Alan Alexander Milne, an English author who lived from 18 January 1882 to 31 January 1956, is best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and his children’s poetry.
Prior to Winnie-the-Pooh’s enormous success overshadowing all of his earlier work, Milne was primarily a playwright. Milne participated in both World Wars, serving as a captain in the Home Guard during the Second World War and as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the First World War.
58 A.A. Milne Quotes
- “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
2. “I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”
3. “I used to believe in forever, but forever’s too good to be true”
4. “When you do the things that you can do, you will find a way.”
5. “You are braver then you believe, stronger then you seem, and smarter then you think.”
6. “One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”
7. “Pay attention to where you are going because without meaning you might get nowhere.”
8. “Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”
9. “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing everyday.”
10. “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?”
Famous A. A. Milne Quotes
11. “Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.”
12. “Organization is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
13. “He thought how sad it was to be an Animal who had never had a bunch of violets picked for him.”
14. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
15. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
16. “One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”
17. “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
18. “Something feels funny. I must be thinking too hard.”
19. “His dress told her nothing, but his face told her things which she was glad to know.”
20. “The things that make me different are the things that make me.”
Thought-Provoking A. A. Milne Quotes
21. “it wasn’t much good having anything exciting like floods, if you couldn’t share them with somebody.”
22. “One advantage of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries”
23. “Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”
24. “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience – well, that comes from poor judgment.”
25. “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
26. “I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.”
27. “What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
28. “A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business.”
29. “Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.”
30. “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”
31. “There must be somebody there, because somebody must have said “Nobody.”
32. “One of the advantages of being disorganized is the joy of discovery.”
33. “Whatever his weight in pounds and ounces, he always seems bigger because of his bounces.”
34. “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts.”
35. “I’m not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”
36. “You know, when once you’ve discovered a secret yourself, it always seems as if it must be so obvious to everybody else.”
37. “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
38. “As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.”
39. “Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”
40. “Well, you can’t know it without something having been sneezed.”
41. “You’re braver than you believe and stronger and smarter than you think.”
42. “You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for the others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
43. “Always wear a smile, because your smile is a reason for many others to smile!”
44. “Promise you won’t forget me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.”
45. “The nicest thing about the rain is that it always stops. Eventually.”
46. “What day is it?” It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
47. “I do remember, and then when I try to remember, I forget.”
48. “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
49. “If a statement is untrue, it is not the more respectable because it has been said in Latin.”
50. “No one can tell me, Nobody knows, Where the wind comes from, Where the wind goes.”
51. “We didn’t know we were making memories, we were just having fun”
52. “Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart”
53. “If there ever comes a day where we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.”
54. “No doubt Jack the Ripper excused himself on the grounds that it was human nature.”
55. “Don’t worry about me. Go and enjoy yourself. I’ll stay here and be miserable.”
56. “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”
57. “Tell the innocent visitor from another world that two people were killed at Serajevo, and that the best that Europe could do about it was to kill eleven million more.”
58. “They have no imagination. A tail is just a tail to them, just a little something extra in the back.”
A Must Read: Winnie-The-Pooh: Classic Gift Edition by A A Milne
These tales are told from a different era and viewpoint. Characters do indeed serve as examples of depression and other personality flaws. While reading the stories to your children, use those as discussion starters to help them learn that not everything is as idyllic and perfect as Daniel Tiger portrays it to be. Continue on to discuss Milne’s children’s poor relationship with their father and the lessons we can draw from it. They still have good writing and are still good stories.
A Little More About A.A. Milne
The two Pooh books that Milne wrote about a young boy named Christopher Robin—named after his son, Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996)—and other characters—including Winnie-the-Pooh the bear—have made him famous.
Originally known as Edward, Christopher Robin Milne’s stuffed bear was given the new name Winnie in honor of a black bear used as a military mascot in World War I and given to the London Zoo during the conflict. The name “Pooh” was given to a swan by young Milne. E. H. Shepard used his own son’s teddy, Growler (“a magnificent bear”), to model the original Pooh books.
A. A. Milne’s stories included the other Christopher Robin Milne toys, including Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger, in addition to two other characters he invented, Rabbit and Owl. The toys that Christopher Robin Milne himself created are now on display in New York, where 750,000 people go to see them annually.
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