The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives.
She might even be your lovely school-teacher who is reading these words to you at this very moment. Look carefully at that teacher. Perhaps she is smiling at the absurdity of such a suggestion. Don't let that put you off. It could be part of cleverness. I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But--here comes the big "but"--not impossible.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the extraordinary can exist within the ordinary, urging us to keep an open mind about possibilities.
In this quote, Roald Dahl playfully encourages readers to entertain the idea that the mundane figures in their lives, like a school teacher, may harbor hidden complexities and stories. It highlights the idea that while certain thoughts may seem absurd or unlikely, embracing imagination and the unpredictable nature of life can lead to wonder. The playful tone invites readers to look beyond the surface and consider the whimsical possibilities that may lie within everyday situations.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote to inspire students during a creative writing class about thinking outside the box.
More from Roald Dahl
All quotes →Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable.
I asked my mum, who's a very clever psychotherapist, and she says that kids love stories about death; they need it, they need to have stories that deal with death and explain it, as a place to put their fears.
By the time I am nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least one hundred and fifty times. I am suspicious of both facility and speed. Good writing is essentially rewriting. I am positive of this.
You seemed so far away," Miss Honey whispered, awestruck. "Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings," Matilda said. "It was wonderful.
If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.
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If you overesteem great men, people become powerless. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.
My own way of thinking is to ponder long and I hope deeply on problems and for a long time which I keep away for years and years and I never really let them go.
The Past: Our cradle, not our prison; there is danger as well as appeal in its glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation, for continuation, not repetition.
To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge.
In the end the great truth will have been learned that the quest is greater than what is sought, the effort finer that the prize (or rather, that the effort is the prize), the victory cheap and hollow were it not for the rigor of the game.
If you start thinking war is inevitable, then in your own times, you don't resist it as strongly as you should.