From deep and mysterious, to weird and quirky- let’s dive into the rabbit hole with our favorite Cheshire Cat quotes from Alice in Wonderland!
A mysterious pink cat with a mischievous grin- that’s the Cheshire Cat. He also has the odd ability to disappear in thin air, leaving only his smile (quote Alice- a grin without a cat). As with everyone from Wonderland, he is peculiar, and dark; the only difference being that he admits this with pride.
He first appeared offering directions to Alice. And although most of these were allusive, this nonetheless led her to meet with March Hare. Which then led her to the mad hatter, and so on. It also appears that everyone in Wonderland fears the Cheshire Cat, maybe due to the fact that he is the craziest of them all.
But despite the crazies, he did serve as the guiding soul for Alice in her journey in Wonderland. And people love this oddball all the same! In this article we’ve listed the best Alice in Wonderland Cheshire Cat quotes.
Let’s dive into the rabbit hole. (If you want to read similar articles, then check out Minion Quotes or Bojack Horseman quotes)
9 Bizarre Cheshire Cat Quotes
Source: Alice in Wonderland (1951), from here
Alt tag: animated gif of Cheshire Cat saying “Most everyone’s mad here. You may have noticed I’m not all there myself.”
Here are our favorite Alice in Wonderland Cheshire Cat Quotes!
#1 “How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.”
#2 “If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take.”
#3 “Puurrfect. When you’re not on edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
#4 “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 all my life!”
#5 “You used to be much more…muchier. You’ve lost your muchness.”
#6 “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “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.”
#7 “Well, some go this way, and some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the short-cut.”
#8 “When the day becomes the night and the sky becomes the sea, When the clock strikes heavy and there’s no time for tea. And in our darkest hour, before my final rhyme, she will come back home to Wonderland and turn back the hands of time.”
#9 “Those who say there’s nothing like a nice cup of tea for calming the nerves never had *real* tea. It’s like a syringe of adrenaline straight to the heart!”
8 Short Cheshire Cat Quotes
Source: Alice in Wonderland (2010), from Tumblr
#1 “Goodbye, sweet hat.”
#2 “Delusions, too, die hard.”
#3 “You haven’t? Oh, but you must.”
#4 “Can you stand on your head?”
#5 “All this talk of blood and slaying has put me off my tea.”
#6 “You may have noticed that I’m not all there myself.”
#7 “The uninformed must improve their deficit, or die.”
#8 “I’m a stranger. You’re a stranger. Together, we are… strangers.”
17 Wise Cheshire Cat Sayings
Source: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), from here
Even though this cat is seemingly crazy-he does say some of the most philosophical quotes in Alice in Wonderland. The most popular among these Cheshire Cat quotes is the which way to go quote. In life, this can be interpreted as asking the question- how can you achieve something, if you don’t know what that something is.
#1
“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.
#2 “I am not crazy, my reality is just different from yours.”
#3 “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”
#4 “Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry. But if a ferret were about to dart up my dress, I’d run.”
#5 “A secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.”
#6 “I knew who I was this morning, but I have changed a few times since then.”
#7 “Every adventure requires a first step. Trite, but true, even here..”
#8 “Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do – some… don’t ever want to.”
#9 “Not all who wander are lost.”
#10 “No one does play fair if they think they can get away with it.”
#11 “Never let anyone drive you crazy; it is nearby anyway and the walk is good for you.”
#12 “This way? That way? Does it matter?”
#13 “How do you run from what is inside your head?”
#14 “A rose is still a rose, even hidden under different petals.”
#15 “Only the insane equate pain with success.”
#16 “If you’re gonna make it to the top, get a grip on this rock, and get a grip on yourself.”
#17 “Forgetting pain is convenient, remembering it; agonizing. But uncovering the truth is worth all the suffering. And our Wonderland, though damaged, is safe in memory….for now”
3 Cheshire Cat Quotes About Being Mad
Source: Alice in Wonderland (1951), from here
#1
“Have I gone mad?”
“I am afraid so, you are entirely bonkers. but I will tell you a secret… all the best people are.”
#2
“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.”
“I call it purring, not growling,” said Alice.
#3
Cheshire Cat : Or, you could ask the March Hare, in that direction.
Alice : Oh, thank you. I think I’ll see him…
Cheshire Cat : Of course, he’s mad, too.
Alice : But I don’t want to go among mad people.
Cheshire Cat : Oh, you can’t help that. Most everyone’s mad here.
14 Cheshire Cat Phrases and Dialogue
Source: Michael Provenza (Disney)
To start off, here are some Cheshire Cat Quotes from Disney classic Alice in Wonderland (1951).
#1
Cheshire Cat : You know? We could make her *really* angry! Shall we try?
Alice : Oh, no, no!
Cheshire Cat : Oh, but it’s loads of fun!
(Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
#2
Cheshire Cat : Oh, by the way, if you’d really like to know, he went that way.
Alice : Who did?
Cheshire Cat : The White Rabbit.
Alice : He did?
Cheshire Cat : He did what?
Alice : Went that way.
Cheshire Cat : Who did?
Alice : The White Rabbit.
Cheshire Cat : What rabbit?
(Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
#3
The Cheshire Cat: “Do you play croquet with the Queen to-day?”
Alice: “I should like it very much but I haven’t been invited yet.”
The Cheshire Cat: “You’ll see me there.”
(Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll)
#4 Cheshire Cat : [singing] “Twas brilig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: / All mimsy were the borogroves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.”
#5 “The proper order of things is often a mystery to me.”
(Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll)
#6 “I’m not crazy, my reality is just different than yours.”
(Alice in Wonderland, 2010)
#7
Alice: What are you doing?
Cheshire Cat: It needs to be looked at by someone with evaporating skills or it will fester and putrify.
(Alice in Wonderland, 2010)
#8
Cheshire Cat: What do you call yourself?
Alice: Alice.
Cheshire Cat: “The” Alice?
Alice: There’s been some debate about that.
Cheshire Cat: I never get involved in politics.
(Alice in Wonderland, 2010)
#9
“When you’ve understood this scripture, throw it away. If you can’t understand this scripture, throw it away. I insist on your freedom.”
(Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll)
#10
Alice: You’ve gone quite mangy, cat… but your grin’s a comfort.
Cheshire Cat : And you’ve picked up a bit of an attitude, still curious and willing to learn, I hope.
(Alice, 2000 Video Game)
#11 “Every picture tells a story. Sometimes we don’t like the ending. Sometimes we don’t understand it.”
(Alice, 2000 Video Game)
#12 “Somehow you strayed and lost your way, and now there’ll be no time to play, no time for joy, no time for friends – not even time to make amends.”
(Alice in Wonderland, 1985)
#13
Alice : It’s the Cheshire Cat! Oh, hello, Cheshire Cat.
Cheshire Cat : Hello. How do you like the Queen?
Alice : Not at all. I don’t like that of losing my head. Would you?
Cheshire Cat : I could hardly afford that.
(Alice in Wonderland, 1985)
#14 “I could hardly afford to lose my head.”
(Alice in Wonderland, 1985)
Wrapping Up
What do you think? Do you think that the Cheshire Cat is good, and served as Alice’ guiding soul? Or did you think that he’s a sneaky villain that only meant harm for Alice? Disney is also pretty much 50-50 on this. But whatever your opinion is of him; the Cheshire Cat will forever be the purple mysterious oddball in our hearts.
We hope you enjoyed the article, if you want to read more about devious or eccentric characters, then check out the following:
- 56 Sensible BoJack Horseman Quotes to Ponder On
- 66 Hilarious Deadpool Quotes (Die Laughing- In the Best Way)
- 25 Grinch Quotes (Let Go Of the Killjoy in You)
- Spongebob Quotes
