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Oh, The Places You'll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a rhyming children's picture book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and published by Random House on January 22, 1990. Told in the second person, it addresses the reader directly as "you" and… more

First published 1990 · 56 pages · English

29 quotes ★ 4.37 (448,835) Fiction

Quotes from the Book

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...
You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!
So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.
You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Things may happen and often do to people as brainy and footsy as you
Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
It's opener, out there, in the wide, open air.
And when you're alone there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
When you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. but mostly they're darked. But mostly they're darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
Fame you'll be famous, as famous as can be, with everyone watching you win on TV, Except when they don't because sometimes they won't..
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!
Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. Oh! The places you'll go!
So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!
Out there things can happen, and frequently do, To people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along, you'll start happening too!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't Because, sometimes they won't. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you.
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind maker-upper to make up his mind
You can get so confused that you'll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The Waiting Place...
I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
You have brains in your head you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
The more you read the more places you will go,the more places you go the more things you will learn.
remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So get on your way!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go... Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't Because, sometimes they won't. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot. And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on... You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never foget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, You're off the Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!

Did you know?

  • It was the last book Dr. Seuss published during his lifetime, released about a year and a half before his death in September 1991.
  • Unlike most of Seuss's books, it is written in the second person, addressing the reader directly as "you."
  • It has become a hugely popular graduation gift in the U.S. and Canada, with sales spiking every year in the April-to-June graduation season.
  • It reached number one on The New York Times Best-Selling Fiction Hardcover list.
  • The book features "The Waiting Place," a spot where people are stuck endlessly waiting for something to happen.

About Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss was the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), an American children's author and illustrator born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He wrote and illustrated more than 60 books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, and received a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 1984.

More about the author →

About the book

Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a rhyming children's picture book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and published by Random House on January 22, 1990. Told in the second person, it addresses the reader directly as "you" and follows that unnamed figure setting out on the journey of life, moving through bright, geometric landscapes toward great possibilities. It was the last book Dr. Seuss published during his lifetime, appearing about a year and a half before his death in September 1991.

The book frames life as an open road of soaring highs and difficult lows. Its journey passes through slumps and lonely stretches, most memorably "The Waiting Place," where people are stuck endlessly waiting for something to happen, before urging the reader onward past setbacks toward success. Its central themes are self-reliance, perseverance, and the courage to keep moving even when the way is uncertain, all carried in Seuss's characteristic playful verse and whimsical illustration.

Because of its encouraging, forward-looking message, the book became an enormously popular gift for graduates from kindergarten through college in the United States and Canada, with sales spiking each year in the April-to-June graduation season. It reached number one on The New York Times Best-Selling Fiction Hardcover list and has repeatedly returned to bestseller lists in the decades since, cementing its place as one of Dr. Seuss's most enduring and widely gifted works.

Key characters

  • YouThe unnamed second-person protagonist and reader, setting out on the journey of life

Book details

First published
1990
Length
56 pages
Reading time
1 hour
Author
Dr. Seuss
Genre
Fiction
Goodreads rating
4.37 (449k ratings)
First line
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!”

If you liked this, read…

  1. 1
    The LoraxAnother Dr. Seuss book pairing playful verse with an earnest, life-shaping message
  2. 2
    The Giving TreeA gently philosophical picture book often given as a milestone gift
  3. 3
    I Wish You MoreA warm, encouraging picture book frequently given for graduations and new beginnings

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