Snufkin Quotes

The main thing in life is to know your own mind.

Moominpappa: "Tell us all that's happening out in the world!" Snufkin: "Fuss and misery." - from "Moomin and Family Life" comic strip

The voice of the waves was now mixed with strange sounds; laughter, running feet and the clanging of great bells far out to sea. Snufkin lay still and listened. dreaming and remembering his trip round world. Soon I must set out again, he thought. But not yet.

The Hemulen, moaning piteously, thrust his nose into the sand. "This has gone too far!" he said. "Why can't a poor innocent botanist live his life in peace and quiet?" "Life is not peaceful," said Snufkin, contentedly.

I'm afraid we shall waste an awful lot of time." "Don't worry," answered Snufkin, "we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it'll be spring.

Where's your home then?" asked the Snork Maiden. "Nowhere," said Snufkin a little sadly, "or everywhere. It depends how you look at it.

Don’t worry we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it’ll be spring.

What are you thinking of discovering?" Moomintroll cleared his throat and felt very proud. "Oh, everything," he said. "Stars, for example!" Snufkin was deeply impressed. "Stars!" he exclaimed. "Then I must come with you. Stars are my favorite things. I always lie and look at them before I go to sleep, and wonder who is on them and how one could get there. The sky looks so friendly with all those little eyes twinkling in it.

The garnets,' Sniff moaned. 'I didn't get a single one.' Snufkin sat down beside him and said kindly: 'I know. But that's how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don't have to carry a suitcase.

But that's how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don't have to carry a suitcase.

Oh, dear me!" he lamented. "The raft has floated off and I suppose it's gone down that awful hole by now." "Well, never mind. We're not on it," said Snufkin gaily. "What's a kettle here or there when you're out looking for a comet!

You're an idiot," Snufkin said. "Or still worse, you're a story spoiler.

All his life Snufkin had longed to pull down notices that asked him not to do things he liked to do.

Where's your home, then?" asked the Snork Maiden. "Nowhere" said Snufkin a little sadly, "or everywhere. It depends on how you look at it." "Haven't you got a mother?" asked Moomintroll, looking very sorry for him. "I don't know," said Snufkin. "They tell me I was found in a basket." "Like Moses," said Sniff. "I like the story about Moses," said the Snork. "But I think his mother could have found a better way of saving him, don't you? The crocodiles might have eaten him up." "They nearly ate us up," said Sniff.

All the other stars keep to their courses, and go along just like trains on their rails, but comets can go absolutely anywhere; they pop up here and there wherever you least expect them." "Like me," said Snufkin, laughing. "They must be sky-tramps!" Moomintroll looked disapprovingly at him. "It's nothing to laugh at," he said. "It would be a terrible thing if a comet hit the earth.

And here I sit with my stamps in a complete muddle, and nobody has bothered to tell me what it's all about." "Listen now, Hemul," said Snufkin slowly and clearly. "It's about a comet that is going to collide with the earth tomorrow." "Collide?" said the Hemulen. "Has that anything to do with stamp-collecting?

Fancy that! What fun! Coming all this way just to see me!" "Well -- we didn't exactly," began Moomintroll, clambering ashore. "Never mind!" answered Snufkin. "The main thing is that you're here. You'll stay the night, won't you?" "We should love to," said Moomintroll. "We haven't seen a soul since we left home, and that was ages ago. Why in the world do you live here in this desert?" "I'm a tramp, and I live all over the place," answered Snufkin. "I wander about, and when I find a place that I like I put up my tent and play my mouth-organ.

That's not true, not grammar, and it doesn't even rhyme properly,' said Snufkin, and the subject was dropped.

It was a long time before the Snork came back with the wood. "Well, there you are at last," said his sister. "It took quite a time, said the Snork, "because, of course, I had to find pieces that were all exactly the same length." "Is he always so particular?" asked Snufkin. "He was born like that," said the Snork Maiden.

You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.

Isn't it a nice thing to know that someone's longing for you and waiting and waiting to see you again? (Little Creep to Snufkin)

Of course you have to feel free. Naturally you must go away. I do understand that you have to be alone sometimes. (Moomintroll to Snufkin)

Whatever are Snorks?" "Don't you really know what a Snork is?" said Snufkin in amazement. "They must be the same family as you, I should think, because they look the same, except that they aren't often white. They can be any color in the world (like an Easter egg), and they change color when they get upset." Moomintroll looked quite angry. "Well!" he said. "I've never heard of that branch of the family. A real Moomintroll is always white. Changing color indeed! What an idea!

The sea had changed. It was dark green now with white-horses, and the rocks shone yellow like phosphorus. Rumbling solemnly the thunder-storm came up from the south. It spread its black sail over the sea; it spread over half the sky and the lightning flashed with an ominous glint. "It's coming right over the island," thought Snufkin with a thrill of joy and excitement. He imagined he was sailing high up over the clouds, and perhaps shooting out to sea on a hissing flash of lightning.

Somewhere on the other side of it all is Snufkin,’ Moomintroll said to himself. ‘He’s sitting somewhere in the sun, peeling an orange. If I only knew that he knew that I’m climbing these mountains for his sake, then I could do it. But all alone I’ll never manage it.

The very last house stood all by itself under a dark green wall of fir-trees, and here the wild country really began. Snufkin walked faster and faster straight into the forst. Then the door of the last house opened a chink and a very old voice cried: 'Where are you off to?' 'I don't know,' Snufkin replied. The door shut again and Snufkin entered his forest, with a hundred miles of silence ahead of him.

At the end of the world there lies a mountain so high it makes you dizzy even to think about it. It is as black as soot, as smooth as silk, terribly steep, and where there should be a bottom, there are only clouds. But high up on the peak stands the Hobgoblin's House, and it looks like this." And Snufkin drew a house in the sand. "Hasn't it got any windows?" asked Sniff. "No," said Snufkin, "and it hasn't got a door either, because the Hobgoblin always goes home by air riding on a black panther. He goes out every night and collects rubies in his hat." "What did you say?" asked Sniff, with his eyes popping out of his head. "Rubies! Where does he get them from?" "The Hobgoblin can change himself into anything he likes," Snufkin answered, "and then he can crawl under the ground and even down onto the sea bed where buried treasure lies.

Now you can all have a wish -- the Moomin family first!" Moominmamma hesitated a bit. "Should it be something you can see?" she asked, "or an idea? If you know what I mean, Mr. Hobgoblin?" "Oh, yes!" said the Hobgoblin. "Things are easier of course, but it will work with an idea too." "Then I want to wish that Moomintroll will stop missing Snufkin," said Moominmamma. "Oh, dear!" said Moomintroll going pink, "I didn't know it was so obvious!" But the Hobgoblin waved his cloak once, and immediately the sadness flew out of Moomintroll's heart. His longing just became an expectancy, and that felt much better.

You can't ever be really free if you admire somebody too much

You can’t ever be really free if you admire somebody else too much

Don't worry, we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it will be spring

You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is

You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is

How happy he must be, this Hobgoblin," exclaimed Sniff. "He isn't a bit," replied Snufkin, "and he won't be until he finds the King's Ruby. It's almost as big as the black panther's head, and to look into it is like looking at leaping flames. The Hobgoblin has looked for the King's Ruby on all the planets including Neptune -- but he hasn't found it. Just now he has gone off to the moon to search in the craters, but he hasn't much hope of success, because in his heart of hearts the Hobgoblin believes that the King's Ruby lies in the sun, where he can never go because it is too hot.

The star we're looking for isn't so very friendly," said Moomintroll. "Quite the contrary, in fact." "What did you say?" said Sniff. Moomintroll went a bit red. "I mean -- stars in general," he said, "big and small, friendly and unfriendly, and so on." "Can they be unfriendly?" asked Snufkin. "Yes -- ones with tails," answered Moomintroll. "Comets." At last it dawned on Sniff. "You're hiding something from me!" he said accusingly. "That pattern we saw everywhere, and you said it didn't mean anything!" "You're too small to be told everything," answered Moomintroll. "Too small!" screamed Sniff. "I must say it's a fine thing to take me on an expedition of discovery and not tell me what I'm supposed to be discovering!

I thought it was another avalanche. This morning it was terrible." "What was?" asked Sniff. "The avalanche, of course," answered the Hemulen. "Quite terrible! Rocks the size of houses bouncing about like hail-stones! My best glass jar was broken, and I myself had to move quite quickly to get out of the way." "I'm afraid we happened to knock a few stones down as we were passing," said Snufkin. "It's so easily done walking on these tracks." "Do you mean to say it was you who made the avalanche?" said the Hemulen. "Well -- yes -- sort of," Snufkin answered. "I never thought very much of you," said the Hemulen slowly, "and now I think even less.

But Snufkin took out his mouth-organ and played his gayest adventure-song (not just-the-right-sized adventure, but a terrific one) about rescues and surprises and sunshine.