"At that age, Alice had grasped the idea that some things in books were real, and others were not."

"After the cousins came the accountants, who were more open in their appraisals and didn’t bother with Alice at all, a…"

"He was, of course, cheating her, that was what lawyers were for."

"But—though she was not an expert on cats—she was fairly certain that they did not, as a rule, snicker."

"“Patience, my friend.” “I’m not your friend. And I’m not patient.”"

"In desperation, she slid her fingers in the cracks between blocks, looking for some kind of catch or hidden mechanism…"

"“You’re a cat,” she said automatically. “Your powers of perception are astounding,” the cat drawled. “Although I feel…"

"“What do you see here?” “Books?” “Indeed, books. They are the ocean in which magic swims.”"

"Magic, you’ll find, is nine parts dull to one part excitement, and the exciting bits usually hurt like the blazes."

"Maybe that’s wisdom, seeing things that are obvious."