Welcome to a captivating collection of Maurice Sendak quotes, a celebration of the imaginative genius behind beloved children’s literature classics such as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. Maurice Sendak, an iconic figure in the world of literature and illustration, left an indelible mark on countless hearts with his enchanting tales that transcended generations. His unique ability to weave together the fantastical and the poignant continues to inspire readers of all ages, reminding us of the timeless power of storytelling.
With a career spanning over half a century, Sendak’s works not only entertained but also challenged conventional notions of childhood literature. Through his vivid illustrations and rich narratives, he explored themes of imagination, courage, and the complexities of growing up, resonating with readers on a profound level. His dedication to authenticity and honesty in storytelling earned him numerous accolades and a cherished place in the hearts of millions worldwide. As we delve into the profound wisdom of Maurice Sendak, we invite you to embark on a journey through his words, where whimsy meets wisdom and magic intertwines with truth. Discover his insightful reflections on life, creativity, and the boundless wonders of the imagination.
I want to write something so simple, so short and so silly… and I want it to be for my brother. Maurice Sendak
I don’t have kids at all and I thank God that I never did. Maurice Sendak
My being gay was something of not great interest to me. Maurice Sendak
I became a set designer for opera. Maurice Sendak
I had a brother who was my savior, made my childhood bearable. Maurice Sendak
Oh, I adored Mickey Mouse when I was a child. He was the emblem of happiness and funniness. You went to the movies then, you saw two movies and a short. When Mickey Mouse came on the screen and there was his big head, my sister said she had to hold onto me. I went berserk. Maurice Sendak
It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive. Maurice Sendak
Kids are so shrewd. Maurice Sendak
Do parents sit down and tell their kids everything? I don’t know. I don’t know. Maurice Sendak
I’m not obsessed with angels but I do adore angels. Maurice Sendak
There must be more to life than having everything. Maurice Sendak
My parents were ignorant peasants from the Old World. Maurice Sendak
You don’t want to do something that’s all terrifying. Maurice Sendak
I can’t believe I’ve turned into a typical old man. Maurice Sendak
We’re supposed to do all these things which trouble us deeply because it’s so against what we naturally would want to do. Maurice Sendak
I’m still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young. Maurice Sendak
I want to be alone and work until the day my heads hits the drawing table and I’m dead. Kaput. I feel very much like I want to be with my brother and sister again. They’re nowhere. I know they’re nowhere and they don’t exist, but if nowhere means that’s where they are, that’s where I want to be. Maurice Sendak
If life is so critical, if Anne Frank could die, if my friend could die, children were as vulnerable as adults, and that gave me a secret purpose to my work, to make them live. Because I wanted to live. I wanted to grow up. Maurice Sendak
Girls are infinitely more complicated than boys and women more than men. And there’s no doubt about that. We just don’t like to think about it. Certainly the men don’t like to think about it. Maurice Sendak
I didn’t have much confidence in myself… never. Maurice Sendak
I feel like I don’t have a lot of time left. Maurice Sendak
I’ve always loved pigs: the shape of them, the look of them, and the fact that they are so intelligent. Maurice Sendak
I’m not Hans Christian Anderson. Nobody’s gonna make a statue in the park with a lot of scrambling kids climbing up me. I won’t have it, okay? Maurice Sendak
I’ve convinced myself – I hope I’m right – that children despair of you if you don’t tell them the truth. Maurice Sendak
My father could be very witty, even if the humor was always on the darker side of irony. Maurice Sendak
My work is not great, but it’s respectable. Maurice Sendak
I’m totally crazy, I know that. Maurice Sendak
What I do as best I can is out of a deep respect for children, for how difficult their world is. Maurice Sendak
I remember how much – when I was a small boy I was taken to see a version of ‘Peter Pan.’ I detested it. I mean, the sentimental idea that anybody would want to remain a boy. Maurice Sendak
The distinctions of fine art bore me to death. Maurice Sendak
To get a child’s trust – you may know or not – is a very hard thing to do. They’re so used to not believing adults – because adults tell tales and lies all the time. Maurice Sendak
I’m scared of watching a TV show about vampires. I can’t fall asleep. Maurice Sendak
The world is twice as crazy as it’s ever been. Maurice Sendak
My life in Brooklyn was in constant danger because of my bad health. Maurice Sendak
I don’t write for children. I write and someone says it’s for children. Maurice Sendak
I don’t believe in an afterlife but I still fully expect to see my brother again. Maurice Sendak
I think people should be given a test much like driver’s tests as to whether they’re capable of being parents! It’s an art form. I talk a lot. And I think a lot. And I draw a lot. But never in a million years would I have been a parent. That’s just work that’s too hard. Maurice Sendak
Newt Gingrich is an idiot of great renown… There’s something so hopelessly gross and vile about him it’s hard to take him seriously. Maurice Sendak
‘Hansel and Gretel’ is one of the scariest stories ever written! Psychotic mother; stupid, inane father. Maurice Sendak
All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew. Maurice Sendak
My father belonged to a Jewish social club. Maurice Sendak
My work is not great, but it’s respectable. I have no false illusions. Maurice Sendak
Kids don’t know about best sellers. They go for what they enjoy. They aren’t star chasers and they don’t suck up. It’s why I like them. Maurice Sendak
As a kid, all I thought about was death. Maurice Sendak
I became a set designer for opera. I’m a great opera buff, I love classical music, and I needed a time-out. Maurice Sendak
You can’t write masterpieces in your 80s and be happy too. Maurice Sendak
I’m not afraid of death. Maurice Sendak
There’s so much more to a book than just the reading. Maurice Sendak
I’d like to believe an accumulation of experience has made me a sort of a grown-up person, so I can have judgment and taste and whatever. Maurice Sendak
That always seemed to be the most critical test that a child was confronted with – loss of parents, loss of direction, loss of love. Can you live without a mother and a father? Maurice Sendak
I would infinitely prefer a daughter. Maurice Sendak
I stress character, character, character. Maurice Sendak
I refuse to lie to children. Maurice Sendak
I only have one subject. The question I am obsessed with is: How do children survive? Maurice Sendak
I adored Mickey Mouse when I was a child. He was the emblem of happiness and funniness. Maurice Sendak
Most children – I know I did when I was a kid – fantasize another set of parents. Or fantasize no parents. They don’t tell their real parents about that – you don’t want to tell Mom and Dad. Maurice Sendak
I hate people. Maurice Sendak
My therapies went on forever. Maurice Sendak
Yes, there have to be places for safe wonderful stories. Maurice Sendak
As a kid, all I thought about was death. But you can’t tell your parents that. Maurice Sendak
There are certain pieces of music that are always attached to certain books. Maurice Sendak
There’s something in this country that is so opposed to understanding the complexity of children. Maurice Sendak
Kids lead a very private life. Maurice Sendak
I am not a religious person, nor do I have any regrets. Maurice Sendak
I cry a lot because I miss people. Maurice Sendak
It’s no fun being lonely. Maurice Sendak
Finding out that I was gay when I was older was a shock and a disappointment. Maurice Sendak
I’m sick of ‘Wild Things.’ Maurice Sendak
A book is a book is a book. Maurice Sendak
I wanted to be acknowledged as an artist, not just some kiddie-book artist. Maurice Sendak
I have a little tiny Emily Dickinson so big that I carry in my pocket everywhere. And you just read three poems of Emily. She is so brave. She is so strong. She is such a sexy, passionate, little woman. I feel better. Maurice Sendak
I mean, being a child was being a child, was being a creature without power, without pocket money, without escape routes of any kind. So I didn’t want to be a child. Maurice Sendak
In plain terms, a child is a complicated creature who can drive you crazy. There’s a cruelty to childhood, there’s an anger. Maurice Sendak
Grown-ups are afraid for children. It’s not children who are afraid. Maurice Sendak
I was miserable as a kid. Maurice Sendak
Things come to you without you necessarily knowing what they mean. Maurice Sendak
You cannot write for children They’re much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them. Maurice Sendak
Do parents sit down and tell their kids everything? I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve convinced myself – I hope I’m right – that children despair of you if you don’t tell them the truth. Maurice Sendak
I feel extremely vulnerable. Maurice Sendak
I’m writing a poem right now about a nose. I’ve always wanted to write a poem about a nose. But it’s a ludicrous subject. That’s why, when I was younger, I was afraid of something that didn’t make a lot of sense. But now I’m not. I have nothing to worry about. It doesn’t matter. Maurice Sendak
I hate those e-books. They cannot be the future. They may well be. Maurice Sendak
People from New York have been calling, to see if I’m still alive. When I answer the phone, you can hear the disappointment in their voice. Maurice Sendak
Most children – I know I did when I was a kid – fantasize another set of parents. Or fantasize no parents. They don’t tell their real parents about that – you don’t want to tell Mom and Dad. Kids lead a very private life. And I was a typical child, I think. I was a liar. Maurice Sendak
I have this idiot name tag which says ‘controversial.’ Maurice Sendak
I don’t need faith. Maurice Sendak
I can’t believe I’ve turned into a typical old man. I can’t believe it. I was young just minutes ago. Maurice Sendak
I hate those e-books. They can not be the future… they may well be… I will be dead. Maurice Sendak
Parents shouldn’t assume children are made out of sugar candy and will break and collapse instantly. Maurice Sendak
I think people should be given a test much like driver’s tests as to whether they’re capable of being parents! Maurice Sendak
Certainly we want to protect our children from new and painful experiences that are beyond their emotional comprehension and that intensify anxiety; and to a point we can prevent premature exposure to such experiences. Maurice Sendak
I’m not a religious person. Maurice Sendak
You know who my gods are, who I believe in fervently? Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson – she’s probably the top – Mozart, Shakespeare, Keats. These are wonderful gods who have gotten me through the narrow straits of life. Maurice Sendak
We’re animals. We’re violent. We’re criminal. Maurice Sendak
I do not remember any proper children’s books in my childhood. I was not exposed to them. Maurice Sendak
All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. Maurice Sendak
I have to accept my role. I will never kill myself like Vincent Van Gogh. Nor will I paint beautiful water lilies like Monet. I can’t do that. I’m in the idiot role of being a kiddie book person. Maurice Sendak
When I did ‘Bumble-ardy,’ I was so intensely aware of death. Eugene, my friend and partner, was dying here in the house when I did ‘Bumble-ardy’. I did ‘Bumble-ardy’ to save myself. I did not want to die with him. I wanted to live, as any human being does. Maurice Sendak
I have a good life. Maurice Sendak
Parents shouldn’t assume children are made out of sugar candy and will break and collapse instantly. Kids don’t. We do. Maurice Sendak
I’m an illustrator. I have to accept my role. Maurice Sendak
