The Wonderful Wizard of Oz quotes, explained for kids
Many of the most famous Oz lines people know come from the 1939 film, but L. Frank Baum’s book has its own wonderful words, and some of them, like “There is no place like home,” are where the movie lines began. Read these aloud and see if your child can guess which friend said each one. They are a lovely way to talk about brains, hearts, courage and home, and about the good things we already have inside us.
Every line is quoted word for word from the original 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum.
Quote 1: “she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side.”
Narrator, at the very start of the story, Dorothy stands in the doorway of her little Kansas house What it means: Everything around Dorothy’s home is flat and gray. There are no trees and no other houses, just dry land as far as she can see.
Ask your child: What can you see when you stand in your own front door?
Quote 2: “The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,”
The Witch of the North, after Dorothy’s house lands in the Land of the Munchkins, the good Witch of the North tells her how to find the Wizard What it means: The good witch tells Dorothy to follow the road made of yellow bricks, and it will lead her to the Emerald City where the Wizard lives.
Ask your child: If you could make a road out of anything, what would yours be made of?
Quote 3: “There is no place like home.”
Dorothy, walking along the yellow brick road, the Scarecrow asks Dorothy why she wants to go back to gray Kansas What it means: Dorothy means that even if a place is dull and gray, home is where the people we love are, and that makes it the best place of all.
Ask your child: What is your favorite thing about home?
Quote 4: “Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.”
Scarecrow, the Scarecrow tells Dorothy what an old crow once said to him in the cornfield What it means: The crow told the Scarecrow that being able to think is the most important thing of all. That is why the Scarecrow wants brains so badly.
Ask your child: Do you agree with the crow? What else might be worth having?
Quote 5: “for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”
Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman argue about whether brains or a heart is better What it means: The Tin Woodman thinks a heart, which lets you love and feel, is more important than brains, because it makes you happy.
Ask your child: Would you rather have brains or a heart? Why?
Quote 6: “I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?”
The Wizard of Oz, dorothy finally meets the Wizard in his throne room, where he appears as a huge head What it means: The Wizard is trying to sound scary and powerful. “Seek” means “look for,” so he is asking Dorothy who she is and why she came.
Ask your child: How would you answer the Wizard if you were Dorothy?
Quote 7: “I’m really a very good man, but I’m a very bad Wizard, I must admit.”
The Wizard of Oz, the friends discover a surprising secret about the Wizard What it means: The Wizard admits he cannot really do magic, but he is not a bad person. He is just an ordinary man who has been pretending.
Ask your child: Can someone be a good person even if they are not good at something?
Quote 8: “True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”
The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion asks the Wizard for courage What it means: Being brave does not mean you are never scared. It means you do the right thing even when you are scared, and the Lion has done that again and again.
Ask your child: When have you been brave even though you felt afraid?
Quote 9: “All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go.”
Glinda, near the end of the journey, the Good Witch Glinda tells Dorothy a secret about her Silver Shoes What it means: Dorothy’s magic shoes could take her anywhere in just three steps, if she knocks her heels together three times and says where she wants to go.
Ask your child: If you had shoes like Dorothy’s, where would you ask them to take you?
Quote 10: “Aunt Em! I’m so glad to be at home again!”
Dorothy, these are among the very last words of the book What it means: Dorothy is happy to be back with the people she loves. After all her adventures, home feels wonderful.
Ask your child: What is the first thing you like to do when you get home after a trip?
Questions about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz quotes
- What is the most famous quote from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
- In the book, the most famous line is Dorothy’s “There is no place like home.” The 1939 film turned it into “There’s no place like home,” which Dorothy repeats as she clicks her heels.
- Does Dorothy say “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” in the book?
- No. That line, and “Follow the yellow brick road,” come from the 1939 film. In the book, the Witch of the North tells Dorothy the road to the Emerald City “is paved with yellow brick.”
- What color are Dorothy’s shoes in the book?
- In the book, Dorothy’s magic shoes are silver. The 1939 film made them ruby red to show off its new color photography.
- Who said “True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid”?
- The Wizard of Oz says it to the Cowardly Lion. He tells the Lion that he already has plenty of that kind of courage.