Drosselmeier had unwittingly exposed himself to an overdose of reality, and it had destroyed his reason.

Stars on our door, stars in our eyes, stars exploding in the bits of our brains where the common sense should have been

There are lots of things that you can brush under the carpet about yourself until you're faced with somebody whose needs won't be put off.

Before he can become a wolf, the lycanthrope strips naked. If you spy a naked man among the pines, you must run as if the Devil were after you.

This lack of imagination gives his heroism to the hero.

Anticipation is the greater part of pleasure.

And, conversely, she went on to herself, sneering at the Grand Duke's palace, poverty is wasted on the poor, who never know how to make the best of things, are only the rich without money, are just as useless at looking after themselves, can't handle their cash just like the rich can't, always squandering it on bright, pretty, useless things in just the same way.