Jostein Gaarder Quotes

Norway, Author
August 8, 1952

ostein Gaarder (Norwegian: [ˈjuːstæɪn ˈɡoːrdər]) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often utilizes metafiction in his works and constructs stories within stories. His best known work is the novel Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy (1991). It has been translated into 60 languages; there are over 40 million copies in print.

Although you may not stumble across a Martian in the garden, you might stumble across yourself. The day that happens, you'll probably also scream a little. And that'll be perfectly all right, because it's not every day you realize you're a living planet dweller on a little island in the universe.

Jostein Gaarder
- Universe
- Garden
- Realize
It's not a silly question if you can't answer it.

Jostein Gaarder
- Question
- Answer

Then you have a big problem, because a human is a thinking animal. If you don't think, you're not really a human.

Jostein Gaarder
- Problem
- Animal
- Human
If I’d chosen never to the foot inside the great fairytale, I’d never have known what I’ve lost. Do you see what I’m getting at? Sometimes it’s worse for us human beings to lose something dear to us than never to have had it at all.

Jostein Gaarder
If an overgrown child draws something on a piece of paper, you can't ask the paper what the drawing is supposed to represent.

Jostein Gaarder
- Child
- Draws
- Represent
The stupidest thing she knew was for people to act like they knew all about the things they knew absolutely nothing about.

Jostein Gaarder
A state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm.

Jostein Gaarder
- Educate
- Arm
- Restraint
Life is like a huge lottery in which only the winning tickets are visible.

Jostein Gaarder
- Winning
- Life is
- Lottery

I sat thinking how terribly sad it was that people are made in such a way that they get used to something as incredible as living. One day we suddenly take the fact that we exist for granted - and then, yes, then we don’t think about it anymore until we are about to leave the world again.

Jostein Gaarder
- World
- Exist
- Don't Think
Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. It is like a crime that has not been solved. There is an answer, even if police do not know it.

Jostein Gaarder
- World
- Question
- Police
Life is both sad and solemn. We are led into a wonderful world, we meet one another here, greet each other---and wander together for a brief moment. Then we lose each other and disappear as suddenly and unreasonably as we arrived.

Jostein Gaarder
- Lose
- Life is
- Wander
I'm not just some butterfly for you to catch.

Jostein Gaarder
- Butterfly
- Catch
Ladies and Gentlemen...we are floating in Space!

Jostein Gaarder
- Space
- Floating