305 Quotes by Tove Jansson

"One by one, the snowflakes floated down on to his warm snout, and melted. He reached out to grab them so he could admire them for a fleeting moment. He looked towards the sky and watched them drift down towards him, more and more, soft and light as a feather. ‘So that’s how it works,’ thought Moomintroll. ‘And I thought somehow that the snow grew from the ground up!"

"Nothing can be as peaceful and endless as a long winter darkness, going on and on, like living in a tunnel where the dark sometimes deepens into night and sometimes eases to twilight, you're screened from everything, protected, even more alone than usual."

"När Fredrikson avlöste mig vid rodret i gryningen nämnde jag i förbigående Joxarens förvånande och fullkomliga brist på intresse för omgivningen. Hm, sade Fredrikson. Kanske han tvärtom bryr sig om allting? Lite lugnt och lagom. Vi bryr oss om en enda sak. Du vill bli. Jag vill göra. Mitt brorsbarn vill ha. Men Joxaren bara lever."

"For a while she considered being ill, but she changed her mind..."

"Moominpappa was busy on the verandah, making punch in a barrel. He put in almonds and raisins, lotus juice, ginger, sugar and nutmeg flowers, one or two lemons, and a couple of pints of strawberry liqueur to make it specially good."

"...now and then a giggling trail of mermaids appeared in our wake. We fed them oatmeal."

"It’s only the sea,’ said Moomintroll. ‘Every wave that dies on the beach sings a little song to a shell. But you mustn’t go inside because it’s a labyrinth and you may never come out again."

"There are empty spaces that must be respected – those often long periods when a person can’t see the pictures or find the words and needs to be left alone."

"I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream!"

"This has completely disturbed my peace," he complained. "A philosopher should be protected against the rude happenings of everyday life.""Never mind," said Moominmamma, consolingly. "You'll soon feel better.""But I do mind," said the Muskrat peevishly. "Never any peace ... " And he mumbled on."