Is it indeed from Phantom Tollbooth where the Characters Argue about which distance unit to take, and the Dog (Tock?) argues to go the shortest distance unit as it would be quicker?
But its all the same distance anyhow
Sounds like it, although it has been decades since I read the book. I could give you a more definitative answer, but Younger Daughter is asleep. She recently re-read Tollbooth during a classic fantasy phase. (I think I triggered it by handing her a copy of “The Hunting of the Snark,” which set her to digging out her copied of the Alice books and similar nonsense.)
It is part of the book. I just re-read it a few months ago, and had forgotten what an utterly charming book it was. It’s a pity there weren’t more adventures.
Yup, that’s the book. If I can find it, I’ll copy down exactly what the sign said, but I distinctly remember that being from The Phantom Tollbooth.
“Let’s go by miles…it’s shorter.”
“Let’s go by half-inches…it’s quicker.”
That’s the way I remember the scene; first statement from Milo, second from either Tock or the Humbug.
The spoiler may be paraphrased a bit, but it seems right to me. 
Yeah Thanks guys, I just had the excerpt in Childcraft’s volume 13. I needed the source for another board.
What is your Childraft vol. 13? Mine is Look Again. Will I find that quote in it?
just chiming in to say that I love the Phantom Tollbooth–as have all my kids.
“It’s more important to know whether there’ll be weather, than what the weather will be!”
Whee!
I wish they would put the movie out on DVD. I often get the songs stuck in my head but I mostly just know the first few words and the tune so it drives me crazy.
I’ll be walking around all day singing, “Time is a gift, given to you, given to lalalalalala-la-la! The time it takes to have the time of your life!”
There’s a decent movie of the Phantom Tollbooth?
The only one I remember was a horrible on put out in the late '70’s…Milo looked like Beaver Cleaver–it was awful.
1970. “Decent” only in that I first saw it when I was a kid. That always does wonders for an otherwise mediocre movie.
I absolutely love the Phantom Tollbooth. It was my favorite book for a while as a little kid. That banquet where everyone has to eat their words-- classic. Jumping to Conclusions made literal-- brilliant. The AWFUL DYNNE was excellent. And Milo conducting the sunrise and accidentally having a week pass by was one of my favorite scenes. I think I missed a lot of the jokes as a kid-- Rhyme and Reason living in the Castle in the Air, for instance. And definitely some of the more sophistocated puns. I have to go back and read it again.
I’m 32, and it’s still one of my favorite books.
That’s a cartoon–the movie I saw was (what does one say?) live action. NOT a cartoon–and it was dreadful. Milo was chubby–CHUBBY!
The pics in the book ARE Milo to me–and he ain’t chubby!
Grrr.
I also love this book–and have read it to my kids at least 6 times over the years. They each have their own fav part…
Anyone who likes TPT is ok in my book.
Check out “The Dot and The Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics” by the same author.
Cute and brilliant.
Like that too.
Also the fable about Arrow(?)
And “The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments”–great picture book for kids.
It had live-action bookends.