The further off from England the nearer is to France-_x000D_ _x000D_ Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Lewis CarrollRead
Mad Hatter: “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?” “Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again. “No, I give it up,” Alice replied: “What’s the answer?” “I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the absurdity and ambiguity of life and knowledge.
In this dialogue from Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', the Mad Hatter poses a riddle to Alice that ultimately has no answer, emphasizing the whimsical and nonsensical nature of the world around them. The interaction reflects a theme of exploring the limitations of logic and understanding, suggesting that not all questions have clear or meaningful answers, provoking thought about the nature of inquiry itself.
Themes
RavenWriting-DeskRiddleAbsurdityPhilosophyKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the unpredictable nature of life, this quote can be used to illustrate that some questions don't have answers.
More from Lewis Carroll
All quotes →To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said 'I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head. Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be, Come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me.
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So she was considering in her own mind...whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up & picking the daisies.
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Once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.
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Crawling at your feet,' said the Gnat (Alice drew her feet back in some alarm), `you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings are thin slices of Bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of sugar.' And what does IT live on?' Weak tea with cream in it.' A new difficulty came into Alice's head. `Supposing it couldn't find any?' she suggested. Then it would die, of course.' But that must happen very often,' Alice remarked thoughtfully. It always happens,' said the Gnat.
Lewis CarrollRead
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