Dr. Seuss on Dr. Seuss

On the demands of fame: “Any mother who has a child who’s semiliterate and has written a novel at the age of 5, well, it ends up in my mailbox. . . . . The one thing I do not do is encourage people to become writers--especially children.”

* On his role in encouraging children to read: “The fan mail indicates I have. Of course, 90% of it is misspelled . . . and one girl wrote, ‘I was brung up on your books. . . .’ ”

* On children (he had none): “I like them in moderate groups. I can’t take more than 10 kids en masse and know what to do with them. I like them the same way I like human beings--adults, I mean. There are pleasant ones and unpleasant ones. I don’t run around the streets collecting them.”

* On his education as a writer: “I get more out of Jonathan Swift than almost any writer--the way he controlled his exaggerations. The nonsense he wrote was possible, it was logical. He taught me at what point you’re overstepping.”

* On the demands of feminists that he draw more female animals: “That is beyond contempt. Did you ever try to draw a female hippo-griff?”

* On his genius: “If I’m a genius, why the hell do I have to work so hard? And I can’t keep a checkbook straight.”

* On why he turned down personal appearances on major TV shows: “I can’t handle it very well. I always lose about 15 pounds worrying. And no matter what you want to be asked, they always ask, ‘Where do you get your ideas?,’ which is impossible.”