80+ Best 'The Grinch' Quotes From 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'

The Grinch is one of the most iconic fictional characters. Originally featured in a poem by Dr. Seuss, our favorite Christmas thief is predominantly associated with Jim Carrey's outlandish performance. However, there are countless adaptations and dramatizations inspired by Dr. Seuss' 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas', with more being produced each year. The enduring popularity of 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas', is perhaps thanks to its central moral: Christmas is not about presents, but spending time with those you love. Dr. Seuss clearly illustrates this as the Whos don't let The Grinch ruin Christmas and celebrate it despite their stolen gifts. This leads to the Grinch's revelation that "What if Christmas... doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

What parents should know

• Dr. Seuss created the character Grinch.
• He is best known as the protagonist of the book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" which came in 1957.
• He has been portrayed by various actors such as Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, David Howard Thornton, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Matthew Morrison. 

What to discuss with kids

• The Grinch is depicted as a green, pot-shaped bellied, shaggy, pear-shaped, low-nosed creature with a cat-like face and a cynical personality.
• For the past 53 years, he has lived in secluded cliffs overlooking the town of Whoville.
• With "two sizes too small" heart, and hatred towards Christmas, he breaks into the sleeping Who's houses on Christmas Eve to steal all of their possessions.
• But in the end, he realizes that the holiday has a deeper meaning than he ever thought of. As his heart grows to "Three Sizes", he returns all stolen presents and enjoys attending the Whos' Christmas party.

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1. "No one should be alone on Christmas." - Cindy Lou Who.

2. "Look, I don't wanna make waves, but this whole Christmas season is stupid, stupid, stupid!"

3. "Tomorrow's Christmas! It's practically here!"

4. "I must stop Christmas from coming... but how? I mean - in what way?

5. "You can't hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, because it isn't about... the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That's what Cindy's been trying to tell everyone..." - Lou Lou Who.

6. "Blast this Christmas music... it's joyful and triumphant."

 7. "I know just what to do. I become Santa Claus to steal their Christmas. If he could deliver it one night, then I can steal it. What's Santa have that I don't?"

8. "Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch...who lived just north of Whoville...did not." - Narrator, 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'.

9. "Are you having a holly, jolly Christmas?" – The Grinch.

10. "The Grinch hated Christmas - the whole Christmas season... It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight…the most likely reason of all... that his heart was two sizes too small." - Narrator, 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'.

11. "Am I just eating because I'm bored?"

12. "Even if I wanted to go, my schedule wouldn't allowed it."

13. "4:00, wallow in self-pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one; 5:30, jazzercize; 6:30, dinner with me - I can't cancel that again; 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing… I'm booked."

14. "Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. Loathe entirely."

15. "Ooooo....ahhhh....ohhh. That's it. I'm not going."

16.  "Help me… I'm feeling."

17. "Be it ever so heinous, there's no place like home."

18. "Stupid. Ugly. Out of date. If I can't find something nice to wear, I'm not going."

19. "No matter how different a Who may appear, he will always be welcome with holiday cheer." - Cindy Lou Who.

20. "I don't need anything more for Christmas than this right here. My family." - Lou Lou Who.

21. "Santa, don't forget the Grinch. I know he's mean and hairy and smelly, and his hands are cold and clammy, but I think he's kinda... sweet." - Cindy Lou Who.

22. "I am the Grinch that stole Christmas... and I'm sorry.

23. "I tell you, Max, I don't know why I ever leave this place. I've got all the company I need right here."

24. "I'm all toasty inside."

25. "Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we." - Narrator, 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'.

26. "We did our worst and that's all that matters."

27. "What's that stench? It's fantastic."

28. "One man's toxic sludge is another man's potpourri."

29. "It's because I'm green isn't it?"

30. "Now you listen to me, young lady! Even if we're horribly mangled, there'll be no sad faces on Christmas."

31. "Cute kid, bad judge of character."

32. "Cindy Lou Who: Santa, what's the meaning of Christmas?

The Grinch: Vengeance! I mean… Presents… I suppose."

33. "They'll eat their Who-Pudding and rare Who-Roast Beast. But that's something I just cannot stand in the least. Oh, no, I'm speaking in rhyme!"

34. "Max, grab a bag. We'll come back for the rest. Of course when I say 'we' I mean 'you'."

35. "Oh. Bleeding hearts of the world unite."

36. "Give me that! Don't you know you're not supposed to take things that don't belong to you? What's the matter with you, you some kind of wild animal? Huh?"

37. "All right, you're a reindeer. Here's your motivation: Your name is Rudolph, you're a freak with a red nose, and no one likes you. Then, one day, Santa picks you and you save Christmas."

38. "The avarice never ends! I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue."

39. "Kids today. So desensitized by movies and television."

40. "Oh, the Who-manity."

41. "And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags."  - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

42. "With a smile to his soul, he descended Mount Crumpet sheerily blowing 'Who! Who!' on his trumpet." - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

43. "And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."- Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

44. "Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

45. "Then he slid down the chimney, a rather tight pinch. But if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch." - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

46. "Every Who down in Whoville... was singing! Without any presents at all! He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same!"

- Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

47. "You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. Your heart's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders, You've got garlic in your soul." - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

48. "He brought everything back, all the food for the feast! And he, he himself, the Grinch carved the roast beast!" - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

49. "Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, Around the whole room, and he took every present!" - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

50. "He brought everything back, all the food for the feast! And he... the Grinch carved the roast beast." - Narrator, 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

51. “I am The Grinch that stole Christmas, and I’m… sorry.”

52. “Blast this Christmas music! It’s joyful and triumphant.”

53. “Cheer up, dude. It’s Christmas.”

54. “No matter how different a Who may appear, he will always be welcomed with holiday cheer.” - Cindy Lou Who

55. “HELP ME…I’m FEELING.”

56. “Tomorrow is Christmas. It’s practically here!”

57. “It’s because I’m green, isn’t it?”

58. “Holiday who-be what-ee?”

59. “What’s Santa have that I don’t?”

60. “Somebody’s fabulous!”

61. “Stupid. Ugly. Out of date. This is ridiculous. If I can’t find something nice to wear I’m not going.”

62. “What is that stench? It’s fantastic.”

63. “And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! There’s one thing I hate! All the NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!”

64. “I must find some way to keep Christmas from coming!”

65. “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? That’s what it’s always been about. Gifts, gifts… gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! You wanna know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me. In your garbage. You see what I’m saying? In your garbage. I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump.” 

66. “And the avarice. The avarice never ends! ‘I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue.’ Look, I don’t wanna make waves, but this whole Christmas season is…”

67. “You can’t hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor because it isn’t about the gifts or the contests or the fancy lights.”

68. “And they’ll feast, feast, feast, feast. They’ll eat their Who-Pudding and rare Who-Roast Beast. But that’s something I just cannot stand in the least. Oh, no. I’M SPEAKING IN RHYME!”

69. “For fifty-three years, Christmas has brought me nothing but misery. I know just what to do. I become Santa Clause to steal their Christmas. If he could deliver it one night, then I can steal it.”

70. “4:00, wallow in self-pity. 4:30, stare into the abyss. 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercize; 6:30, dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing. I’m booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness.”

71. “That is not a chew toy. You have no idea where it’s been.”

72. “It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.”

73. “Well done, Max! Serves them right, those yuletide-loving…sickly-sweet, nog-sucking cheer mongers! I really don’t like ’em. Mm-mm. No, I don’t.”

74. “I know just what to do! I’ll make a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.”

75. “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

76. “Today was great! We did mean things, and we did them in style.”

77. “I tell you Max, I don’t know why I ever leave this place. I’ve got all the company I need right here.”

78. “Bleeding hearts of the world unite.”

79. “The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!”

80. “The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!”

81. “I’m an idiot. You’re an idiot!”

82. “Saving you, is that what you think I was doing? Wrong-o. I merely noticed that you’re improperly packaged, my dear.”

83. “Max, grab a bag. We’ll come back for the rest. Of course when I say “we” I mean “you.” 

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