You’ve seen them on Pinterest. Maybe on a framed cross-stitch in your grandma’s kitchen or a wooden sign at a farmhouse-style boutique. Quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder have this weird, almost magical way of making a chaotic Monday morning feel like it could be solved with a cup of hot tea and a sturdy pair of boots.
But honestly? Most of the "Laura" wisdom floating around the internet is stripped of its grit. People love the "sunshine and fresh air" part, but they forget that the woman who wrote those lines also wrote about eating blackbirds to survive and watching a cloud of locusts literally eat the clothes off a family’s back.
The Real Story Behind the Best Quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura wasn't just a sweet old lady in a sunbonnet writing about butterflies. She was a farm journalist first. She spent years writing for the Missouri Ruralist before she ever touched a "Little House" manuscript. When she says, "It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all," she isn't being sentimental. She’s being a survivor.
Think about it. This is a woman who lived through the Great Depression. She lost her first-born son, her husband was partially paralyzed by diphtheria, and her house burned down. When she talks about finding "comfort and gladness" in plain food, she means it.
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong."
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That's the core of her philosophy. Basically, life is going to throw rocks at you. You might as well use them to build a foundation.
Why Nature Always Wins in Laura’s World
If you read her books—or even just her newspaper columns—nature is basically its own character. It’s beautiful, sure. But it’s also terrifying.
One of the most shared quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder is about the air: "Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat." It sounds like a caption for a hiking photo. But in the context of the 1910s and 20s, it was a radical health statement. At the time, modern "progress" meant being cooped up in factories or stuffy offices. Laura was telling people to go outside because she knew that the land was the only thing that actually stayed "true" when the economy crashed.
She once wrote that "the life of the earth comes up with a rush in the springtime." If you’ve ever lived through a Midwestern winter, you know that’s not just poetry. It’s a sigh of relief.
That Famous "Smiles and Laughter" Quote (Wait, Did She Actually Say It?)
Here is where things get a little tricky. You know the one: "Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I’ll remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don’t remember me at all." It’s beautiful. It’s on every funeral program in America.
But Laura didn't write it. Museum curators in Mansfield, Missouri, have confirmed this one actually comes from the 1970s TV show. Specifically, it was written for the character of Julia Sanderson in the episode "Remember Me." Michael Landon’s Little House on the Prairie was a masterpiece of 70s television, but it took a lot of creative liberties.
If you want a real Laura quote about memory, look at the end of Little House in the Big Woods. She writes about listening to her Pa’s fiddle and thinking, "now is now. It can never be a long time ago." It’s a lot more grounded. It’s about the stubborn presence of the "now."
Perseverance and the "Battle" of Life
Ma Ingalls was the source of some of the most stoic lines in the series. In Little Town on the Prairie, she tells Laura, "This earthly life is a battle... the sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are." Kinda dark for a kids' book? Maybe.
But Laura grew up in a world where "self-reliance" wasn't a buzzword. It was the only option. One of my favorite, lesser-known quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder comes from her later writings: "We’d never get anything fixed to suit us if we waited for things to suit us before we started." That’s the pioneer version of "done is better than perfect." Don’t wait for the weather to be perfect to plant the corn. Don’t wait for your mood to be perfect to do the laundry. Just move.
The Controversy You Might Not Know About
We can't talk about Laura's words without acknowledging the parts that haven't aged well. In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about her depictions of Native Americans. The American Library Association even changed the name of the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Award" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" in 2018.
There’s a famous line in the original 1935 edition of Little House on the Prairie that said there were "no people" in the territory, only Indians. A reader pointed out the error in 1952, and Laura actually agreed to change it. She wrote to her publisher saying it was a "stupid blunder." It’s a reminder that even our "heroes" are people of their time. You can appreciate her grit while also seeing where her perspective was limited.
Actionable Takeaways from Laura’s Philosophy
If you want to actually live by the wisdom in these quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you don't need to buy a butter churn. Honestly, she’d probably tell you that’s a waste of time if you have a grocery store nearby. Instead, try these:
- Audit your "Simple Pleasures": Laura obsessed over the smell of rain and the taste of a fresh biscuit. What’s one tiny, free thing you actually enjoyed today?
- The "Battle" Mindset: When things go wrong, stop asking "why me?" and start asking "what now?" Like Ma said, it's a battle. Expect the struggle.
- Log Off: Laura’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, was actually the one who pushed her to write for a national audience. But Laura herself was much more content with "quiet places." Take 30 minutes today where no one can reach you.
- Be a "Half-Pint": Pa’s nickname for her was a reminder of her small stature, but she used that "smallness" to observe the world with incredible detail. Notice the "common, everyday blessings" before they pass you by.
Laura's life ended in 1957, but the reason we still Google her name is that her problems—poverty, sickness, fear of the future—are still our problems. We just have better heating.
Next Steps for You
If you want to dig deeper into the real woman behind the sunbonnet, look for the book Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. It’s the raw, unedited version of her life story that she originally tried to publish for adults. It contains much more context for the famous quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder and reveals the parts of her life that were too "dark" for the children's series. You can also visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum website to see scans of her original handwritten manuscripts on yellow tablet paper.