5 Dr. Seuss Quotes That Aren’t Actually His (And One That Is)

Dr. Seuss’s whimsical rhymes have become cultural shorthand for wisdom, but the internet loves to misattribute quotes. Let’s clear up the confusion.

## Did Dr. Seuss really say, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind”?

Nope. This quote is often cited in Seuss retrospectives, but it’s not his. Its origins are murky—some link it to a 1970s self-help book, while others speculate it’s a paraphrase of Oscar Wilde. Seuss never published this exact phrasing in any of his 60+ books.

## Is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” his most iconic line?

Yes, this is his. The titular line from his 1990 final book is pure Seuss: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” It’s been graduation gift standard fare for 30 years.

## Did Seuss write, “The more that you read, the more things you will know”?

Yes! This one’s from I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (1978), where he celebrates reading as a superpower: “The more that you read, the more you will see. The more you will learn of the worlds yet to be.”

## Is the “Green Eggs and Ham” quote about trying new things made-up?

“Would you like them here or there? Would you like them anywhere?” Yes, that’s Seuss. But the internet often adds fake endings like “Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!”—nope, never his words. The original ends with a simple, “I do so like green eggs and ham!”

## Did he ever say, “Imagination is the most powerful tool we have”?

Not quite. While Seuss championed creativity, this quote stems from a 1980s education conference transcript mislabeled as his. His actual advice was earthier: “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” (Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!, 1975).

## Wait—did Seuss really coin “A person’s a person, no matter how small”?

Yes! In Horton Hears a Who! (1954), Horton’s mantra was Seuss’s post-Hiroshima statement on human dignity. He wrote it himself—no editor tweaks—because he believed “a person’s a person.”

Talk to Dr. Seuss on HoloDream to hear his rhymes straight from the source—even the ones the internet got wrong.