15 Life Lessons from Dr. Seuss

Flowerhorn fish I saw at a local aquarium."Hey there, gorgeous!"

I'm a Dr. Seuss fan and have been since, well... before I could read. Among the first Seuss books I remember being exposed to are Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat.

I don't know that I fully grasped the life lessons he was sharing in his books, but they were so much to fun listen to, and eventually read, when I was a child. "I do not like green eggs and ham! I do not like them, Sam-I-am."

Now, whenever I have the chance to share Dr. Seuss' books with the little ones in my life, I do. And I feel as much joy now reading them to children as I did hearing them as a child with the added advantage of being able to appreciate the life lessons they contain.

For a bit of fun and encouragement, here are 15 more of my favorite sayings from the master of storytelling and poetic meter.

My 15 Favorite Seuss-isms

1. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. (From "Oh, the Places You'll Go")


2. You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may!! (From "Green Eggs and Ham")


3. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It is not. And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed! (From "The Lorax")  


4. You're off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way. (From "Oh, the Places You'll Go!")


5. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent. (From "Horton Hatches the Egg")


6. Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere. (From "One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish")


7. If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good! (From "One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish")


8. Why fit in when you were born to stand out?


9. It's not about what it is. It's about what it can become. (From "The Lorax")


10. I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me! (From "I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew")


11. He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe, Christmas, he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. (From "How the Grinch Stole Christmas")


12. In the places I go there are things that I see That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends. My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends! (From "On Beyond Zebra!")


13. You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  


14. Think and wonder. Wonder and think.


15. You find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax. All you need is a book. (From "The Cat in the Hat") 

For added fun, maybe I'll have some green eggs and ham for breakfast tomorrow. (Such is the magic you can make with food coloring!)

Thank you, Dr. Seuss.