Cover of Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

by Shel Silverstein

30 popular highlights from this book

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Key Insights & Memorable Quotes

Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from Where the Sidewalk Ends:

“I will not play at tug o' war.I'd rather play at hug o' war,Where everyone hugsInstead of tugs,Where everyone gigglesAnd rolls on the rug,Where everyone kisses,And everyone grins,And everyone cuddles,And everyone wins.”
“My skin is kind of sort of brownish pinkish yellowish white. My eyes are greyish blueish green, but I'm told they look orange in the night. My hair is reddish blondish brown, but its silver when its wet, and all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.”
“MagicSandra’s seen a leprechaun,Eddie touched a troll,Laurie danced with witches once,Charlie found some goblins gold.Donald heard a mermaid sing,Susy spied an elf,But all the magic I have knownI've had to make myself.”
“There is a place where the sidewalk endsAnd before the street begins,And there the grass grows soft and white,And there the sun burns crimson bright,And there the moon-bird rests from his flightTo cool in the peppermint wind.Let us leave this place where the smoke blows blackAnd the dark street winds and bends.Past the pits where the asphalt flowers growWe shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,And watch where the chalk-white arrows goTo the place where the sidewalk ends.Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,For the children, they mark, and the children, they knowThe place where the sidewalk ends.”
“EARLY BIRDOh, if you’re a bird, be an early birdAnd catch the worm for your breakfast plate.If you’re a bird, be an early early bird--But if you’re a worm, sleep late.”
“Once I spoke the language of the flowers,Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,And shared a conversation with the houseflyin my bed.Once I heard and answered all the questionsof the crickets,And joined the crying of each falling dyingflake of snow,Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .How did it go?How did it go?”
“And all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.”
“So I'm all of love that could make it today.”
“If you are a dreamer, come in,If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...If you're a pretender come sit by my fireFor we have some flax-golden tales to spin.Come in!Come in!”
“I'm making a listI'm making a list of things I must sayFor politeness,And goodness and kindness and gentlenessSweetness and rightness:HelloPardon meHow are you?Excuse meBless youMay I?Thank youGoodbyeIf you know some that I've forgot,Please stick them in you eye!”
“If the track is tough and the hill is rough,THINKING you can just ain't enough!”
“ALICEShe drank from a bottle called DRINK MEAnd she grew so tall,She ate from a plate called TASTE MEAnd down she shrank so small.And so she changed, while other folksNever tried nothin' at all.”
“Are wild strawberries really wild?Will they scratch an adult, will they snap at a child?Should you pet them, or let them run free where they roam?Could they ever relax in a steam-heated home?Can they be trained to not growl at the guests?Will a litterbox work or would they make a mess?Can we make them a Cowberry, herding the cows,or maybe a Muleberry pulling the plows,or maybe a Huntberry chasing the grouse,or maybe a Watchberry guarding the house,and though they may curl up at your feet oh so sweetlycan you ever feel that you trust them completely?Or should we make a pet out of something less scary, like the Domestic Prune or the Imported Cherry, Anyhow, you've been warned and I will not be blamed if your Wild Strawberries cannot be tamed.”
“But all the magic I have knownI've had to make myself.”
“My beard grows down to my toes,I never wears no clothes,I wraps my hairAround my bare,And down the road I goes.”
“Just Me, Just MeSweet Marie, she loves just me(She also loves Maurice McGhee).No she don't, she loves just me(She also loves Louise Dupree).No she don't, she loves just me(She also loves the willow tree).No she don't, she loves just me!(Poor, poor fool, why can't you seeShe can love others and still love thee.)”
“Ricky was "L" but he's home with the flu,Lizzie, our "O," had some homework to do,Mitchell, "E" prob'ly got lost on the way,So I'm all of the love that could make it today.”
“He wasted his wishes on wishing.”
“It's amazing the differenceA bit of sky can make.”
“I opened my eyesAnd looked up at the rain,And it dripped in my headAnd flowed into my brain,And all that I hear as I lie in my bedIs the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.I step very softly,I walk very slow,I can't do a handstand--I might overflow,So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.”
“INVISIBLE BOYAnd here we see the invisible boyIn his lovely invisible house,Feeding a piece of invisible cheeseTo a little invisible mouse.Oh, what a beautiful picture to see!Will you draw an invisible picture for me?”
“Ol' man Simon, planted a diamond. Grew hisself a garden the likes of none. Sprouts all growin' comin' up glowin' Fruit of jewels all shinin' in the sun. Colors of the rainbow. See the sun and the rain grow sapphires and rubies on ivory vines, Grapes of jade, just ripenin' in the shade, just ready for the squeezin' into green jade wine. Pure gold corn there, Blowin' in the warm air. Ol' crow nibblin' on the amnythyst seeds. In between the diamonds, Ol' man Simon crawls about pullin' out platinum weeds. Pink pearl berries, all you can carry, put 'em in a bushel and haul 'em into town. Up in the tree there's opal nuts and gold pears- Hurry quick, grab a stick and shake some down. Take a silver tater, emerald tomater, fresh plump coral melons. Hangin' in reach. Ol' man Simon, diggin' in his diamonds, stops and rests and dreams about one... real... peach.”
“This boat that we just built is just fine - And don't try to tell us it's not The sides and the back are divine - It's the bottom I guess we forgot”
“​Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,Listen to the DON'TSListen to the SHOULDN'TSThe IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TSListen to the NEVER HAVESThen listen close to me—Anything can happen, child,ANYTHING can be.”
“If you want to marry me, here's what you'll have to do:You must learn how to make a perfect chicken-dumpling stew.And you must sew my holey socks,And soothe my troubled mind,And develop the knack for scratching my back,And keep my shoes spotlessly shined.And while I rest you must rake up the leaves,And when it is hailing and snowingYou must shovel the walk...and be still when I talk,And-hey-where are you going?”
“Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends.Past the pits where the asphalt flowers growWe shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,And watch where the chalk-white arrows goTo the place where the sidewalk ends.”
“If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.A crumb of cake would be a feastAnd last you seven days at least,A flea would be a frightening beastIf you were one inch tall.If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,And it would take about a month to get down to the store.A bit of fluff would be your bed,You'd swing upon a spider's thread,And wear a thimble on your headIf you were one inch tall.You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.You'd run from people's feet in fright,To move a pen would take all night,(This poem took fourteen years to write--'Cause I'm just one inch tall).”
“Eighteen luscuios scrumpitous flavors,Chocolate,Lime and CherryCoffee,Pumpkin, Fudge-Banana,Caramel Cream and boysenberry.Rocky Road and Toasted Almond, Butterscotch,Vanilla Dip, Butter Brinkle,Apple Ripple,Coconut,and Mocha Chip, Brandy Peach and Lemon Custard.Each scoop lovely.smooth and round. Tallest cream cone in town lying there on the ground.”
“TREE HOUSEA tree house, a free house,A secret you and me house,A high up in the leafy branchesCozy as can be house.A street house, a neat house,Be sure to wipe your feet houseIs not my kind of house at all- Let's go live in a tree house.”
“There is a place where the sidewalk ends.”

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