I don’t want friends who are kind without really liking me and I don’t want anybody who is kind just so as not to be unpleasant. And I don’t want anybody who is scared. I want somebody who is never scared and who really likes me. I want a mamma!
You can’t ever be really free if you admire somebody too much, I know.
‘That’s good, small villains are much better. They break more easily.’
I’m born under special stars,’ I said. ‘I was found in a small shell padded with velvet.
But Sniff snores so horribly,’ said Moomintroll. ‘Couldn’t I sleep with Snufkin instead?
Then I’ll tell your fortune,’ Sniff persisted. ‘Perhaps you’ve got one of those lucky stars shining on you.
For if you’re not afraid how can you be really brave?
I saw it first!’ squeaked Sniff, ‘I must choose a name for it. Wouldn’t it be fun to call it Sniff? That’s so short and sweet.
So they sat in a row on the beach, very close to one another, and Sniff sat in the middle because he thought it was safest.
We’re alike, you and I,’ he thought. ‘We understand each other, we only care about beautiful things.
Darned rope!” Moomintroll said angrily. Sniff was shocked. “Oh!” he gasped, “you swore!
Wise as she was, she realized that people can postpone their rebellious phases until they’re eighty-five years old, and she decided to keep an eye on herself.