In Lewis Carroll’s classic novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” the Cheshire Cat is one of the many fantastical creatures that Alice meets on her journey. With his sly grin and enigmatic words, the Cheshire Cat is a compelling figure, offering Alice much wisdom along the way.
Here are 70 of the most insightful quotes from the cat, sure to give you some food for thought. Enjoy!
Cheshire Cat Quotes
I could hardly afford to lose my head.
Cheshire Cat
I knew who I was this morning, but I have changed a few times since then.
Cheshire Cat
Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry. But if a ferret were about to dart up my dress, I’d run.
Cheshire Cat
Those who say there’s nothing like a nice cup of tea for calming the nerves never had *real* tea. It’s like a syringe of adrenaline straight to the heart!
Cheshire Cat
I’ve never trusted toadstools, but I suppose some must have their good points.
Cheshire Cat
The proper order of things is often a mystery to me. You, too?
Cheshire Cat
Here’s a riddle: When is a croquet mallet like a billy club? I’ll tell you: Whenever you want it to be!
Cheshire Cat
Let your *need* guide you behavior. *Supress* your instinct to lead… Pursue Rabbit!
Cheshire Cat
Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do – some…don’t ever want to. How do you run from what is inside your head?
Cheshire Cat
If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.
Cheshire Cat
We’re all mad here. I am mad; you are mad.
Cheshire Cat
Not all who wander are lost.
Cheshire Cat
You see a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry.
Cheshire Cat
I went to a hunting party once, I didn’t like it. Terrible people. They all started hunting me!
Cheshire Cat
The uninformed must improve their deficit, or die.
Cheshire Cat
How fine you look when dressed in rage. Your enemies are fortunate your condition is not permanent.
Cheshire Cat
All this talk of blood and slaying has put me off my tea.
Cheshire Cat
Only the insane equate pain with success.
Cheshire Cat
How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.
Cheshire Cat
Visit either you like: they’re both mad.
Cheshire Cat
If you’re gonna make it to the top, get a grip on this rock, and get a grip on yourself.
Cheshire Cat
I never get involved in politics.
Cheshire Cat
You are too naïve if you do believe life is innocent laughter and fun.
Cheshire Cat
Never let anyone drive you crazy; it is nearby anyway and the walk is good for you.
Cheshire Cat
Let your need guide your behavior.
Cheshire Cat
The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!
Cheshire Cat
Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.
Cheshire Cat
When you’ve understood this scripture, throw it away. If you can’t understand this scripture, throw it away. I insist on your freedom.
Cheshire Cat
Can you stand on your head?
Cheshire Cat
We are all victims in-waiting.
Cheshire Cat
When the day becomes the night and the sky becomes the sea, when the clock strikes heavy and there’s no time for tea; and in our darkest hour, before my final rhyme, she will come back home to Wonderland and turn back the hands of time.
Cheshire Cat
Goodbye, sweet hat.
Cheshire Cat
A secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.
Cheshire Cat
And no scheme of ours can raise any sort of smile.
Cheshire Cat
Somehow you strayed and lost your way, and now there’ll be no time to play, no time for joy, no time for friends – not even time to make amends.
Cheshire Cat
Every adventure requires a first step.
Cheshire Cat
There might be some sense to your knocking,” the Footman went on, without attending to her, “if we had the door between us. For instance, if you were *inside,* you might knock and I could let you out, you know.
Cheshire Cat
I am not crazy; my reality is just different from yours.
Cheshire Cat
If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there.
Cheshire Cat
How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: *was* I the same when I got up this morning?
Cheshire Cat
The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. “Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?” he asked.
Cheshire Cat
Well, some go this way, and some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the short-cut.
Cheshire Cat
Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,” thought Alice; “but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!
Cheshire Cat
Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
Cheshire Cat
No one does [play fair] if they think they can get away with it.
Cheshire Cat
In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.
Cheshire Cat
The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur and whiskers! She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
Cheshire Cat
You may have noticed, I’m not all there myself.
Cheshire Cat
Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on. “I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least — at least I mean what I say — that’s the same thing, you know.” “Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that “I see what I eat” is the same thing as “I eat what I see!’’
Cheshire Cat
It must be purified by someone with evaporative abilities or it will fester and rot.
Cheshire Cat
I’m a stranger. You’re stranger. Together, we are…strangers.
Cheshire Cat
Is our situation not dismal? Wonderland is so discombobulated that lady bugs have turned belligerent and enlisted in the queen’s army! Punish their conversion!
Cheshire Cat
At least let me tie it up for you. What is your name ?
Cheshire Cat
Have I gone mad?’ ‘I am afraid so, you are entirely bonkers. but I will tell you a secret… all the best people are.
Cheshire Cat
I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed several times since.
Cheshire Cat
You were the life of the party. You made the best Futterwacken in all of Wit’s End.
Cheshire Cat
Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.
Cheshire Cat
I have always admired this hat. I was wondering…since you won’t need it anymore…maybe you could consider passing it on to me?
Cheshire Cat
Well, I’ll take you to see the hare and the hatter. But this is the end.
Cheshire Cat
I’m not crazy, my reality is just different than yours.
Cheshire Cat
You may have noticed, I’m not quite there.
Cheshire Cat
Oh, you can’t help it. Most of the people are crazy here.
Cheshire Cat
If ignorance is bliss, i must be ecstatic.
Cheshire Cat
They mock me for the burn as if I were to blame, I erase them from my conscience with the eloquence of my sword.
Cheshire Cat
Everyone I love dies violently; abnormally. I’m cursed! Why continue? I will only hurt others.
Cheshire Cat
Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do it, some…never want to do it.
Cheshire Cat
Save me from death, right? Is that why I came here? I’m not afraid to die! Sometimes I welcomed death.
Cheshire Cat
How weird everything is today! And yesterday, things were as usual. I wonder if they changed me in the night.
Cheshire Cat
Collect what you can. Use it wisely.
Cheshire Cat
If your stature were an illness, it seems that the Centipede dispenses medicine to make you well.
Cheshire Cat
Parting Words
The Cheshire Cat is one of the most enigmatic and puzzling characters in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He pops up when least expected, dispensing cryptic wisdom and leaving Alice (and readers) more confused than ever. But if we take a closer look at the cat’s words, we can find nuggets of truth and insight.
As you go through life, you may find yourself encountering your own version of the Cheshire Cat – someone who shows up at just the right moment to guide you, offer some words of wisdom, or act as a sounding board.
In times of stress or confusion, it can be helpful to reflect on these quotes from our wise feline friend and see if they provide any insight into what you should do next.
Which was your favorite from the Cheshire Cat quotes? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
P.S. You might also enjoy these related quote collections:
- Quotes About Finding Yourself
- Quotes About Wandering
- Quotes About Voyages
- Quotes About Experimentation
- Quotes About Influence
Originally Published: November 15, 2022
✍️ Cusco, Peru
