The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialization in The American Magazine (November 1910 – August 1911). Profoundly inspirational Secret Garden quotes will fire up your brain and encourage you to look at life differently while making you laugh.
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Famous Secret Garden Quotes
Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul. — Secret Garden
He knew nothing in the world … because he was a real person. — Secret Garden
The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place. The few books she had read and liked had been fairy-story books, and she had read of secret gardens in some of the stories.
But of course he is doing now of his own free will what we could not make him do before. — Colin Craven-Dr. Craven
She frowned because she remembered that her father and mother had never talked to her about anything in particular. Certainly they had never told her things. — Mary Lennox
I’ll never tell about it, he answered. But I says to mother, Mother,’ I says, I got a secret to keep. It’s not a bad un, tha’ knows that. It’s no worse than hidin’ where a bird’s nest is. Tha’ doesn’t mind it, does tha’? Mary always wanted to hear about mother. What did she say? she asked, not at all afraid to hear. Dickon grinned sweet-temperedly. It was just like her, what she said, he answered. She give my head a bit of a rub an’ laughed an’ she says, Eh, lad, tha’ can have all th’ secrets tha’ likes. I’ve knowed thee twelve year’. — Secret Garden
It’ll do thee good to wait on thysen a bit. — Secret Garden
At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done—then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago. — Secret Garden
She frowned because she remembered that her father and mother had never talked to her about anything in particular. Certainly they had never told her things. — Secret Garden
Two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way – or always to have it.
Two things cannot be in one place. Where, you tend a rose, my lad / A thistle cannot grow. — Secret Garden
Mary stood near the door with her candle in her hand, holding her breath. Then she crept across the room, and, as she drew nearer, the light attracted the boy’s attention and he turned his head on his pillow and stared at her, his gray eyes opening so wide that they seemed immense. Who are you? he said at last in a half-frightened whisper. Are you a ghost? No, I am not, Mary answered, her own whisper sounding half frightened. Are you one? — Secret Garden
Sometimes since I’ve been in the garden I’ve looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something were pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden—in all the places. The Magic in this garden has made me stand up and know I am going to live to be a man. — Colin Craven
Take me into the garden, my boy … And tell me all about it. — Secret Garden
And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles. — Secret Garden
Even Mary had found out that one of Colin’s chief peculiarities was that he did not know in the least what a rude little brute he was with his way of ordering people about. He had lived on a sort of desert island all his life and as he had been the king of it he had made his own manners and had had no one to compare himself with. — Colin Craven
Colin flushed triumphantly. He had made himself believe that he was going to get well, which was really more than half the battle, if he had been aware of it. And the thought which stimulated him more than any other was this imagining what his father would look like when he saw that he had a son who was as straight and strong as other fathers’ sons. — Colin Craven
The sun shone down for nearly a week on the secret garden. The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place. — Secret Garden
That afternoon the whole world seemed to devote itself to being perfect and radiantly beautiful and kind to one boy.
She made herself stronger by fighting with the wind.
Tha’ knew how to build tha’ nest before tha’ came out o’ th’ egg. — Secret Garden
You don’t know anything about natives! They are not people—they’re servants who must salaam to you. You know nothing about India. You know nothing about anything! — Secret Garden
It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. — Mary Lennox-Ben Weatherstaff
One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts—just mere thoughts—are as powerful as electric batteries—as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live. — Secret Garden
It’ll do thee good to wait on thysen a bit. — Mary Lennox-Martha Sowerby
The house is lonely, and the park is lonely, and the gardens are lonely. So many places seem shut up. — Secret Garden
She did not know that this was the best thing she could have done, and she did not know that, when she began to walk quickly or even run along the paths and down the avenue, she was stirring her slow blood and making herself stronger by fighting with the wind which swept down from the moor. She ran only to make herself warm, and she hated the wind which rushed at her face and roared and held her back as if it were some giant she could not see. But the big breaths of rough fresh air blown over the heather filled her lungs with something which was good for her whole thin body and whipped some red color into her cheeks and brightened her dull eyes when she did not know anything about it. — Mary Lennox
And so she went out. She did not know that this was the best thing she could have done. — Secret Garden
Do roses quite die when they are left to themselves? — Secret Garden
I never knowed it by that name but what does th’ name matter? I warrant they call it a different name i’ France an’ a different one i’ Germany. Th’ same thing as set th’ seeds swellin’ an’ th’ sun shinin’ made thee a well lad an’ it’s th’ Good Thing. It isn’t like us poor fools as think it matters if us is called out of our names. Th’ Big Good Thing doesn’t stop to worrit, bless thee. It goes on makin’ worlds by th’ million—worlds like us. Never thee stop believin’ in th’ Big Good Thing an’ knowin’ th’ world’s full of it—an’ call it what tha’ likes. Tha’ wert singin’ to it when I come into th’ garden. — Mrs. Sowerby
What an unhappy face he had! His black eyes seemed as if they scarcely saw her, as if they were seeing something else, and he could hardly keep his thoughts upon her.
Do roses quite die when they are left to themselves? — Mary Lennox
What children learns from children … is that there’s no sense in grabbin’ at th’ whole orange—peel an’ all. — Secret Garden
She stopped and listened to him and somehow his cheerful, friendly little whistle gave her a pleased feeling—even a disagreeable little girl may be lonely, and the big closed house and big bare moor and big bare gardens had made this one feel as if there was no one left in the world but herself. — Mary Lennox
When new beautiful thoughts began to push out the old hideous ones, life began to come back to him, his blood ran healthily through his veins and strength poured into him. — Colin Craven
When I was going to try to stand that first time Mary kept saying to herself as fast as she could, You can do it! You can do it!’ and I did. I had to try myself at the same time, of course, but her Magic helped me—and so did Dickon’s. Every morning and evening and as often in the daytime as I can remember I am going to say, Magic is in me! Magic is making me well! I am going to be as strong as Dickon, as strong as Dickon!’ And you must all do it, too. That is my experiment Will you help, Ben Weatherstaff? — Mary Lennox-Colin Craven
When a man looks at the stars, he grows calm and forgets small things. They answer his questions and show him that his earth is only one of the million worlds. Hold your soul still and look upward often, and you will understand their speech. Never forget the stars.
She had never known it to be so silent before. She heard neither voices nor footsteps, and wondered if everybody had got well of the cholera and all the trouble was over. She wondered also who would take care of her now her Ayah was dead. There would be a new Ayah, and perhaps she would know some new stories. Mary had been rather tired of the old ones. She did not cry because her nurse had died. She was not an affectionate child and had never cared much for any one. The noise and hurrying about and wailing over the cholera had frightened her, and she had been angry because no one seemed to remember that she was alive. Everyone was too panic-stricken to think of a little girl no one was fond of. When people had the cholera it seemed that they remembered nothing but themselves. But if everyone had got well again, surely some one would remember and come to look for her. — Secret Garden
What is it? I almost feel as if—I were alive!
Of course there must be lots of Magic in the world, he said wisely one day, but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen. I am going to try and experiment.
But of course he is doing now of his own free will what we could not make him do before. — Secret Garden
There doesn’t seem to be no need for no one to be contrary when there’s flowers an’ … friendly wild things runnin’ about makin’ homes for themselves. — Secret Garden
When the boy began to walk by himself and even to move more quickly it was an immense relief. But for a long time—or it seemed a long time to the robin—he was a source of some anxiety. He did not act as the other humans did. He seemed very fond of walking but he had a way of sitting or lying down for a while and then getting up in a disconcerting manner to begin again. One day the robin remembered that when he himself had been made to learn to fly by his parents he had done much the same sort of thing. He had taken short flights of a few yards and then had been obliged to rest. So it occurred to him that this boy was learning to fly—or rather to walk — Colin Craven
To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live … surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time and push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place.
It is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. — Secret Garden
How could a cottage full of fourteen hungry people give any one a present! — Secret Garden
Mother says as th’ two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way—or always to have it. She doesn’t know which is th’ worst. — Martha Sowerby
