Moominpappa's Memoires (Tove Jansson)

This is my favorite Moomin book so far, although Moominpappa's language tends to be harder to read than the other books. Moominpappa retells his young years and how they shaped his philosophy.

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Quotes:

A Hemulen has terribly large feet and no sense of humour. She has a protruding, slightly depressed snout, and her hair grows in indefinite tufts. A Hemulen does nothing because it would be fun to do it, but only because it must be done, and she tells one all the time what one ought to have done. (Moominpappa)

"Don't let him smoke!" cried Sniff. "The Hemulen Aunt says smokers get shaky paws, a yellow nose, and a bald tail!"
"I'm not so sure," said Moominmamma. "He's smoked all his life, and he's not shaky, yellow, or bald. All nice things are good for you."

"Well," said Hodgkins, "perhaps he is really interested in everything, only he doesn't overdo it. For ourselves there is always one single interest. You want to become. I want to do. My nephew wants too have. But the Joxter just lives."

Can you win anything better than the useless rewards of a fantastical imagination! Is there any greater honor? (Moominpappa)

I cannot stress enough the perils of your friends marrying or becoming court inventors. One day you are all a society of outlaws, adventurous comrades and companions who will be pushing off somewhere or other when things become tiresome; you have all the world to choose from, just by looking at the map... And then, suddenty, they're not interested anymore. They want to keep warm. They're afraid of rain. They start collecting big things that can't fit in a rucksack. They talk only of small things. They don't like to make sudden decisions and do something contrariwise. Formerly, they hoisted sail; now they carpenter little shelves for porcelain mugs. Oh, who can speak of such matters without shedding tears? (Moominpappa)

And in the foggy dawn they all tumbled out into the garden. The eastern sky was clearing, waiting for the sun to rise. It was at the ready, in a few minutes the night would be over, and everything could start anew from the beginning.
A new door to the Unbelievable, to the Possible. A new day when everything may happen if you have no objection to it.