James M. Barrie
Our life is a book to which we add daily, until suddenly we are finished, and then the manuscript is burned.Collection: Book
You need not be sorry for her. She was one of the kind that likes to grow up. In the end she grew up of her own free will a day quicker than the other girls.Collection: Girl
May God blast anyone who writes a biography of me.Collection: Writing
Tink was not all bad: or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time. They are, however, allowed to change, only it must be a complete change.Collection: Hands
The best of our fiction is by novelists who allow that it is as good as they can give, and the worst by novelists who maintain that they could do much better if only the public would let them.Collection: Giving
Times have changed since a certain author was executed for murdering his publisher. They say that when the author was on the scaffold he said good-bye to the minister and to the reporters, and then he saw some publishers sitting in the front row below, and to them he did not say good-bye. He said instead, "I'll see you again."Collection: Times Have Changed
Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily. "I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.Collection: Art
Wendy: Sir, you are both ungallant and deficient! Peter: How am I deficient? Wendy: You're just a boy.Collection: Boys
Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night.Collection: Halloween
If I were younger, I'd know more.Collection: Wisdom
Girls are much too clever to fall out of their pramsCollection: Girl
Oh, the cleverness of me!Collection: Cleverness
Off we skip like the most heartless things in the world, which is what children are, but so attractive; and we have an entirely selfish time, and then when we have need of special attention we nobly return for it, confident that we shall be rewarded instead of smacked.Collection: Children
Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.Collection: Mother
Every time you say you don't believe in fairies, a fairy dies.Collection: Believe
There is a saying in the Neverland that,every time you breathe, a grown-up dies.Collection: Breathe
I should like to say that I left off smoking because I considered it a mean form of slavery, to be condemned for moral as well as physical reasons; but though I see the folly of smoking clearly now, I was blind to it for some months after I had smoked my last pipe. I gave up my most delightful solace, as I regarded it, for no other reason than that the lady who was willing to fling herself away on me said that I must choose between it and her.Collection: Mean
After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter.Collection: Love You
He who distributes the milk of human kindness cannot help but spill a little on himself.Collection: Kindness
The praise that comes of love does not make us vain, but humble rather. Knowing what we are, the pride that shines in our mother's eyes as she looks at us is about the most pathetic thing a man has to face, but he would be a devil altogether if it did not burn some of the sin out of him.Collection: Mother
Have you noticed that many jewels make women either incredibly fat or incredibly thin?Collection: Sex
David tells me that fairies never say 'We feel happy': what they say is, 'We feel dancey'.Collection: Fairy
How shall we ever know if it's morning if there's no servant to pull up the blinds?Collection: Morning
You see, dear, it is not true that woman was made from man's rib; she was made from his funny bone.Collection: Funny
Peter invented, with Wendy's help, a new game that fascinated him enormously, until he suddenly had no more interest in it, which, as you have been told, was what always happened with his games. It consisted in pretending not to have adventures.Collection: Adventure
Some of my plays peter out and some pan out.Collection: Play
He was never more sinister than when he was most polite.Collection: Sinister
She's awfully fond of Wendy,' he said to himself. He was angry with her now for not seeing why she could not have Wendy. The reason was so simple: 'I'm fond of her too. We can't both have her, lady.Collection: Simple
This meal happened to be a make-believe tea, and they sat round the board guzzling in their greed; and really, what with their chatter and recriminations, the noise, as Wendy said, was positively deafening.Collection: Believe
All are keeping a sharp look-out in front, but none suspects that the danger may be creeping up from behind.Collection: Looks
Boy, why are you crying?Collection: Boys
Heaven for climate, Hell for company.Collection: God
Facts were never pleasing to him. He acquired them with reluctance and got rid of them with relief. He was never on terms with them until he had stood them on their heads.Collection: Science
...it was like an examination paper that asks grammar, when what you want to be asked is Kings of England.Collection: Kings
Build a house?" exclaimed John. "For the Wendy," said Curly. "For Wendy?" John said, aghast. "Why, she is only a girl!" "That," explained Curly, "is why we are her servants.Collection: Girl
Your heart is as fresh as your face; and that is well. The useless men are those who never change with the years. Many views that I held to in my youth and long afterwards are a pain to me now, and I am carrying away from Thrums memories of errors into which I fell at every stage of my ministry. When you are older you will know that life is a long lesson in humility.Collection: Pain
They were going round and round the island, but they did not meet because all were going at the same rate.Collection: Islands
When she expressed a doubtful hope that Tinker Bell would be glad to see her, he said, ‘Who is Tinker Bell?’ ‘O Peter,’ she said, shocked; but even when she explained he could not remember. ‘There are such a lot of them,’ he said. ‘I expect she is no more.’ I expect he was right, for fairies don’t live long, but they are so little that a short time seems a good while to them.Collection: Long
Will they reach the nursery in time? If so, how delightful for them, and we shall all breathe a sigh of relief, but there will be no story. On the other hand, if they are not in time, I solemnly promise that it will all come right in the end.Collection: Hands
Every living thing was shunning him. Poor little Peter Pan, he sat down and cried, and even then he did not know that, for a bird, he was sitting on his wrong part. It is a blessing that he did not know, for otherwise he would have lost faith in his power to fly, and the moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it. The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.Collection: Blessing
...and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.Collection: Children
Them that has china plates themsel's is the maist careful not to break the china plates of othersCollection: Caring
You [Scots] come of a race of men the very wind of whose name has swept to the ultimate seas.Collection: Men
I am the best there ever was!Collection: Neverland
You canna expect to be baith grand and comfortable.Collection: Fame
Second to the right, and straight on till morning.' That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Neverland; but even birds, carrying maps and consulting them at windy corners, could not have sighted it with these instructions. Peter, you see, just said anything that came into his head.Collection: Morning
Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older.Collection: Boys
Oh, you mysterious girls, when you are fifty-two we shall find you out; you must come into the open then. If the mouth has fallen sourly yours the blame: all the meanness your youth concealed have been gathering in your face. But the pretty thoughts and sweet ways and dear, forgotten kindnesses linger there also, to bloom in your twilight like evening primroses.Collection: Girl
Forever is a very long time PeterCollection: Long