There are so many quotes from this wonderful story to teach older children about God!
“As she grew up, everybody about her did his best to convince her that she was Somebody, and the girl herself was so easily persuaded of it that she quite forgot that anybody had ever told her so, and took it for a fundamental, innate, primary, firstborn, self-evident, necessary, and incontrovertible idea and principle that she was Somebody. And far be it from me to deny it! I will even go so far to assert that in this odd country there was a huge number of Somebodies. Indeed, it was one of its oddities that every boy and girl in it was rather to think he or she was Somebody; and the worst of it was that the princess never thought of there being more than one Somebody- and that was herself.”
“Of course as she grew, she grew worse, for she never tried to grow better.”
“…the only thing that could save the princess from her hatefulness was that she should be made to mind somebody else than her own miserable Somebody.”
“Agnes saw her Somebody- the very embodiment of miserable conceit and ugly ill-temper.”
“Nobody can be a real princess- do not imagine you have yet been anything more than a mock one- until she is a princess over herself, that is, until, when she finds herself unwilling to do the thing that is right, she makes herself do it. So long as any mood she is in makes her do the thing she will be sorry for when that mood is over, she is a slave, and no princess. A princess is able to do what is right even should she unhappily be in a mood that would make another unable to do it. For instance, if you should be cross and angry, you are not a whit less bound to be just, yes, kind even- a thing more difficult in such a mood- though ease itself in a good mood, loving and sweet. Whoever does what she is bound to do, be she the dirtiest little girl in the street, is a princess, worshipful, honourable. Nay, more; her might goes farther than she could send it, for if she act so, the evil mood will wither and die, and leave her loving and clean.”
“…..not do what is wrong, however much you are inclined to do it, and you must do what is right, however much you are disinclined to do it.”
“Will you forgive all my naughtiness, and all the trouble I have given you?” “If I had not forgiven you, I would never have taken the trouble to punish you. If I had not loved you, do you think I would have carried you away in my cloak?” “How could you love such an ugly, ill-tempered, rude, hateful little wretch?” “I saw, through it all, what you were going to be,” said the wise woman, kissing her. “But remember you have only begun to be what I saw.”
““Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the sentry, for he was one of those dull people who form their judgment from a person’s clothes, without even looking in his eyes; and as the princess happened to be in rags….”
““Father, dear father! mother dear! I will ask the wise woman to forgive you.” “Oh, I am blind! I am blind!” they cried together. “Dark as night! Stone blind!” Rosamond left them, sprang down the steps, and kneeling at her feet, cried, “Oh, my lovely wise woman! Do let them see. Do open their eyes, dear, good, wise woman!””
“ “For you,” she said, “you are sufficiently punished by the work of your own hands. Instead of making your daughter obey you, you left her to be a slave to herself; you coaxed when you ought to have compelled; you praised when you ought to have been silent; you fondled when you ought to have punished; you threatened when you ought to have inflicted- and there she stands, the full grown result of your foolishness! She is your crime and punishment. Take her home with you, and live hour after hour with the pale-hearted disgrace you call your daughter. What she is, the worm at her heart has begun to teach her.””
It seems that this story is more appropriate for older children including teenagers. I have not read the story to my children yet because my oldest are in the 5th grade, but I plan to have them read it soon when they become teenagers.
Dan MacDonald recommends this resource for The Wise Woman.
