Quotes From Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Grimm and More

These quotes from fairy tales come from two places: the old storybooks by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Lewis Carroll, and the movies most of us grew up rewinding. Read them at bedtime, letter them on a card, or use one to settle a family debate about who the real villain was.

Looking for a narrower list? Our fairytale quotes hub sorts every collection by love, life, kids and birthdays.

Movie lines are credited to the character and the film, and lines that only get passed around online are marked that way. Planning a whole evening around the classics? Our fairy tale movie night ideas have the snacks covered.

Enchanting Quotes from Fairy Tales title over swirling pastel clouds and sparkles

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Quotes From Fairy Tales

A starter set, one from each corner of the storybook shelf.

“Even miracles take a little time.” (Fairy Godmother, Cinderella (1950))
“Today’s special moments are tomorrow’s memories.” (Genie, Aladdin (1992))
“She warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.” (Narrator, Beauty and the Beast (1991))
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” (the White Queen, Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass)
“Every story deserves a brave beginning.”

The last one is an original 3BoysAndADog saying.

Quotes From Cinderella

From the 1950 cartoon and the 2015 live-action movie.

Cinderella, 1950

“They can’t order me to stop dreaming.”
Cinderella, Cinderella (1950)

“Even miracles take a little time.” (Fairy Godmother, Cinderella (1950))
“Have courage and be kind. Where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic.” (Ella’s mother, Cinderella (2015))
“Just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done.” (Ella, Cinderella (2015))
“Kindness is the best thing you can wear to the ball.”
“Midnight is a deadline, not a disaster.”

The last two are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.

Quotes From Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast

Wishes, lamps and a library worth falling for.

“Today’s special moments are tomorrow’s memories.” (Genie, Aladdin (1992))
“Sometimes we only see how people are different. But if we look hard enough, you can see how much we’re all alike.” (often credited to Jasmine, Aladdin)
“She warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.” (Narrator, Beauty and the Beast (1991))
“A kind heart is the real treasure in the cave.”
“Look twice before you decide who the beast is.”

The Genie

“But oh, to be free. Such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in the world.”
Genie, Aladdin (1992)

We could not find the Jasmine line in the 1992 movie, so it is labeled often credited. The last two are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.

Quotes From The Little Mermaid and Snow White

Sea witches, seven dwarfs and a couple of very honest lines.

Sea witch wisdom

“Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?”
Ursula, The Little Mermaid (1989)

“Children got to be free to lead their own lives.” (Sebastian, The Little Mermaid (1989), as it is usually quoted)
“I’m sure I’ll get along somehow. Everything’s going to be all right.” (Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937))
“Curiosity is how every good adventure starts.”
“Swim toward whatever makes you brave.”
“Every kingdom needs someone who sweeps the floor and sings anyway.”

The last three are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.

Quotes From the Original Fairy Tale Books

Before the movies, there were the books. These lines go straight to the source.

G.K. Chesterton

“What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey.”
G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

“In olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful.” (Brothers Grimm, “The Frog King”)
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” (the White Queen, Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass)
“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince)
“Since it is likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” (C.S. Lewis, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”)
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” (often credited to Albert Einstein)

The Einstein line has never been found in his own writing, so it is labeled often credited.