Quotes from Heidi

Johanna Spyri ·  352 pages

Rating: (158.6K votes)


“I want to go about like the light-footed goats.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“I'll always say my prayers... and if God doesn't answer them at once I shall know it's because He's planning something better for me.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“God certainly knows of some happiness for us which He is going to bring out of the trouble, only we must have patience and not run away. And then all at once something happens and we see clearly ourselves that God has had some good thought in His mind all along; but because we cannot see things beforehand, and only know how dreadfully miserable we are, we think it is always going to be so.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“God is good to all of us. He knows what we need better than we do. And just because he thinks it is better not to give you what you want right now doesn't mean he isn't answering you. You shall have what you ask for but not until the right time comes.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“Flowers are made to bloom in the sun and not to be shut up in an apron.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



“We must never forget to pray, and to ask God to remember us when He is arranging things, so that we too may feel safe and have no anxiety about what is going to happen.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“If you have a sorrow that you cannot tell to anyone, you can go to our Father in Heaven.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“God arranges everything for us, so that we need have no more fear or trouble and may be quite sure that all things will come right in the end.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“She is not fashioned for a life among strangers.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“God is good to all of us. He knows what we need better than we do. And just because he thinks it is better not to give you what you want right now doesn't mean he isn't answering you. You shall have what you ask for but not until the right time comes." - Grandmamma”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



“The poor child felt like a little bird that is placed in a glittering cage.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“Not long after, and while it was still twilight, the grandfather also went to bed, for he was up every morning at sunrise, and the sun came climbing up over the mountains at a very early hour during these summer months. The wind grew so tempestuous during the night, and blew in such gusts against the walls, that the hut trembled and the old beams groaned and creaked. It came howling and wailing down the chimney like voices of those in pain, and it raged with such fury among the old fir trees that here and there a branch was snapped and fell. In the middle of the night the old man got up. "The child will be frightened," he murmured half aloud. He mounted the ladder and went and stood by the child's bed.

Outside the moon was struggling with the dark, fast-driving clouds, which at one moment left it clear and shining, and the next swept over it, and all again was dark. Just now the moonlight was falling through the round window straight on to Heidi's bed. She lay under the heavy coverlid, her cheeks rosy with sleep, her head peacefully resting on her little round arm, and with a happy expression on her baby face as if dreaming of something pleasant. The old man stood looking down on the sleeping child until the moon again disappeared behind the clouds and he could see no more, then he went back to bed.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“It was so lovely, Heidi stood with tears pouring down her cheeks, and thanked God for letting her come home to it again. She could find no words to express her feelings, but lingered until the light began to fade and then ran on.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“No, but I feel as if a big stone is pressing me here.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“Let's enjoy the beautiful things we can see, my dear, and not think about those we cannot.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



“I'm making the bed now, oh, do come up and bring a sheet grandfather, for every bed must have a sheet.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“For mercy's sake, the child is crazy!" exclaimed Miss Rottenmeier, running up the stairs. In her hurry she had bumped into Sebastian, who was just then coming down. "Bring the unlucky child up!" she called to him, rubbing her head. "All right, many thanks," answered the butler, rubbing his head, too, for he had encountered something far harder than she had.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“Dont grieve any more, see I am coming up with you everyday now, and if there is anything the matter, you can come to me.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“...if you take big steps and climb with all your little might!”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“The happiest of all things is when an old friend comes and greets us as in former times; the heart is comforted with the assurance that some day everything that we have loved will be given back”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



“Heidi came running in, "Grandfather can the sun still laugh at me? she asked”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“What on earth shall I do”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“But she had to go to bed first, and all night she slept soundly on her bed of hay, dreaming of nothing but of shining mountains with red roses all over them, among which happy little Snowflake went leaping in and out.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“You mustn't hurt him. Let him go”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“The grandfather explained to her that it was the sun that did it. "When he says good-night to the mountains he throws his most beautiful colors over them, so that they may not forget him before he comes again the next day.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



“The fire in the evening was the best of all. Peter said is wasn't fie, but he couldn't tell me what it really was. You can thought, Grandfather, can't you?'
'It's the sun's way of saying goodnight to the mountains' he explained. 'He spreads that beautiful light over them so that they won't forget him till he comes back in the morning.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“I want to be able to run about like the goats do.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“O how beautiful, look at the crimson snow! And up there on the rocks there are ever so many roses!”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“God is a good father to us all, and knows better than we do what is good for us. If we ask Him for something that is not good for us, He does not give it, but something better still, if only we will continue to pray earnestly and do not run away and lose our trust in Him. God did not think what you have been praying for was good for you just now; but be sure He heard you, for He can hear and see every one at the same time, because He is a God and not a human being like you and me. And because He thought it was better for you not to have at once what you wanted, He said to Himself: Yes, Heidi shall have what she asks for, but not until the right time comes, so that she may be quite happy.”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi


“If God had let me come at once, as I prayed, then everything would have been different, I should only have had a little bread to bring to grandmother, and I should not have been able to read, which is such a comfort to her; but God has arranged it all so much better than I knew how to; everything has happened just as the other grandmother said it would”
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi



About the author

Johanna Spyri
Born place: in Hirzel, Switzerland
Born date June 12, 1827
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“Warren Jeffs is both a problem and the symptom of a problem. The FLDS has created a lot of Warrens, men who are intoxicated with their own power, believing they need at least three wives to get into heaven and wanting to dominate women and children. Generation after generation of believers have been conditioned to equate obedience with salvation. People who have never been taught of allowed to think for themselves don't suddenly change. Change it too frightening. ”
― Carolyn Jessop, quote from Escape


“For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, quote from The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes


“(...) You Sophotechs are smarter than I am; why did you let me do such a foolish thing?”

“We answer every question our resources and instruction parameters allow; we are more than happy to advise you, when and if we are asked.”

“That’s not what I’m thinking of, and you know it.”

“You are thinking we should use force to defend you against yourself against your will? That is hardly a thought worth thinking, sir. Your life has exactly the value you yourself place on it. It is yours to damage or ruin as you wish.”
(...)
“Is that another hint? Are you saying I’m destroying my life? People at the party, twice now, have said or implied that I’m going to endanger the Oecumene itself. Who stopped me?”

“Not I. While life continues, it cannot be made to be without risk. The assessment of whether or not a certain risk is worth taking depends on subjective value-judgments. About such judgments even reasonable men can differ. We Sophotechs will not interfere with such decisions. (...) If we were to overrule your ownership of your own life, your life, would, in effect, become our property, and you, in effect, would become merely the custodian or trustee of that life. Do you think you would value it more in such a case, or less? And if you valued it less, would you not take greater risks and behave more self-destructively? If, on the other hand, each man’s life is his own, he may experiment freely, risking only what is his, till he find his best happiness.”

“I see the results of failed experiments all around us, in these cylinders. I see wasted lives, and people trapped in mind sets and life forms which lead nowhere.”

“While life continues, experimentation and evolution must also. The pain and risk of failure cannot be eliminated. The most we can do is maximize human freedom, so that no man is forced to pay for another man’s mistakes, so that the pain of failure falls only on he who risks it. And you do not know which ways of life lead nowhere. Even we Sophotechs do not know where all paths lead.”

“How benevolent of you! We will always be free to be stupid.”

“Cherish that freedom, young master; it is basic to all others.”
― quote from The Golden Age


“It was more awkward than the time I caught my parents having sex… before church, and we all had to ride together in that strangely hot, too small car to God's house.”
― Shelly Crane, quote from Independence


“What place does a woman have here, in the realm of men?”
― Lisa Ann Sandell, quote from Song of the Sparrow


Interesting books

The Raven Prince
(16.2K)
The Raven Prince
by Elizabeth Hoyt
Ramayana
(5.4K)
Ramayana
by Vālmīki
Goddess of the Sea
(8.9K)
Goddess of the Sea
by P.C. Cast
The Snow Queen
(10.5K)
The Snow Queen
by Joan D. Vinge
Spoon River Anthology
(7.5K)
Spoon River Antholog...
by Edgar Lee Masters
The Pillars of Creation
(47.6K)
The Pillars of Creat...
by Terry Goodkind

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.