Theodor Geisel offered incredible brilliance and insight to the world through his works, using the pen name Seuss a name he adopted in college so that he could continue to write for the Dartmouth newspaper after being kicked off the staff at Dartmouth for partying with bootleg liquor.

Though marketed and written for children, his books contain wisdom for readers of all ages. Whether it be the message of environmentalism offered in The Lorax, or the ode to society’s most vulnerable populations in Horton Hears A Who, many quotes from Dr. Seuss’s books offer universal lessons in positive thinking.

Here are 10 of those quotes to help get the day started:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go…”

~ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

 

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”

~ I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

 

“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

 

“If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”

~ One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

 

“Look at me! Look at me! Look at me Now! It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.”

~ The Cat in the Hat

 

“Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

~ Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

 

“You oughta be thankful a whole heaping lot for the people and places you’re lucky you’re not.”

~ Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are

 

”Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

~ Happy Birthday to You!

 

“Today is good. Today is fun. Tomorrow is Another One.”

~ One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

 

“Oh, the things you can find if you don’t stay behind!”

~ On Beyond Zebra

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Editorial Assistant: Tifany Lee/Editor: Bryonie Wise

Photo: Flickr Commons