It took me a very ridiculously long time to make it through this story. I might just be burning myself out on Oz stories, but so much of this seemed "too good to be true" even for the magic land of Oz. But onward I will go into story 8 very soon.
"The more one knows, the luckier he is, for knowledge is the greatest gift in life."
"Horrid? Why, I'm thoroughly delightful. I'm an Original, if you please, and therefore incomparable. Of all the comic, absurd, rare and amusing creatures the world contains, I must be the supreme freak. Who but poor Margolotte could have managed to invent such an unreasonable being as I? But I'm glad -I'm awfully glad! - that I'm just what I am, and nothing else."
"No one can be unlucky who has the intelligence to direct his own actions."
"Don't bother my head by asking conundrums, I beg of you. Just let me discover myself in my own way."
"It's classical music, and is considered the best and most puzzling ever manufactured. You're supposed to like it, whether you do or not, and if you don't, the proper thing is to look as if you did. Understand?"
"Please don't quarrel, this is a very important journey, and quarrelling makes me discouraged. To be brave, one must be cheerful, so I hope you will be as good-tempered as possible."
"Some are [dignified], and some are not, but I never criticize my friends. If they are really true friends, they may be anything they like, for all of me."
"We have wells, you know, but the're all well lighted, and a well lighted well cannot well be a dark well."
"He said we were lacking in understand, because we had only one leg to a person. I can't see that legs have anything to do with understanding things."
Reading old books like this can be challenging, but the nuggets of information and just the insight into life back then can also be fascinating. This particular story was written in 1913, and one of the characters, the Horners, decorate their houses with radium. I Googled Radium and it is an element, but there's also a ton of information on Radium Girls which is a very interesting story about a very sad reality of life back then. From what I understand consumers believed that the element was almost a life tonic, even though in large doses it was dangerous. So it's interesting to think, did the author believe in the positive qualities of radium? Or was this tidbit of people living among radium, calling it medicine, a kind of social commentary that perhaps we should consider the negative side of the element as well?
"We must turn over a new leaf and call you henceforth Ojo the Lucky. Ever reason you have given [for being unlucky] is absurd. But I have noticed that those who continually dread ill luck and fear it will overtake them, have no time to take advantage of any good fortune that comes their way. Make up your mind to be Ojo the Lucky."
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