I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
—Louisa May Alcott Little Women
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
—JRR Tolkien The Hobbit
Sometimes I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
—Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland
Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
—Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The moment where you doubt you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it.
—JM Barrie Peter Pan
Sometimes, said Pooh, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.
—AA Milne Winnie-the-Pooh
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince
You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.
—EB White Charlotte’s Web
If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew. Just go right along, and you’ll start happening too.
—Dr Seuss Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
My father got the dog drunk on cherry brandy at the party last night. If the RSPCA hear about it, he could get done.
—Sue Townsend The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾
Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.
—JK Rowling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
There’s no place like home.
—L Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Images: Baum: Apic / Getty Images; Alcott: Bettmann / Getty Images; Seuss, Antoine, Lewis, Barrie: Getty Images; Rowling: Carlo Allegri / Reuters
(This story appears in the 28 October, 2016 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)