Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass The Queen of Hearts Quotes

"You couldn't have it if you did want it," the Queen said. "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day."

"It must come sometimes to 'jam to-day,'" Alice objected.

"No, it can't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day: to-day isn't any other day, you know." (Looking-Glass 5.16-18)

In one sense, the Queen's exactly right: it's always today, and so if something only happens yesterday and tomorrow, then in a certain way it never happens. But, even though the argument for this perspective makes sense, at the end of the day it's still an absurd way of looking at time.

The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast, began screaming "Off with her head! Off with – "

"Nonsense!" said Alice, very loudly and decidedly, and the Queen was silent. (Wonderland 8.18-19)

The Queen of Hearts is bloodthirsty, and execution is the only response she has to any situation or problem that presents itself. Strangely, a single word from Alice is enough to put her in her place.