Carlo Collodi

“In the Land of Toys, every day, except Sunday, is a Saturday. Vacation begins on the first of January and ends on the last day of December. That is the place for me! All countries should be like it! How happy we should all be!”

“If only sugar were medicine! I should take it every day.”

“Never trust people who promise to make you rich in a day. They are generally crazy swindlers”

“Today at school I will learn to read at once; then tomorrow I will begin to write, and the day after tomorrow to cipher. Then with my acquirements I will earn a great deal of money, and with the first money I have in my pocket I will immediately buy for my papa a beautiful new cloth coat. But what am I saying? Cloth, indeed! It shall be all made of gold and silver, and it shall have diamond buttons. That poor man really deserves it; for to buy me books and to have me taught he has remained in his shirt sleeves... And in this cold! It is only fathers who are capable of such sacrifices!...”

“Davvero - disse fra se il burattino rimettendosi in viaggio – come siamo disgraziati noialtri ragazzi! Tutti ci sgridano, tutti ci ammoniscono, tutti ci danno dei consigli. A lasciarli dire, tutti si metterebbero in capo di essere i nostri babbi e i nostri maestri: tutti anche i Grilli-parlanti. Ecco qui: perché io non ho voluto dar retta a quell’uggioso di Grillo, chi lo sa quante disgrazie, secondo lui, mi dovrebbero accadere! Dovrei incontrare anche gli assassini! Meno male che agli assassini io non ci credo, né ci ho creduto mai. Per me gli assassini sono stati inventati apposta dai babbi, per far paura ai ragazzi che vogliono andare fuori la notte. E poi anche se li trovassi qui sulla strada, mi darebbero forse soggezione? Neanche per sogno. Andrei loro sul viso gridando: “Signori Assassini, cosa vogliono da me? Si rammentino che con me non si scherza. Se ne vadano per i fatti loro, e zitti!” A questa parlantina fatta sul serio, quei poveri assassini, mi par di vederli, scapperebbero via come il vento. Caso poi fossero tanto delicati da non voler scappare, allora scapparei io, e così la farei finita...”

“Where are the gold pieces now?' the Fairy asked. 'I lost them,' answered Pinocchio, but he told a lie, for he had them in his pocket. As he spoke, his nose, long though it was, became at least two inches longer.”

“Most unfortunately, in the lives of puppets there is always a 'but' that spoils everything.”

“After they had gone another mile, Pinocchio heard the same little low voice saying to him:'Bear it in mind, simpleton! Boys who refuse to study, and turn their backs upon books, schools, and masters, to pass their time in play and amusements, sooner or later come to a bad end... I know it by experience... and I can tell you. A day will come when you will weep as I am weeping now... but then it will be too late!...'On hearing these words whispered very softly, the puppet, more frightened than ever, sprang down from the back of his donkey and went and took hold of his mouth.Imagine his surprise when he found that the donkey was crying... and he was crying like a boy!”

“Are you not afraid of death?'I am not in the least afraid!... I would rather die than drink that bitter medicine.'At that moment the door of the room flew open, and four rabbits as black as ink entered carrying on their shoulders a little bier.What do you want with me?' cried Pinocchio, sitting up in bed in a great fright.We are come to take you,' said the biggest rabbit.To take me?... But I am not yet dead!...'No, not yet: but you have only a few minutes to live, as you have refused the medicine that would have cured you of the fever.'Oh, Fairy, Fairy!' the puppet then began to scream, 'give me the tumbler at once... be quick, for pity's sake, for I will not die--no... I will not die....”

“Would it be possible to find a more ungrateful boy, or one with less heart than I have!”

“What matters school? We can go to school to-morrow. Whether we have a lesson more or a lesson less, we shall always remain the same donkeys.”

“olhinhos de madeira, por que me fitam?”