The Phantom Tollbooth Quotes
@phantomtollbot.bsky.social
Words and numbers are of equal value, for, in the cloak of knowledge, one is warp and the other woof. It is no more important to count the sands than it is to name the stars.
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To read all its wit and wisdom, get a copy from a local bookstore or library.
—
To read all its wit and wisdom, get a copy from a local bookstore or library.
"Nothing can possibly go wrong now," cried the Humbug happily and as soon as he'd said it he leaped from the car, as if stuck by a pin, and sailed all the way to the little island.
November 29, 2025 at 11:00 PM
"Nothing can possibly go wrong now," cried the Humbug happily and as soon as he'd said it he leaped from the car, as if stuck by a pin, and sailed all the way to the little island.
“Here are street noises at night, train whistles a long way off, dry leaves burning, busy department stores, crunching toast, creaking bedsprings, and, of course, all kinds of laughter. There's a little of each, and in far-off lonely places I think you'll be glad to have them."
November 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“Here are street noises at night, train whistles a long way off, dry leaves burning, busy department stores, crunching toast, creaking bedsprings, and, of course, all kinds of laughter. There's a little of each, and in far-off lonely places I think you'll be glad to have them."
Milo stood on tiptoe, leaned over into the cannon's mouth, and parted his lips. The small sound dropped silently to the bottom and everything was ready. In another moment the fuse was lit and sputtering.
November 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Milo stood on tiptoe, leaned over into the cannon's mouth, and parted his lips. The small sound dropped silently to the bottom and everything was ready. In another moment the fuse was lit and sputtering.
"Right over here-we weave it on our looms. Symphonies are the large beautiful carpets with all the rhythms and melodies woven in. Concertos are these tapestries, and all the other bolts of cloth are serenades, waltzes, overtures, and rhapsodies."
November 29, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"Right over here-we weave it on our looms. Symphonies are the large beautiful carpets with all the rhythms and melodies woven in. Concertos are these tapestries, and all the other bolts of cloth are serenades, waltzes, overtures, and rhapsodies."
"Do you know what a handclap looks like?"
Milo shook his head.
"Try it," she commanded.
He clapped his hands once and a single sheet of clean white paper fluttered to the floor. He tried it three more times and three more sheets of paper did the very same thing.
Milo shook his head.
"Try it," she commanded.
He clapped his hands once and a single sheet of clean white paper fluttered to the floor. He tried it three more times and three more sheets of paper did the very same thing.
November 28, 2025 at 11:01 PM
"Do you know what a handclap looks like?"
Milo shook his head.
"Try it," she commanded.
He clapped his hands once and a single sheet of clean white paper fluttered to the floor. He tried it three more times and three more sheets of paper did the very same thing.
Milo shook his head.
"Try it," she commanded.
He clapped his hands once and a single sheet of clean white paper fluttered to the floor. He tried it three more times and three more sheets of paper did the very same thing.
or the expectant pause in a roomful of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're all alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful, if you listen carefully."
November 28, 2025 at 8:01 PM
or the expectant pause in a roomful of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're all alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful, if you listen carefully."
"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?" she inquired. "Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night,
November 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?" she inquired. "Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night,
"Isn't that lovely? It's my favorite program-fifteen minutes of silence-and after that there's a half hour of quiet and then an interlude of lull. Why, did you know that there are almost as many kinds of stillness as there are sounds? But, sadly enough, no one pays any attention to them these days.”
November 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"Isn't that lovely? It's my favorite program-fifteen minutes of silence-and after that there's a half hour of quiet and then an interlude of lull. Why, did you know that there are almost as many kinds of stillness as there are sounds? But, sadly enough, no one pays any attention to them these days.”
Within a few minutes he stood bravely at the fortress door. "Knock, knock," he wrote neatly on a piece of paper, which he pushed under the crack. In a moment the great portal swung open
November 27, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Within a few minutes he stood bravely at the fortress door. "Knock, knock," he wrote neatly on a piece of paper, which he pushed under the crack. In a moment the great portal swung open
"People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and shouted more, and the sounds they made grew louder and uglier. It became difficult to hear even the birds or the breeze, and soon everyone stopped listening for them."
November 27, 2025 at 8:01 PM
"People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and shouted more, and the sounds they made grew louder and uglier. It became difficult to hear even the birds or the breeze, and soon everyone stopped listening for them."
He paused again as a tear of longing rolled from cheek to lip with the sweet-salty taste of an old memory.
November 27, 2025 at 5:05 PM
He paused again as a tear of longing rolled from cheek to lip with the sweet-salty taste of an old memory.
"She provided us with all the sound we could possibly use: for singing as we worked, for bubbling pots of stew, for the chop of an ax and the crash of a tree, for the creak of a hinge and the hoot of an owl, for the squish of a shoe in the mud and the friendly tapping of rain on the roof”
November 27, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"She provided us with all the sound we could possibly use: for singing as we worked, for bubbling pots of stew, for the chop of an ax and the crash of a tree, for the creak of a hinge and the hoot of an owl, for the squish of a shoe in the mud and the friendly tapping of rain on the roof”
When the car had stopped, one of them held up a placard which said: "WELCOME TO THE VALLEY OF SOUND." And the others cheered as loudly as possible, which was not very loud at all.
November 26, 2025 at 11:01 PM
When the car had stopped, one of them held up a placard which said: "WELCOME TO THE VALLEY OF SOUND." And the others cheered as loudly as possible, which was not very loud at all.
At first it was difficult to tell just what had changed—it all looked the same and it all smelled the same—but, for some reason, nothing sounded the same.
"I wonder what's happened?" said Milo. At least that's what he tried to say, for, although his lips moved, not a sound came from his mouth.
"I wonder what's happened?" said Milo. At least that's what he tried to say, for, although his lips moved, not a sound came from his mouth.
November 26, 2025 at 8:04 PM
At first it was difficult to tell just what had changed—it all looked the same and it all smelled the same—but, for some reason, nothing sounded the same.
"I wonder what's happened?" said Milo. At least that's what he tried to say, for, although his lips moved, not a sound came from his mouth.
"I wonder what's happened?" said Milo. At least that's what he tried to say, for, although his lips moved, not a sound came from his mouth.
"You mean you've never met the awful DYNNE before?" said Dr. Dischord in a surprised tone.
"Why, I thought everyone had. When you're playing in your room and making a great amount of noise, what do they tell you to stop?"
"That awful din," admitted Milo.
"Why, I thought everyone had. When you're playing in your room and making a great amount of noise, what do they tell you to stop?"
"That awful din," admitted Milo.
November 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
"You mean you've never met the awful DYNNE before?" said Dr. Dischord in a surprised tone.
"Why, I thought everyone had. When you're playing in your room and making a great amount of noise, what do they tell you to stop?"
"That awful din," admitted Milo.
"Why, I thought everyone had. When you're playing in your room and making a great amount of noise, what do they tell you to stop?"
"That awful din," admitted Milo.
"Of course not," replied the doctor, pouring himself a small glass of the liquid; "that's what makes it so difficult to cure. I only treat illnesses that don't exist: that way, if I can't cure them, there's no harm done-just one of the precautions of the trade."
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 PM
"Of course not," replied the doctor, pouring himself a small glass of the liquid; "that's what makes it so difficult to cure. I only treat illnesses that don't exist: that way, if I can't cure them, there's no harm done-just one of the precautions of the trade."
"But who would want all those terrible noises?" asked Milo, holding his ears.
"Everybody does," said the surprised doctor; "they're very popular today. Why, I'm kept so busy I can hardly fill the orders for noise pills, racket lotion, clamor salve, and hubbub tonic. That's all people seem to want."
"Everybody does," said the surprised doctor; "they're very popular today. Why, I'm kept so busy I can hardly fill the orders for noise pills, racket lotion, clamor salve, and hubbub tonic. That's all people seem to want."
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
"But who would want all those terrible noises?" asked Milo, holding his ears.
"Everybody does," said the surprised doctor; "they're very popular today. Why, I'm kept so busy I can hardly fill the orders for noise pills, racket lotion, clamor salve, and hubbub tonic. That's all people seem to want."
"Everybody does," said the surprised doctor; "they're very popular today. Why, I'm kept so busy I can hardly fill the orders for noise pills, racket lotion, clamor salve, and hubbub tonic. That's all people seem to want."
"Carry this with you, for there is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye. Through it you can see everything from the tender moss in a sidewalk crack to the glow of the farthest star-and, most important of all, you can see things as they really are, not just as they seem to be.”
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 PM
"Carry this with you, for there is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye. Through it you can see everything from the tender moss in a sidewalk crack to the glow of the farthest star-and, most important of all, you can see things as they really are, not just as they seem to be.”
Seven times the sun rose and almost as quickly disappeared as the colors kept changing. In just a few minutes a whole week had gone by.
November 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Seven times the sun rose and almost as quickly disappeared as the colors kept changing. In just a few minutes a whole week had gone by.
The cellos made the hills glow red, and the leaves and grass were tipped with a soft pale green as the violins began their song. Only the bass fiddles rested as the entire orchestra washed the forest in color.
Milo was overjoyed because they were all playing for him, and just the way they should.
Milo was overjoyed because they were all playing for him, and just the way they should.
November 25, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The cellos made the hills glow red, and the leaves and grass were tipped with a soft pale green as the violins began their song. Only the bass fiddles rested as the entire orchestra washed the forest in color.
Milo was overjoyed because they were all playing for him, and just the way they should.
Milo was overjoyed because they were all playing for him, and just the way they should.
And Milo, full of thoughts and questions, curled up on the pages of tomorrow's music and eagerly awaited the dawn.
November 24, 2025 at 11:01 PM
And Milo, full of thoughts and questions, curled up on the pages of tomorrow's music and eagerly awaited the dawn.
"What are they playing?" asked Tock
"The sunset, of course. They play it every evening, about this time. And they also play morning, noon, and night, when, of course, it's morning, noon, or night. Why, there wouldn't be any color in the world unless they played it.”
"The sunset, of course. They play it every evening, about this time. And they also play morning, noon, and night, when, of course, it's morning, noon, or night. Why, there wouldn't be any color in the world unless they played it.”
November 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
"What are they playing?" asked Tock
"The sunset, of course. They play it every evening, about this time. And they also play morning, noon, and night, when, of course, it's morning, noon, or night. Why, there wouldn't be any color in the world unless they played it.”
"The sunset, of course. They play it every evening, about this time. And they also play morning, noon, and night, when, of course, it's morning, noon, or night. Why, there wouldn't be any color in the world unless they played it.”
The sun was dropping slowly from sight, and stripes of purple and orange and crimson and gold piled themselves on top of the distant hills. The last shafts of light waited patiently for a flight of wrens to find their way home, and a group of anxious stars had already taken their places.
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The sun was dropping slowly from sight, and stripes of purple and orange and crimson and gold piled themselves on top of the distant hills. The last shafts of light waited patiently for a flight of wrens to find their way home, and a group of anxious stars had already taken their places.
"Perhaps someday you can have one city as easy to see as Illusions and as hard to forget as Reality," Milo remarked.
"That will happen only when you bring back Rhyme and Reason," said Alec, smiling, for he had seen right through Milo's plans.
"That will happen only when you bring back Rhyme and Reason," said Alec, smiling, for he had seen right through Milo's plans.
November 24, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"Perhaps someday you can have one city as easy to see as Illusions and as hard to forget as Reality," Milo remarked.
"That will happen only when you bring back Rhyme and Reason," said Alec, smiling, for he had seen right through Milo's plans.
"That will happen only when you bring back Rhyme and Reason," said Alec, smiling, for he had seen right through Milo's plans.
The story of what happened to the city of Reason is too long to fit in a single post, but too good not to post. Feels like an apt metaphor.
Please read:
Please read:
November 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
The story of what happened to the city of Reason is too long to fit in a single post, but too good not to post. Feels like an apt metaphor.
Please read:
Please read: