Maurice Sendak Quotes

And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.

I have nothing now but praise for my life. I'm not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can't stop them. They leave me and I love them more...

Sendak is in search of what he calls a "yummy death". William Blake set the standard, jumping up from his death bed at the last minute to start singing. "A happy death," says Sendak. "It can be done." He lifts his eyebrows to two peaks. "If you're William Blake and totally crazy.

The day after Paul Newman was dead, he was twice as dead.

Each month is gay,
Each season nice,
When eating
Chicken soup
With rice

There's so much more to book than just reading

It's only adults who read the top layers most of the time. I think children read the internal meanings of everything.

I remember my own childhood vividly...I knew terrible things. But I knew I mustn't let adults know I knew. It would scare them

. . .from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, they continually cope with frustrations as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming Wild Things.

And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming wild things.

You cannot write for children. They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.

But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go - we’ll eat you up - we love you so!”
And Max said, “No!”
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye.

Childhood is cannibals and psychotics vomiting in your mouth!