Quote

Lie on the bridge and watch the water flowing past. Or run, or wade through the swamp in your red boots. Or roll yourself up and listen to the rain falling on the roof. It's very easy to enjoy yourself.

Tove Jansson

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Tove Jansson
Age: 86 †
Born: 1914
Born: August 9
Died: 2001
Died: June 27
Cartoonist
Illustrator
Novelist
Painter
Writer
Helsingfors
Tove Marika Jansson
Tove M. Jansson
Past
Watch
Roof
Listen
Boots
Lying
Bridges
Water
Roll
Swamp
Enjoy
Falling
Swamps
Fall
Red
Wade
Easy
Rain
Flowing
Running
Watches
Bridge

More quotes by Tove Jansson

Image
She started thinking about all the euphemisms for death, all the anxious taboos that had always fascinated her. It was too bad you could never have an intelligent discussion on the subject. People were either too young or too old, or else they didn't have time.
Tove Jansson
Image
Quite, quite,' she thought with a little sigh. 'It's always like this in their adventures. To save and be saved. I wish somebody would write a story sometime about the people who warm up the heroes afterward.
Tove Jansson
Image
Christmas always rustled. It rustled every time, mysteriously, with silver and gold paper, tissue paper and a rich abundance of shiny paper, decorating and hiding everything and giving a feeling of reckless extravagance.
Tove Jansson
Image
All men have parties and are pals who never let each other down. A pal can say terrible things which are forgotten the next day. A pal never forgives, he just forgets, and a woman forgives but never forgets. That's how it is. That's why women aren't allowed to have parties. Being forgiven is very unpleasant.
Tove Jansson
Image
One summer morning at sunrise a long time ago I met a little girl with a book under her arm. I asked her why she was out so early and she answered that there were too many books and far too little time. And there she was absolutely right.
Tove Jansson
Image
Everyone must imagine his own snakes because no one else's snakes can ever be as awful.
Tove Jansson
Image
There's no need to imagine that you're a wondrous beauty, because that's what you are.
Tove Jansson
Image
I want your first trip to be with me. I want to show you cities and landscapes and teach you how to look at things in new ways and how to get along in places you don't already know inside out. I want to put some life in you.
Tove Jansson
Image
I don't want to hear about them any more. I could vomit on the Moomintrolls.
Tove Jansson
Image
I need to write down my observations. Even the tiniest ones they're the most important.
Tove Jansson
Image
It's risky to talk about one's most secret dreams a bit too early.
Tove Jansson
Image
And all you can do is just read, she said. She raised her voice an screamed, You just read and read and read! Then she threw herself down on the table and wept.
Tove Jansson
Image
I mean, anyone can let Danger out but the really clever thing is finding somewhere for it to go afterwards.
Tove Jansson
Image
It was a particularly good evening to begin a book.
Tove Jansson
Image
Someone who eats pancakes and jam can't be so awfully dangerous. You can talk to him.
Tove Jansson
Image
But he thought all the strange words were beautiful, and he had never had a book of his own before.
Tove Jansson
Image
The lamp sizzled as it burned. It made everything seem close and safe, a little family circle they all knew and trusted. Outside this circle lay everything that was strange and frightening, and the darkness seemed to reach higher and higher and further and further away, right to the end of the world.
Tove Jansson
Image
Gathering is peculiar, because you see nothing but what you're looking for. If you're picking raspberries, you see only what's red, and if you're looking for bones you see only the white. No matter where you go, the only thing you see is bones.
Tove Jansson
Image
...now and then a giggling trail of mermaids appeared in our wake. We fed them oatmeal.
Tove Jansson
Image
Everything's much too big here,' thought Moominmamma. 'Or perhaps I'm too small.
Tove Jansson