Lewis Carroll

1832–1898 · English author, mathematician & logician

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson — Lewis Carroll on the title page — taught mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford for most of his adult life, and wrote the two Alice books and a shelf of logic puzzles alongside it. His actual sentences are odd in a specific way: precise, deadpan, and usually about the rules of language rather than about feelings. That is worth knowing, because the lines invented for him are almost always the opposite — warm, motivational, and about you.

Traced to source

4 quotes we’ve traced to Lewis Carroll

“But, said Alice, if the world has absolutely no sense, who's stopping us from inventing one?”

Disputed

“How long is forever? Sometimes, just one second”

Disputed

“I am under no obligation to make sense to you”

Disputed

“If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there”

Disputed

Not actually Lewis Carroll

Often misattributed to Lewis Carroll

Famous lines widely pinned on Lewis Carroll that we’ve traced to someone else.

“But, said Alice, if the world has absolutely no sense, who's stopping us from inventing one?”

actually Unknown

“How long is forever? Sometimes, just one second”

actually Unknown

“I am under no obligation to make sense to you”

actually Unknown

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Lewis Carroll — under review

5 lines flagged as pinned on Lewis Carroll and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“I'm not crazy. My reality is just different than yours.”

Likely misattributed

“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”

Likely misattributed

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

Likely misattributed

“Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”

Likely misattributed

“You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic.”

Likely misattributed

Did they really say it?

Thought Lewis Carroll said something else?

Type a quote you think Lewis Carroll said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.