The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh Life, Consciousness, and Existence Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Book Title.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"The only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey" (Winnie-the-Pooh.1.28)

Let's consider Pooh as a young child for a moment. Young children start out as being egocentric—only thinking about things from their own point of view—and then they learn to consider other peoples' perspectives. This actually starts to happen at a predictable age, usually around 4-5 years-old. So with this in mind, we can really see how Milne tries to show us how this development happens. Pooh is starting to consider another being's existence, but still, it's all about him and his needs. 

Quote #2

"I shall do what I can by singing a little Cloud Song, such as a cloud might sing […] How sweet to be a Cloud / Floating in the Blue!" (Winnie-the-Pooh.1.89-91)

Here, our hero actually puts himself in someone else's shoes. Here's that "Theory of Mind." Of course, clouds don't sing, but, well, baby steps. 

Quote #3

He was humming this hum to himself, and walking along gaily, wondering what everybody else was doing, and what it felt like, being somebody else (Winnie-the-Pooh.2.3)

And now we start getting into some pretty deep philosophical considerations. What is it like? Can we ever know? What do you think?