A separate section covers lines that are credited to Dahl but were written for the films.

Roald Dahl quotes about kindness and being yourself

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.” The passage ends: “if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” — The Twits, 1980. The narrator is explaining how Mrs. Twit’s ugly thoughts made her face ugly over the years.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.” — The Witches, 1983. The boy says it to his grandmother near the end, after he has been turned into a mouse and she worries that he minds.

Roald Dahl quotes about magic and wonder

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — the last line of The Minpins (1991), now published as Billy and the Minpins. The sentence before it begins, “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you.” It was the last children’s book Dahl wrote, and it came out the year after he died.

“‘We is in Dream Country,’ the BFG said. ‘This is where all dreams is beginning.'” — The BFG, 1982.

“‘Meanings is not important,’ said the BFG. ‘I cannot be right all the time. Quite often I is left instead of right.'” — The BFG. The giant’s grammar is deliberate, so copy it exactly as printed.

“Don’t gobblefunk around with words.” — the BFG to Sophie. To gobblefunk is to mess about with words, and Dahl made up many words like it, including snozzcumber and whizzpopper.

Roald Dahl quotes about reading

“She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” — Matilda, 1988, Chapter 1. Just before this, the narrator lists where Matilda’s library books took her: on sailing ships with Joseph Conrad, to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling.

“It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.” — the opening lines of Matilda. Matilda’s own parents turn out to be the exception.

Roald Dahl quotes about grown-ups and growing up

“Grown-ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets.” — Danny the Champion of the World, 1975. Nine-year-old Danny, who narrates the book, has just found out that his father secretly goes poaching pheasants at night.

“Most of the really exciting things we do in our lives scare us to death. They wouldn’t be exciting if they didn’t.” — Danny again, on the night he drives the little Baby Austin out of his father’s workshop to go looking for him.

“But we have to grow, Grandma. If we didn’t grow, we’d never be grown-ups.” — George to his grandmother in George’s Marvellous Medicine, 1981.

“You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.” — Mr. Wonka in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, 1972, when Charlie’s family keeps asking what could go wrong. He follows it by asking whether Columbus would have discovered America if he had worried about sinking on the way over.

“Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog.” — Matilda to her friend Lavender in Matilda, Chapter 11. In context, she is explaining how the Trunchbull gets away with her punishments: they are so extreme that no parent would believe a child who reported them.

Quotes from Dahl’s memoirs

“We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.” — Boy, 1984, about the Great Mouse Plot. When he was eight, Dahl dropped a dead mouse into a jar of gobstoppers at the village sweet shop, and he and his friends were caned for it.

“A life is made up of a great number of small incidents and a small number of great ones.” — Going Solo, 1986, the second memoir, which covers his years working in Africa and flying for the Royal Air Force in World War II.

“Roald Dahl quotes” that come from the films

These are real lines, but credit the film, not Dahl.

“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” This was a tagline for the 1996 film of Matilda, directed by Danny DeVito. We could not find it in the novel, though it is often printed with Dahl’s name.

“Having power isn’t nearly as important as what you choose to do with it.” This is spoken by the narrator of the same 1996 film.

“I understand what you’re saying, and your comments are valuable, but I’m gonna ignore your advice.” This is Mr. Fox in Wes Anderson’s 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox. It is not in Dahl’s 1970 book.

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” Gene Wilder’s Wonka says it in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He is quoting the opening of “Ode,” an 1873 poem by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.

“The suspense is terrible. I hope it’ll last.” Also Wilder’s Wonka in 1971, while Augustus Gloop is stuck in the chocolate pipe. The joke is borrowed from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), where Gwendolen says, “This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.”

A note on editions

Puffin has revised wording in some printings of Dahl’s books since 2022. Penguin also keeps the original text in print as the Roald Dahl Classic Collection. If a quote doesn’t match your copy word for word, check which edition you have.

Using Dahl quotes in class or in an essay

For a reading corner or a bookmark, the Matilda travel line and the Minpins line are short enough to print. Our reading quotes for kids and Dr. Seuss quotes for school are sourced the same way.

In an essay, give the book and the speaker, and keep the BFG’s grammar exactly as printed. See how to quote a book in an essay for the format.

FAQ

What is Roald Dahl’s most famous quote?

There is no single answer. The good-thoughts passage from The Twits and the last line of The Minpins, “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it,” are both widely quoted.

Did Roald Dahl say “Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world”?

It was a tagline for the 1996 Matilda film. We could not find it in the novel.

Which Roald Dahl book says “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it”?

The Minpins (1991), now titled Billy and the Minpins. It is the book’s last line.

Who says “Never do anything by halves” in Matilda?

Matilda, in Chapter 11, describing how the Trunchbull avoids getting caught.

When is Roald Dahl Day?

September 13, his birthday. Dahl was born in 1916 in Llandaff, Wales, and died in 1990.