Quotes from Tove Jansson

Mari hörte nicht so genau zu, ein abenteuerlicher Gedanke begann Form anzunehmen: die Möglichkeit eines ganz eigenen Alleinseins in Frieden und Erwartung, fast eine Art Jux, den man sich erlauben kann, wenn man mit Liebe gesegnet ist.

Jeg vil have Mappe tilbage! råbte Sophia. Men du ved jo, hvordan det bliver, sagde farmoren. Det bliver rædsomt, sagde Sophia alvorligt. Men det er Mappe, jeg elsker. Og så byttede de kat igen.

Hon tvättade varje fönster och ordnade bokhyllan, inte efter författare denhär gången utan alfabetiskt. När det var färdigt kom hon att tänka på ett bättre och personligare system och började ordna böckerna efter sig själv, de hon tyckte mest om på översta hyllan och de värsta längst ner. Hon upptäckte förvånad att det inte fanns en enda hon tyckte om.

Allra mest tyckte jag om att få var svinaktig med Hitler og Stalin.

Listen," said the Hemulen. "I was born bald on top and really I get along very well.

To wash and iron and paint over and to feel sorry about all the irreparable things, and to know that there would still be cracks everywhere, and that all the things had been in much better shape before... No, no! And to put them all back into place in the dark and black rooms and try to find them cosy once more...

Kocham granice. Sierpie? jest granic? mi?dzy latem a jesieni?; to najpi?kniejszy miesi?c, jaki znam. Zmierzch jest granic? mi?dzy dniem i noc?, a brzeg jest granic? pomi?dzy morzem a l?dem. Granica jest t?sknot?: kiedy oboje s? zakochani, ale wci?? nie wypowiedzieli ani s?owa. Granic? jest bycie w drodze.

Det är underligt med vägar och floder, funderade Sniff, man ser dem gå förbi och får en hemsk lust att vara nån annanstans. Att följa med och se var de slutar ...

Somewhere on the other side of it all is Snufkin,' Moomintroll said to himself. 'He's sitting somewhere in the sun, peeling an orange. If I only knew that he knew that I'm climbing these mountains for his sake, then I could do it. But all alone I'll never manage it.

This is a matter of feeling,' said Misabel. 'And such things can never be explained.

Life is very charming, I must say.

His thoughts glided along like the boat, without memories or dreams, they were like grey wandering waves that didn't even want to reach the horizon." (p.160)

But most of all I'm talking about myself and my fears, even if I know that's not done. I know that everything will turn out badly. I think about that all the time. Even while I'm washing my carpet. Do you understand that? Do you feel the same way?" (p.61)

He said, "It was burning a hole in my pocket. I had to get rid of it, as quickly as possible. I had to buy the most important think I could think of." And he went out and bought a dreadfully tiny bottle of attar of roses. I think he did exactly the right thing. Some people say Uncle Einar is a snob, and I sincerely hope I can develop along the same lines.

You can close your mind to things if something is important enough. It works very well. You make yourself very small, shut your eyes tight and say a big word over and over again until you're save.

Tarzan hungry, dijo el Mumintroll trepando una liana. Tarzan eat now! ¿Qué dice?, preguntó Snif Dice que ahora va a comer, dijo la señorita Snork. Verás, es lo único que sabe hacer. Habla en inglés como todos los que viven en la selva.

Dlaczego nie pozwolÄ… mi nigdy zachowa? moich wspomnieÅ" o wÄ™drówkach tylko dla siebie? Czy nie mogÄ… zrozumie?, ?e gadaniem niszczÄ… wszystko? JeÅ›li im opowiadam, to potem nic nie zostaje. PamiÄ™tam tylko swoje wÅ'asne opowiadanie, kiedy staram siÄ™ przypomnie? sobie, jak byÅ'o.

the Hemulen said. 'He's helping me in the garden. Fillyjonk and Mymble ought to keep house for us all, the womenfolk should do these things

Walking had been easy, because his knapsack was nearly empty and he had no worries on his mind. He felt happy about the wood and the weather and himself. Tomorrow and yesterday were both at a distance, and just at present the sun was shining brightly red between the birches, and the air was cool and soft.

I'm nothing but air and wind. I'm part of the blizzard.

You'll never have a face of your own until you've learned to fight. (Little My to Ninny the Invisible Child)

Gathering is peculiar, because you see nothing but what you're looking for.

Berenice's drawing was good. It had been done in a kind of painstaking fury, and depicted a creature with a black hole for a face. This creature was moving forward with its shoulders hunched. Its arms were long scalloped wings, like those on a bat. They began near its neck and dragged on the ground on either side, a prop or perhaps a hindrance for the vague, boneless body.

The garnets would have gone in the rucksack," said Sniff miserably. "You don't need hands for that. It's not the same thing at all just looking at them. I want to touch them and know they're mine.