The Phantom Tollbooth

For week 5/08
**Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How does it make you pause and think?
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When I was younger, I read this book and loved it. This year, I've decided to read it again and sort of revisit the reasons of why I liked it so much. I remember liking it because the story was interesting and the characters were peculiar and funny. Everything about the book was interesting and I just fell in love with it. Also, I really liked how the narrator narrated the story. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it wasn't just plain old narration. There we go. I guess it was like the narrator even had a bit of life to him. Anyway, since I had read the book when I was younger, I didn't really catch any of the messages that I've caught now that I'm older and more understanding (I think is the word for it). There were quite a few quotes that caught my eye, so I couldn't pick just one.

The first quote is, "'You see,' cautioned the count, "you must pick your words very carefully and be sure  to say just what you intend to say."  I liked this quote because it actually had truthful meaning. This was said in the book because the character was acting out the phrase he had used, which was "easier than tripping over a log,". Because he had gotten hurt, another character had said this quote to him. I took this message in the way that meant you should carefully choose your words because you may say something you don't actually mean; you may be misinterpreted if you don't choose your words carefully. You could really hurt someone. I thought it was interesting because the character who had said this didn't mean it in this way, as he was just focused on the fact that someone had gotten hurt because they didn't choose they words carefully.

The next quote I liked is, "Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens."  I liked this quote because it's very wise and very true. I thought about it and if you do take the time to think of all outcomes, nothing can be unexpected. I thought it was interesting because never once had I thought of outcomes like this.

"'Well now, well now, well now,' he began again, 'I don't know of any wrong road to Dictionopolis, so if this road goes to Dictionopolis at all it must be the right road, and if it doesn't it must  be the right road to somewhere else, because there are no wrong roads to anywhere.'"  This is my next quote. I interpreted this quote as saying that no matter what road you take in life, it will be a good road to somewhere. Even if you think you've taken the wrong road to where you want to go, that road is also the right road to somewhere else. I think that sometimes people think that once they've made one mistake in life, their goal or life is ruined. This quote tells you that that mistake or choice you've made just puts you on the right road to somewhere else and suddenly, things don't seem that bad anymore if you think of it like that.

Other quotes I liked were:
"'I never knew words could be so confusing,' Milo said to Tock as he bent down to scratch the dog's ear. 'Only when you use a lot to say a little,'"

"Whether or not you find your own way, you're bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it's quite rusty."

"Why not? That's a good reason for almost anything - a bit used perhaps, but still quite serviceable."

"When he was in school, he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he'd bothered." 

"The only thing that is easy to do is to be wrong and it's hardly worth the effort."