The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (aka The Wizard of Oz) is a children’s novel that was written by an American author, Lyman Frank Baum, and was illustrated by American illustrator and caricaturist, William Wallace Denslow. In this article, we share with you the most memorable and beloved Wizard of Oz quotes.
The novel was first published in May 1900 in the United States, and it tells the story of Dorothy, a young farm girl from Kansas who is swept away with her dog, Toto, from home and into the magical land of Oz. However, it seems that she cannot return home until she destroys the Wicked Witch of the West, and so the novel follows her adventures in that magical land.
In January 1901, the first edition of the novel was printed, which included 10,000 copies. They were quickly sold out. By 1956 when it entered the public domain, the book had sold 3 million copies. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is considered a classic and one of the most famous and best known books in American literature. The Library of Congress even declared this novel to be “America’s greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale.”
In 1939, the novel was adapted into a musical fantasy film by Victor Fleming, starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Frank Morgan, Bert Lahr, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke, and others. The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and eventually won in 2 categories: Best Original Song for “Over the Rainbow” and Best Original Score by Stothart.
The movie is considered as one of the best films ever made, and it is even more popular and successful than the novel itself. To this day, lines and phrases from The Wizard of Oz are being quoted and cited in popular culture.
Here is a sneak peek at the quotes in this article:
Table of Contents
- The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale Quotes
- The Wizard of Oz Wizard Quotes
- The Wizard of Oz The Scarecrow Quotes
- The Wizard of Oz The Cowardly Lion Quotes
- The Wizard of Oz The Tin Man Quotes
- The Wizard of Oz The Wicked Witch of the West Quotes
- Interesting Facts about The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale Quotes
Dorothy Gale: Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!
Dorothy Gale: My! People come and go so quickly here!
Dorothy Gale: Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.
Dorothy Gale: You billowing bale of bovine fodder!
Dorothy Gale: There’s no place like home.
Dorothy Gale: Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can’t I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can’t I?
Dorothy Gale: What would you do with a brain if you had one?
Dorothy Gale: You billowing bale of bovine fodder!
Dorothy Gale: Someplace where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be.
Dorothy Gale: Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk.
Dorothy Gale: My goodness, what a fuss you’re making! Well naturally, when you go around picking on things weaker than you are. Why, you’re nothing but a great big coward.
Dorothy Gale: No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.
Dorothy Gale: We must be over the rainbow!
Dorothy Gale: Oh, but anyway, Toto, we’re home. Home! And this is my room, and you’re all here. And I’m not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and – oh, Auntie Em – there’s no place like home!
Dorothy Gale: Someplace where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It’s far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain…
Dorothy Gale: Well, I – I think that it – it wasn’t enough to just want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em – and it’s that – if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?
Dorothy Gale: It really was no miracle. What happened was just this: the wind began to switch, the house, to pitch! And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch. Just then, the Witch, to satisfy an itch, went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch!
Dorothy Gale: Goodbye, Tin Man. Oh, don’t cry! You’ll rust so dreadfully. Here. Here’s your oil can. Goodbye, Lion. You know, I know it isn’t right, but I’m going to miss the way you used to holler for help before you found your courage.
Dorothy Gale: The broom! May we have it?
Captain of the Winkie Guard: Please. And take it with you.
Dorothy Gale: Oh, thank you so much! Now we can go back to the Wizard, and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!
Dorothy Gale: Run, Toto, run! Run Toto, run! He got away! He got away!
Dorothy Gale: Oh, dear! I keep forgetting I’m not in Kansas!
Dorothy Gale: But, I’ve already told you, I’m not a witch at all! Witches are old, and ugly!
Dorothy Gale: Oh, I beg your pardon! But, I’ve never heard of a beautiful witch before.
Dorothy Gale: Oh please, Professor, why can’t we go with you and see all the Crowned Heads of Europe?
Dorothy Gale: Oh, Thank you so much! We’ve been gone such a long time and we feel so messy…
Dorothy Gale: I’ve got a witch mad at me and you might get into trouble!
Dorothy Gale: I’m here in Oz, Auntie Em! I’m locked in the witch’s castle, and I’m trying to get home to you, Auntie Em!
Dorothy Gale: Tomorrow? Oh, but I want to go home now!
Dorothy Gale: If you were really great and powerful, you’d keep your promises!
Dorothy Gale: Where do you want to be oiled first?
Dorothy Gale: Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?
Manicurist in Emerald City: Uh-huh.
Dorothy Gale: Jolly old town!
Dorothy Gale: Oh, Well, it’s all right now. The Wizard will fix everything.
Dorothy Gale: Goodness! How did you ever get like this?
The Tin Man: Well, about a year ago, I was chopping that tree, when suddenly it began to rain. And right in the middle of the chop, I rusted solid. And I’ve been that way ever since.
Dorothy Gale: Well, you’re perfect now.
The Wizard of Oz Wizard Quotes
The Wizard of Oz: There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.
The Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
The Wizard of Oz: A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.
The Wizard of Oz: And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.
The Wizard of Oz: Back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phila… er, phila… er, yes, er, Good Deed Doers.
The Wizard of Oz: As for you, my fine friend, you’re a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger, you have no courage. You’re confusing courage with wisdom.
The Wizard of Oz: As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don’t know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.
The Wizard of Oz: Why, anybody can have a brain. That’s a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven’t got: a diploma.
The Wizard of Oz: Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitartus Committiartum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of ThD.
The Scarecrow: ThD?
The Wizard of Oz: That’s… Doctor of Thinkology.
The Wizard of Oz: I am the great and powerful… Wizard of Oz.
The Wizard of Oz: You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!
Dorothy Gale: Weren’t you frightened?
The Wizard of Oz: Frightened? Child, you’re talking to a man who’s laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe… I was petrified.
The Wizard of Oz: Oh, you liquidated her, eh? Very resourceful!
The Wizard of Oz: Do not arouse the wrath of the Great and Powerful Oz! I said, come back tomorrow!
The Wizard of Oz: Do you presume to criticize the Great Oz? You ungrateful creatures! Think yourselves lucky that I’m giving you audience tomorrow instead of twenty years from now.
Dorothy Gale: Oh… You’re a very bad man!
The Wizard of Oz: Oh, no, my dear! I, I’m a very good man! I’m… just a very bad wizard.
The Scarecrow: How can I ever thank you enough?
The Wizard of Oz: Well, you can’t!
The Wizard of Oz: And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain, you billowing bale of bovine fodder!
The Wizard of Oz: Silence, whippersnapper! The beneficent Oz has every intention of granting your requests!
The Wizard of Oz The Scarecrow Quotes
Dorothy Gale: How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?
The Scarecrow: I don’t know! But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?
Dorothy Gale: Now which way do we go?
The Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way.
The Scarecrow: I haven’t got a brain… only straw.
The Scarecrow: If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn’t matter, for I can’t feel it. But I do not want people to call me a fool…
The Tin Man: Well, what happened to you?
The Scarecrow: First they tore my legs off and they threw them over there! Then they took my chest out and they threw it over there…!
The Scarecrow: Don’t stand there talking! Put me together! We’ve got to find Dorothy
The Scarecrow: Come along, Dorothy. You don’t want any of those apples! Hmph!
The Scarecrow: Help, I’m burning, I’m burning!
The Scarecrow: A witch? I’m not afraid of a witch! I’m not afraid of anything!… Oh, ehm… Except a lighted match.
The Scarecrow: But I’d face a whole box full of ’em for the chance of getting some brains! Look, I won’t be any trouble, because I don’t need to think. And I won’t try to manage things, because I can’t think! Won’t you take me with you?
Dorothy Gale: Why, of course I will!
The Scarecrow: Y-Yes… Yes, Your Honor… I mean, Your Excellency… I-I mean, Your Wizardry.
The Wizard of Oz The Cowardly Lion Quotes
The Cowardly Lion: All right. I’ll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I’ll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I’m going in there. There’s only one thing I want you fellas to do.
The Scarecrow, The Tin Man: What’s that?
The Cowardly Lion: Talk me out of it.
The Cowardly Lion: I have always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such small things as flowers came near to killing me, and such small animals as mice have saved my life. How strange it all is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT12WuZb_DU&ab_channel=ShaunO%27Hagan
Dorothy Gale: Your Majesty, if you were king, you wouldn’t be afraid of anything?
The Cowardly Lion: Not nobody! Not nohow!
The Tin Man: Not even a rhinoceros?
The Cowardly Lion: Imposerous!
Dorothy Gale: How about a hippopotamus?
The Cowardly Lion: Why, I’d thrash him from top to bottomus!
Dorothy Gale: Supposing you met an elephant?
The Cowardly Lion: I’d wrap him up in cellophant!
The Scarecrow: What if it were a brontosaurus?
The Cowardly Lion: I’d show him who was king of the forest!
The Cowardly Lion: Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?
Dorothy Gale, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man: Courage!
The Cowardly Lion: You can say that again!… Huh?
The Cowardly Lion: You’re right, I am a coward! I haven’t any courage at all. I even scare myself.
The Cowardly Lion: Look at the circles under my eyes, I haven’t slept in weeks!
The Tin Man: Why don’t you try counting sheep?
The Cowardly Lion: That doesn’t do any good, I’m afraid of them!
The Scarecrow: Aw, that’s too bad.
The Cowardly Lion: If I were king of the fore-e-e-est / Not queen, not duke, not prince / My regal robes of the fore-e-e-est / Would be satin, not cotton, not chintz / I’d command each thing, whether fish or fowl / With a r-r-ruff and a r-r-ruff, and a royal growl – R-R-Ruff! / As I click my heels / All the trees would kneel / And the mountains bow / And the bulls kowtow / And the sparrow would take wing / If I, if I were ki-i-i-i-ng! / The rabbits would show respect to me / The chipmunks genuflect to me / Though my tail would lash / I would show compash / For every underling / If I, if I were king / Just ki-i-i-i-ing!
The Cowardly Lion: Put ’em up, put ’em up! Which one of you first? I’ll fight you both together if you want. I’ll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I’ll fight you standing on one foot. I’ll fight you with my eyes closed… ohh, pullin’ an axe on me, eh? Sneaking up on me, eh? Why, I’ll… Ruff!
The Cowardly Lion: Read what my medal says: “Courage”. Ain’t it the truth? Ain’t it the truth?
The Cowardly Lion: I’ll get you anyway Pee Wee!
The Cowardly Lion: Shucks, folks, I’m speechless. Ha Ha!
The Tin Man: Here, here. Go away and let us alone.
The Cowardly Lion: Oh, scared, huh? Afraid, huh? Ah, how long can you stay fresh in that can? Ha ha ha ha.
The Cowardly Lion: I’m afraid there’s no denyin’, I’m just a dandy lion, a fate I don’t deserve! But I could show my prowess, be a lion, not a mo-use, if I only had the nerve!
The Cowardly Lion: Well, wouldn’t you feel degraded to be seen in the company of a cowardly lion? I would.
The Cowardly Lion: Yeah, it’s sad, believe me, Missy. When you’re born to be a sissy. Without the vim and verve. But I could show my prowess, be a lion not a mou-ess If I only had the nerve. I’m afraid there’s no denyin’. I’m just a dande-lion, a fate I don’t deserve.
The Wizard of Oz The Tin Man Quotes
The Tin Man: Well, what happened to you?
The Scarecrow: First they tore my legs off and they threw them over there! Then they took my chest out and they threw it over there…!
The Tin Man: Oh, that’s you all over!
The Tin Man: I shall take the heart. For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.
Dorothy Gale: Goodbye, Tin Man. Oh, don’t cry! You’ll rust so dreadfully. Here. Here’s your oil can. Goodbye.
The Tin Man: Now I know I’ve got a heart, ’cause it’s breaking…
The Tin Man: Muh… ma… me… mah… my, my goodness, I can talk again! Oh, oil my arms please! Oil my elbows!
The Tin Man: I’ll see you reach the Wizard, whether I get a heart or not. Beehive, bah! Let her try and make a beehive out of me!
The Tin Man: And I was standing over there, rusting for the longest time.
The Tin Man: I’d be gentle as a lizard…
Dorothy Gale: Do you suppose we’ll meet any wild animals?
The Tin Man: Mm, we might.
The Scarecrow: Animals that, that eat… s-straw?
The Tin Man: Ah, some, but mostly lions, and tigers, and bears.
Dorothy Gale: Lions?
The Scarecrow: And tigers?
The Tin Man: And bears.
The Cowardly Lion: I- I- I hope my strength holds out.
The Tin Man: I hope your tail holds out!
The Cowardly Lion: Come on, get up and fight, you shivering junkyard! And put your hands up, you lopsided bag of hay!
The Scarecrow: Now that’s getting personal, Lion.
The Tin Man: Yes. Get up and teach him a lesson.
The Scarecrow: Well, what’s wrong with you teaching him?
The Tin Man: Well, I hardly know him.
The Tin Man: I can barely hear my heart beating!
Dorothy Gale: Goodness! How did you ever get like this?
The Tin Man: Well, about a year ago, I was chopping that tree, when suddenly it began to rain. And right in the middle of the chop, I rusted solid. And I’ve been that way ever since.
Dorothy Gale: Well, you’re perfect now.
The Tin Man: Perfect? Bang on my chest if you think I’m perfect. Go ahead, bang on it!
The Tin Man: When a man’s an empty kettle, He should be on his mettle, and yet I’m torn apart. Just because I’m presuming That I could be kind of human. If I only had a heart. I’d be tender, I’d be gentle, And awful sentimental. Regarding love and art, I’d be friends with a sparrows and the boy who shoots the arrows. If I only had a heart. Picture me, A balcony Above a voice sings low.
The Tin Man: I hear a beat. How sweet! Just to register emotion Jealousy, devotion. And really feel the part. I could stay young and chipper. And I lock it with a zipper. If I only had a heart.
The Wizard of Oz The Wicked Witch of the West Quotes
The Wicked Witch of the West: Just try and stay out of my way. Just try! I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!
The Wicked Witch of the West: You cursed brat! Look what you’ve done! I’m melting! melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? Oooooh, look out! I’m going! Oooooh! Ooooooh!
The Cowardly Lion: I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I do!
The Wicked Witch of the West: Ah! You’ll believe in more than that before I’m finished with you.
The Wicked Witch of the West: All in good time, my little pretty. All in good time.
The Wicked Witch of the West: Throw that basket in the river and drown him!
Dorothy Gale: NO! No, no, here… you can have your old slippers, but give me back Toto!
The Wicked Witch of the West: That’s a good little girl. I knew you’d see reason.
Dorothy Gale: Run, Toto, run! Run Toto, run! He got away! He got away!
The Wicked Witch of the West: Which is more than you will! Drat you and your dog! You’ve been more trouble to me than you’re worth one way or another, but it’ll soon be over now!
The Wicked Witch of the West: See that? That’s how much longer you’ve got to be alive! And it isn’t long, my pretty, it isn’t long! I can’t wait forever to get those shoes!
The Scarecrow: Hurry! We’ve got no time to lose!
The Wicked Witch of the West: Going so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it! Why, my little party’s just beginning!
The Wicked Witch of the West: How about a little fire, Scarecrow? Crow!
The Wicked Witch of the West: What a nice little dog. And you, my dear, what an unexpected pleasure. It’s so kind of you to want to visit me in my loneliness.
The Wicked Witch of the West: Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it you?
Dorothy Gale: No. No, it was an accident! I didn’t mean to kill anybody!
The Wicked Witch of the West: Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents, too!
The Wicked Witch of the West: And now, my beauties, something with poison in it, I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye, and soothing to the smell.
Interesting Facts about The Wizard of Oz
Now I would like to share with you some interesting facts about The Wizard of Oz. Enjoy!
- One Actor, Five Roles – In the classic 1939 movie adaptation, Frank Morgan played no less than five different roles: The Wizard of Oz, The Gatekeeper, The carriage driver, The guard, and Professor Marvel!
- Dorothy’s Slippers Were Originally Silver – In the movie, you see Dorothy wearing red slippers, which have since become the most famous and known slippers in movie history. However, in Frank Baum’s novel, Dorothy’s slippers are actually silver.
- It Ended with a Marriage – In the movie, Judy Garland played the part of Dorothy, while Jack Haley played the part of The Tin Man. Well, in real life, Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza Minelli, married Jack Haley’s son, Jack Haley Jr. So, if you want to look at it another way – Dorothy’s daughter married The Tin Man’s son.
- The Lion’s Costume Was Extremely Heavy – The lion’s costume that actor Bert Lahr wore in the movie was so heavy, and the lights during filming and production were so bright, that Lahr had to take off the costume from time to time during takes, so he won’t suffer from overheat. The costume was made of actual lion’s skin and fur, and some say it weighed 90 pounds. The costume was sold for $3 million in a 2014 auction.
- Tears Made of Chocolate Syrup – In the movie, The Tin Man’s tears are oil, but those tears seen on TV are actually made of chocolate syrup. At the time, it looked better on camera. Remember, we are talking about 1939.
- The Iconic Scene Was Almost Left Out – The scene in the movie where Judy Garland sings the song “Over The Rainbow” was almost cut out of the movie. Today we know that this is probably one of the most famous scenes and songs in the movie, but back then, the movie editors thought that this scene and song were too sad and slowed the pace of the movie.
- Shirley Temple as Dorothy Gale – You could say that the role of Dorothy Gale stuck to actress Judy Garland all her life, but before she was casted as Dorothy, Shirley Temple was considered to play this part. I don’t know how it would have turned out, but Garland really shined in Dorothy’s shoes in my opinion.
For more quotes from best movies in existence, please visits our pages on The Shawshank Redemption quotes, Pulp Fiction quotes, and Back to the Future quotes.