I've always had a soft spot for Winnie the Pooh.
I think it started with the series, then the movies and lastly (I am ashamed to say) the books. Reading the books I was particularly struck by how smart (though somewhat childlike) he and his friends are.
In 1982 Benjamin Hoff published The Tao of Pooh in which he likens the philosophy of Pooh and his companions to the different principles of Taoism (a Chinese philosophical tradition). It was when reading this book that Pooh's true genius really stood out to me. If you don't know the book already, I recommend that you read it, especially if you enjoy Winnie the Pooh. Hoff has stayed very true to the original stories of Winnie the Pooh and has written his book as an interaction with Pooh and the others.
We can learn a lot from Pooh, when you really get down to it. He teaches us to
- see beauty in the small things
- appreciate things as they are without trying to change them
- slow down and just be
- love your friends and share big and small with them
- never give up, but keep on trying
- believe in yourself
- be kind and considerate
- keep going even when things seem impossible
These quotes from Pooh bear and his friends show the wisdom of the Winnie the Pooh universe and perhaps it can teach you a life lesson or two.
1. "The things that make me different are the tings that make me, me."
- Piglet
2. "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."
- Christopher Robin
3. "Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
- Winnie the Pooh
4. “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
- Eeyore
5. “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
- Winnie the Pooh
6. “A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.”
- Winnie the Pooh
7. “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
- Winnie the Pooh
8. “Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”
- Winnie the Pooh
9. “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”
- Eeyore
10. “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
- Winnie the Pooh
11. “Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
- Winnie the Pooh
12. “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
- Winnie the Pooh
13. “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
- Winnie the Pooh
14. “They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.”
- Eeyore
15. “Love is taking a few steps backward maybe even more to give way to the happiness of the person you love.”
- Winnie the Poo
16. “It isn’t much good having anything exciting, if you can’t share it with somebody.”
- Winnie the Pooh
17. “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I have been.”
- Winnie the Pooh
18. “It’s so much more friendly with two.”
- Piglet
19. “Tiggers never go on being sad.”
- Rabbit
20. “If the string breaks, then we try another piece of string.”
- Owl