It’s no secret that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is delightfully full of whimsy and infinitely quotable. In fact, one might say the trouble is that it’s too quotable, which makes it hard to choose the best Alice in Wonderland quotes for a list like this. But all that being said, there are still some quotes that stand out above the rest…so if you’re looking for the best scenes and quotes from this tale, here are 41 favorite Alice in Wonderland quotes to whirl you into this book’s enchanting nonsensical world!
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41 Favorite Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Quotes
This list includes the most well-known quotes from Alice in Wonderland, as well as some quotes and scenes that I love and think are worth mentioning. They’re listed here in the order they appear in the book, with the chapter you can find them in listed after the quote to help you locate them in the book.
1. ‘Dinah’ll miss me very much to-night, I should think!’ (Dinah was the cat.) […] Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I’m afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that’s very like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?’ – Chapter 1, “Down the Rabbit Hole”
This quote is one Alice says to herself as she is falling down the rabbit hole, and I love it because it is one of the early moments where we learn about Alice and her fanciful mind that so easily goes off into tangents about cats eating bats and bats eating cats. Plus, the girl loves her cat and that makes her a girl after my own heart!
2. So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible. – Chapter 1, “Down the Rabbit Hole”
Alice in Wonderland is both hilarious and poignant by turns, teaching the reader about delight as well as underlying truths. As we’re dragged along with Alice into her impossible dream, this quote really highlights the whole theme of the book as both Alice (and we as the readers) open ourselves up to the possibilities of the impossible.
3. It was all very well to say ‘Drink me,’ but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. ‘No, I’ll look first,’ she said, ‘and see whether it’s marked “poison” or not’; for […] she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison,’ it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later. – Chapter 1, “Down the Rabbit Hole”
What I love most in this book are the curious moments of humor that sneak up on you and take you quite by surprise. This is an excellent example of Alice’s unwitting humor, as she seriously considers what the ill affects are of drinking poison. And like Alice, I think we can all agree that it’s a very good thing to check if the bottle says “poison” before you drink it!
4. She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it). – Chapter 1, “Down the Rabbit Hole”
If you can relate to this quote, raise your hand! 🙋♀️ Wouldn’t we all be a lot better off if we followed our own good advice?
5. She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, ‘Which way? Which way?’, holding her hand on the top of her head to feel which way it was growing, and she was quite surprised to find that she remained the same size: to be sure, this generally happens when one eats cake, but Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way. – Chapter 1, “Down the Rabbit Hole”
If you didn’t burst out laughing when you got to the droll “this generally happens when one eats cake,” then can we even be friends? (The answer is no. No we cannot 😂)
6. ‘Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). – Chapter 2, “The Pool of Tears”
This is one of the most well known quotes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and for good reason: it’s just so quotable (even though it’s poor English). Just try to convince me this isn’t a phrase you’re going to use next time you see something odd!
7. ‘Now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!’ – Chapter 2, “The Pool of Tears”
After this quote in the book, Alice continues on to wonder how her feet will manage on their own since she’s grown to the size where they’re nearly out of her sight. It’s a delightful section, and, if I’m being honest, “Good-bye, feet!” is just such a perfect nonsense quote that I long to have an opportunity to use it in conversation (so long as I’m not literally saying goodbye to my feet 😉).
8. How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes in
With gently smiling Jaws! – Chapter 2, “The Pool of Tears”
This poetic gem is just one of the many “wrong” poems that will follow throughout the rest of the book. When Alice begins to question who she is, she decides to fall back on something she knows: the words of the poems from her lessons. However, she finds herself and the poem changed from what they used to be and it goes horribly awry. Instead of reciting Isaac Watts’ How Doth the Little Busy Bee, Alice (and Lewis Carroll) instead give us this whimsical gem of a parody that is well worth the trouble to memorize just so you can quote it at the drop of a hat!
9. ‘I wish I hadn’t cried so much!’ said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. ‘I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears!’ – Chapter 2, “The Pool of Tears”
Like the quote about not taking her own good advice, Alice is surprisingly relatable in a hyperbolic, improbable way. If you’ve ever cried so much you thought you might drown, then you will probably both laugh and feel a twinge of Alice’s panic upon finding herself literally near to drowning in her own tears!
10. ‘Perhaps it doesn’t understand English,’ thought Alice; ‘I daresay it’s a French mouse, come over with William the Conqueror.’ […] So she began again: ‘Ou est ma chatte?’ which was the first sentence in her French lesson-book. The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright. ‘Oh, I beg your pardon!’ cried Alice hastily, afraid that she had hurt the poor animal’s feelings. ‘I quite forgot you didn’t like cats.’ ‘Not like cats!’ cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. ‘Would you like cats if you were me?’ – Chapter 2, “The Pool of Tears”
This is another my favorite sections, as it not only makes me smile every time I think of it…but it also displays Alice’s continuous issue of trying to set everyone at ease, only to find it’s all gone horribly awry without her meaning it to. She tries so hard to be kind but just keeps putting her foot in her mouth!
11. ‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ – Chapter 3, “A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale”
If reading this quote doesn’t make it obvious why it’s on this list, then just know that wordplay is the way to my heart. And clearly Lewis Carroll is one of the best at it!
12. She gave one sharp kick, and waited to see what would happen next. The first thing she heard was a general chorus of ‘There goes Bill!’ then the Rabbit’s voice along—‘Catch him, you by the hedge!’ then silence, and then another confusion of voices—‘Hold up his head—Brandy now—Don’t choke him—How was it, old fellow? What happened to you? Tell us all about it!’ Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, (‘That’s Bill,’ thought Alice,) ‘Well, I hardly know—No more, thank ye; I’m better now—but I’m a deal too flustered to tell you—all I know is, something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!’ – Chapter 4, “The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill”
There’s more to this scene, and it’s better in context of the whole chapter…but poor little Bill simply must have a mention on this list of the best Alice in Wonderland quotes! The way he says “something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!” adds him irrevocably to my list of favorite creatures in the story.
13. ‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’ – Chapter 5, “Advice from a Caterpillar”
While Alice in Wonderland masquerades as a children’s fantasy book, at it’s heart it also brings up some much deeper topics…which is part of the reason it’s become such a well-beloved classic! Quotes like this show Alice struggling in the throes of an existential crisis as everything she knows about herself and the world has been overturned ever since she went down the rabbit-hole. But there’s still the element of silliness to this quote, as we can’t forget that she’s talking to a caterpillar!
14. ‘Are you content now?’ said the Caterpillar. ‘Well, I should like to be a little larger, sir, if you wouldn’t mind,’ said Alice: ‘three inches is such a wretched height to be.’ ‘It is a very good height indeed!’ said the Caterpillar angrily, rearing itself upright as it spoke (it was exactly three inches high). – Chaper 5, Advice from a Caterpillar
The whole discussion between Alice and the caterpillar is an iconic part of the book, which makes the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar quotes an essential part of this list. You’ve got to love Alice sticking her foot in her mouth yet again and offending the only 3-inch tall caterpillar!
15. ‘A likely story indeed!’ said the Pigeon in a tone of the deepest contempt. ‘I’ve seen a good many little girls in my time, but never one with such a neck as that! No, no! You’re a serpent; and there’s no use denying it. I suppose you’ll be telling me next that you never tasted an egg!’ ‘I have tasted eggs, certainly,’ said Alice, who was a very truthful child; ‘but little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do, you know.’ ‘I don’t believe it,’ said the Pigeon; ‘but if they do, why then they’re a kind of serpent, that’s all I can say.’ – Chapter 5, “Advice from a Caterpillar”
While characters like the caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat are all the rage among those who love Alice in Wonderland, I find myself particularly drawn to some of the less well-known characters like Little Bill and this frightened pigeon. This quote comes after Alice has eaten the mushroom and grown so tall that her head is above the trees. The pigeon is rightly frightened of such a sight and protective of the eggs in its nest, but it still does such a good job maintaining that Alice is a serpent that I’m sure we’re all nearly convinced!
16. ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat. ‘I don’t much care where—’ said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat. – Chapter 6, “Pig and Pepper”
Even though I love many of the less well-known animal characters, even I have to agree that the Cheshire Cat deserves its popularity. And all the amazing Cheshire Cat quotes definitely prove this! This cat has just the right mixture of method and madness that leaves it spouting truths while still leaving the world sounding a bit crazy.
17. ‘We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’ ‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice. ‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’ – Chapter 6, “Pig and Pepper”
Of all the Cheshire cat sayings, this is one of the most famous. It’s so easily quotable and definitely sums up the atmosphere of the whole book quite well!
18. ‘And how do you know that you’re mad?’ ‘To begin with,’ said the Cat, ‘a dog’s not mad. You grant that?’ ‘I suppose so,’ said Alice. ‘Well, then,’ the Cat went on, ‘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. Therefore I’m mad.’ – Chapter 6, “Pig and Pepper”
I love all the “reasoning” and “logic” found throughout the book, but this is definitely one of my favorite pieces. It’s an excellent and hilarious logical fallacy that simultaneously sounds both a little reasonable and quite absurd. (Plus, I’m team cat any day…so maybe it’s the dogs that are mad? 😉)
19. I wish you wouldn’t keep appearing and vanishing so suddenly: you make one quite giddy.’ ‘All right,’ said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone. ‘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 my life!’ – Chapter 6, “Pig and Pepper”
Another iconic Cheshire Cat moment that can’t be overlooked, this slow vanishing and the lingering grin has long captured the imaginations of readers (and movie-goers). For after all, who has seen a grin without a cat?
20. ‘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. – Chapter 7, “A Mad Tea-Party”
As a lover of the English language and of precision in the use of language, I have to say that the March Hare and Mad Hatter definitely have a point! They continue their argument by explaining that “I see what I eat” isn’t the same as “I eat what I see” and “I like what I get” isn’t the same as “I get what I like.” And poor Alice is sitting there, so flustered by the day’s events! But this is a great quote to remind us all to say what we mean and mean what we say.
21. It’s always tea-time. – Chapter 7, “A Mad Tea-Party”
The Mad Hatter delivers one of my very favorite lines in all of Alice in Wonderland—it’s always tea-time! For what’s better than tea time and a good book to curl up with? (Of course, the Mad Hatter might not view it that way since he’s “stuck” in a never-ending tea time). But I love the whole tea party scene, and all of the excellent Alice in Wonderland tea quotes that came out of it.
22. ‘Take some more tea,’ the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. ‘I’ve had nothing yet,’ Alice replied in an offended tone, ‘so I can’t take more.’ ‘You mean you can’t take less,’ said the Hatter: ‘it’s very easy to take more than nothing.’ – Chapter 7, “A Mad Tea-Party”
With my love of wordplay and of Carroll’s twisting reasoning, this is definitely high up on my list of favorite Alice in Wonderland quotes! It reminds me a lot of when I was a kid and trying to figure out whether people who said “I could care less” were correct or if they were wrong and should more accurately say “I couldn’t care less”. (Yes, I was a fun kid 😂)
23. ‘Really, now you ask me,’ said Alice, very much confused, ‘I don’t think—’ ‘Then you shouldn’t talk,’ said the Hatter. – Chapter 7, A Mad Tea-Party
The Mad Hatter quotes throughout the book are often quite funny, especially his abrupt way of dealing with Alice while she tries to understand all of their insane logic. Plus, I’m sure we all know a few people who we’d like to use this line on, which makes it one of the best Alice in Wonderland tea party quotes!
24. ‘Would you tell me,’ said Alice, a little timidly, ‘why you are painting those roses?’ […] Two began in a low voice, ‘Why the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake.’ – Chapter 8, “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground”
Although the cards (Five, Seven, and Two) are again only minor characters like the pigeon, they are up to some of the funniest antics in the whole book. Each absurdity just keeps growing as the book goes along, which leads us nicely to this moment where the cards are trying to paint the white roses red so the Queen of Hearts won’t find out they made a mistake and order someone to cut off their heads!
25. ‘Off with their heads!’ – Chapter 8, “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground”
And speaking of cutting off heads, what’s more iconic Alice in Wonderland than this quote? If you walked up to anyone on the street and asked what they remember about Alice in Wonderland, they’re likely to respond with this iconic line. After all, the Queen of Hearts’ quotes and antics definitely are a huge part of this book!
26. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life […] the balls were live hedgehogs, [and] the mallets live flamingoes […] The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing. – Chapter 8, “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground”
This one is not so much a quotable moment as a memorable image and scene that leaves one most definitely visualizing Alice trying to use a flamingo as a mallet and a hedgehog as her croquet ball. What a game that would be!
27. The executioner’s argument was, that you couldn’t cut off a head unless there was a body to cut it off from: that he had never had to do such a thing before, and he wasn’t going to begin at his time of life. The King’s argument was, that anything that had a head could be beheaded, and that you weren’t to talk nonsense. – Chapter 8, The Queen’s Croquet-Ground
When the Cheshire Cat appears as a floating head on the croquet ground, he sets off another delightful argument that the narrator tells in such a singular way you can’t help but laugh. I’m with the executioner on this one, what about you?
28. ‘Tut, tut, child!’ said the Duchess. ‘Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.’ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
This is another often quoted line of Alice in Wonderland. The Duchess seems so sure of herself…but is it truth or nonsense? It gets hard to tell with everything so wrapped up in the impossible and improbable!
29. ‘I dare say you’re wondering why I don’t put my arm round your waist,’ the Duchess said after a pause: ‘the reason is, that I’m doubtful about the temper of your flamingo. Shall I try the experiment?’ ‘He might bite,’ Alice cautiously replied, not feeling at all anxious to have the experiment tried. ‘Very true,’ said the Duchess: ‘flamingoes and mustard both bite. And the moral of that is—“Birds of a feather flock together.”’ ‘Only mustard isn’t a bird,’ Alice remarked. ‘Right, as usual,’ said the Duchess: ‘what a clear way you have of putting things!’ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
The Duchess’ search for a moral might be admirable, but she clearly only finds nonsense morals in everything. And of course, this quote also made the list because I love the image of the flamingo croquet mallet having a temper—can you imagine?!
30. ‘I quite agree with you,’ said the Duchess; ‘and the moral of that is—“Be what you would seem to be”—or if you’d like it put more simply—“Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.”‘ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
This is another perfect instance of the Duchess’ logic and her search for a moral leading her to nonsense. Just try to parse out that “simple” moral she came up with!
31. ‘Now, I give you fair warning,’ shouted the Queen, stamping on the ground as she spoke; ‘either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!’ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
“Either you or your head must be off” is another quotable line I aspire to use someday, perhaps when someone is bothering me and won’t leave me alone. It’s no doubt that the Queen of Hearts’ quotes are some of the best!
32. Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?’ ‘No,’ said Alice. ‘I don’t even know what a Mock Turtle is.’ ‘It’s the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from,’ said the Queen. – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
This quote is an entirely delightful bit of nonsense, and it can even give you a dinner suggestion if you find yourself so inclined. Mock turtle soup, anyone?
33. ‘I couldn’t afford to learn it.’ said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. ‘I only took the regular course.’ ‘What was that?’ inquired Alice. ‘Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,’ the Mock Turtle replied; ‘and then the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.’ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
I petition that we crown Lewis Carroll as king of the puns! Each time you think the wordplay and nonsense is settling down, he sets out to prove you wrong with another delightful gem like this one.
34. ‘And how many hours a day did you do lessons?’ said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject. ‘Ten hours the first day,’ said the Mock Turtle: ‘nine the next, and so on.’ ‘What a curious plan!’ exclaimed Alice. ‘That’s the reason they’re called lessons,’ the Gryphon remarked: ‘because they lessen from day to day.’ – Chapter 9, “The Mock Turtle’s Story”
How many students in the world wish that this statement was true? If only lessons would lessen! Of course, the Gryphon does have a solid point about the name…it can’t just be coincidence, can it?
35. At last the Mock Turtle recovered his voice, and, with tears running down his cheeks, he went on again:— ‘You may not have lived much under the sea—’ (‘I haven’t,’ said Alice)—‘and perhaps you were never even introduced to a lobster—’ (Alice began to say ‘I once tasted—’ but checked herself hastily, and said ‘No, never’) ‘—so you can have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!’ – Chapter 10, “The Lobster Quadrille”
Now, nearing the end of the book, Alice has begun to think before she speaks…unlike the earlier incarnation where she went around talking to a mouse about cats eating mice. But even though she checks herself, this is just as funny as the earlier portion of the book!
36. ‘Oh, as to the whiting,’ said the Mock Turtle, ‘they—you’ve seen them, of course?’ ‘Yes,’ said Alice, ‘I’ve often seen them at dinn—’ she checked herself hastily. ‘I don’t know where Dinn may be,’ said the Mock Turtle, ‘but if you’ve seen them so often, of course you know what they’re like.’ ‘I believe so,’ Alice replied thoughtfully. ‘They have their tails in their mouths—and they’re all over crumbs.’ – Chapter 10, “The Lobster Quadrille”
And where is Dinn? I love this quote because Alice hilariously almost puts her foot in her mouth again, and also because it reminds me of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the Spare Oom and War Drobe.
37. ‘No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.’ – Chapter 10, “The Lobster Quadrille”
An excellent and quotable pun if ever I heard one. And what’s the porpoise of puns if you can’t quote them to all your friends?
38. ‘I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,’ said Alice a little timidly: ‘but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’ – Chapter 10, “The Lobster Quadrille”
Alice and her turn to philosophy/existential crisis returns with this quote. And maybe she has a point—we’re all a bit different from day to day. It’s certainly an often quoted moment from this book!
39. ‘Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau—ootiful Soo—oop!
Beau—ootiful Soo—oop!
Soo—oop of the e—e—evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup! – Chapter 10, “The Lobster Quadrille”
I couldn’t leave this list without one more instance of the nonsense poems/songs that Lewis Carroll is so good at! Why, you can practically hear the Mock Turtle singing this. Plus, the turtle exactly mirrors my sentiments on soup, especially on a winter day. Beau—ootiful Soo—oop! Beautiful, beautiful soup!
40. The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?’ he asked. ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’ – Chapter 12, “Alice’s Evidence”
This is perhaps the best and most straightforward piece of advice out of the whole book. It’s a bit obvious and thus a bit nonsensical, but also…don’t you ever hear people talking who clearly have come to the end and ought to stop but don’t?
41. ‘If there’s no meaning in it,’ said the King, ‘that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn’t try to find any. – Chapter 12, “Alice’s Evidence”
This is the perfect quote to end our list of the best Alice in Wonderland quotes, as it makes one reflect on the tale as a whole. It’s a nonsensical story to be sure, but is there meaning in it? Ought we to try to find some? Or should we just save ourselves the trouble? Regardless, this little book has brought lots of joy to many people over the years, so nonsensical or not it deserves its rightful place on our bookshelves!
Bonus! Looking for the Six Impossible Things quote? It’s not actually from Alice in Wonderland but instead from the sequel, Through the Looking Glass.
Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said: ‘one CAN’T believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ – Chapter 5, “Wool and Water”
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These Alice in wonderland quotes are very helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing these quotes.