The Grimm Conclusion Quotes

“Being the reader of a dark fairy tale is much like being the hero of one. Our lives are filled with pain, boredom, and fear. We want to venture into the dark wood, to see the oddities and the beauties it holds, and to test ourselves against them. So we pick up a book of fairy tales. The real ones. THe weird ones. The dark ones. We see oddities and beauties galore. We test our courage and our understanding. Finally, we put the book down and return to our lives. And hopefully, just like the hero of the fairy tale, we return stronger, richer, and wiser. In difficult times - of recession and violence and political bitterness - we long for a dark forest to which we can escape; and from which we can return, better than we were before.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“There is a power in children. There is a belief. A strength. A joy that makes just about anything possible.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Wait!” the prince exclaimed. “After you kill it, can I ride it?”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“And if this seems strange to you—that, under these difficult, frightening, and outlandish circumstances, children might be happy...well, then you don't know all that much about children.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“But Joringel had no chance to answer. For Jorinda ran at her brother and threw her arms around him and held him so tight he could not breathe.

Little Jorinda and little Joringel held each other for a long, long time. Neither said a word.
At last Joringel withdrew and looked at his sister. "If you won't leave me," he whispered, "I won't leave you”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“(T)hey at last understood that their problems would never have been solved by trying to cover them up or choke them back or pretend they didn't exist. By repression. No, their problems could only be solved by expression. By telling their tales, and by making up new ones, too.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Anger is a weed...It grows up through the soil, choking every other plant. You must stamp it out. Don't let it enter your garden. Stamp out your anger until it never comes back.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Well, maybe a little bit . . . I said. Just so you know that Hansel and Gretel will be okay. Where should I start? “When they get their heads cut off!” Joringel shouted.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“But God keeps making stupid jokes.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“A “blind,” in case you don’t know, is where a hunter waits for his quarry. “Quarry,” in case you don’t know, is what you call the animal that the hunter is trying to kill. If you don’t know what “animal” or “trying” or “kill” means, this book is probably above your reading level.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“BANG! The bird dropped the millstone right on his head. And it sang, What a beautiful bird am I!”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“sometimes these women are called Fairies, and sometimes they are called Witches. No one really seems to know what they were. You call them whatever you want. Call them Zombies in Tutus,”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“The versions of these stories that most people tell are indeed cute and sweet and incredibly, mind-numbingly, want-to-hit-yourself-in-the-head-with-a-sledgehammer-ingly-boring.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Because, you see, in life, every triumph begins with failure.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“You see, my parents never cut off my head physically...But maybe emotionally...Most parents love their children and try to take care of them the best that they can. But parents mess up, all the time.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Even nice girls sometimes fight wars with themselves.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“He seemed like such a nice boy! Maybe a little stupid. Well, maybe incredibly stupid.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“And Jeff—kept gluing things to his face.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Wait!” the prince exclaimed. “After you kill it, can I ride it?” The king looked at his son like he had two heads.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“There was a horse licking her face.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“An accident,” the king said. The prince looked up. “Like, in her pants?” The king exhaled loudly. Fänger said, “You can rely on me, your highness.” The huntsman bowed to the king and the prince and slipped silently from the room. “What kind of accident?” the prince asked. “Number one or number two?” The king closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“That place between his heart and his chest”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Extraordinary Plants of Great Power, by F. Johannes.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“By the way, the next time you see a little girl who’s excited for Halloween, and she says, “I want to be Cinderella! I want to be Cinderella!” you’ll know that what she’s actually saying is, “I want to be Toilet Cleaner! I want to be Toilet Cleaner!”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“Well, feelings become words, and words become deeds, Jorinda was not only sneering at compliments, but also at complaints. She was not only jerking her head away to avoid seeing smiles, but also to avoid seeing tears. She frowned not just at those who bowed to her. She frowned at everyone.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

“And never cry," she said. "Choke back your tears. Tears are waves on the ocean of sadness. You will drown in them if you're not careful. Believe me. I know.”
― Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion