Norton Juster
Norton Juster
Norton Justeris an American academic, architect, and popular writer. He is best known as an author of children's books, notably for The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth2 June 1929
CityBrooklyn, NY
CountryUnited States of America
teacher school kids
I remember when I was a kid in school and teachers would explain things to me about what I read, and I'd think, Where did they get that? I didn't read that in there. Later you look at it and think, That's kind of an interesting idea
home school somewhere-else
When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he'd even bothered.
education school important
...it's not just learning that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things that matters.
reason
But as you know, the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between.
american-architect books writers written
It was really written as most, I think, books are by writers - for themselves. There was something that just had to be written, in a way that it had to be written. If you know what I mean.
ignorance like-you far-away
Is everyone who lives in Ignorance like you?" asked Milo. "Much worse," he said longingly. "But I don't live here. I'm from a place very far away called Context.
way looks phantom-tollbooth
The way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from.
infinity phantom-tollbooth poor
Infinity is a dreadfully poor place. They can never manage to make ends meet.
mistake phantom-tollbooth children-book
You must never feel badly about making mistakes,
phantom-tollbooth
Many of the things which can never be, often are.
sweet memories tears
He paused again as a tear of longing rolled from cheek to lip with the sweet-salty taste of an old memory.
eye phantom-tollbooth noticing
There is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye.
why-not phantom-tollbooth reason
Why not? That's a good reason for almost anything - a bit used perhaps, but still quite serviceable.
stars growing-up sky
Does everyone grow the way you do?" puffed Milo when he had caught up. "Almost everyone," replied Alec, and then he stopped a moment and thought. "Now and then, though, someone does begin to grow differently. Instead of down, his feet grow up towards the sky. But we do our best to discourage awkward things like that." "What happens to them?" insisted Milo. "Oddly enough, they often grow ten times the size of everyone else," said Alec thoughtfully, "and I've heard that they walk among the stars." And with that he skipped off once again toward the waiting woods.