Books
25 Meaningful Tattoo Ideas Based On Quotes From Kids' Books
In the market for a new tattoo? Before you finalize your design, check out these 25 children's book quotes that would make great tattoos, because there's sure to be one that fits your desired ink aesthetic.
There's no dose of nostalgia like a beloved children's book. I know exactly where I was the first time I picked up Because of Winn-Dixie, and I have distinct memories of reading Misty of Chincoteague with my mother. The stories we grow up with are the stories that stick with us throughout our lives, so why not immortalize their lessons in beautiful tattoos you can carry with you for life?
Before you go saying that tattoos are forever and shouldn't be based on anything as whimsical as a children's book. But folks, life is short, and it's over far too soon for any of us to worry about whether we made the right decision by getting a fun tattoo.
I've picked out 25 quotes from children's books to inspire your next tattoo, but you should obviously revisit your favorite works of kidlit before you make your final decision. For more inspiration, you can check out some amazing tattoos based on YA books and feminist texts, right here on Bustle.
"But on paper, things can live forever. / On paper, a butterfly / never dies."
"Stories are not a waste of time."
— from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
"We are like the phoenix... Rising again, with a new life ahead of us."
"[S]he knows how to come into a home / and not step on the toes of a ghost."
— from Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
"If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?"
— from I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
"We start learning the minute we're born.... And if we're wise, we don't stop."
"I heard a path I could not see."
— from Caminar by Skila Brown
"The whole world had changed. Only the fairy tales remained the same."
— from Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
"I am free to go wherever I want for the rest of my life."
— from Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
"If a dream is in your heart, you never lose it."
— from Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Giovanni
"Just close your eyes and keep your mind wide open."
"We all have our la-la-la song.... We sing our own nice tune to drown out ugly.
— from One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
"There's nothing like a book to keep you company of a long voyage."
— from The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
"If words weren't important, they wouldn't try so hard to take them away"
— from When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
"Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth."
"Sometimes remembering means to live a moment in the past again, and in that way survive the present."
— from I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín
"I'm the strongest girl in the world, don't forget."
— from Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
"Gotta realize that all you are is all you got."
— from The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
"The higher you climb, the further you have to fall."
— from Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
"Once you are real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."
— from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
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