Dr. Lao Every time you pick up a grain of sand you hold a universe in the palm of your hand.
Played by Tony Randall 
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) · 23 quotes
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) · 23 quotes
Most-quoted character in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964): in 14 of its 23 quotes
Most scenes with: Mike (4), Ed Cunningham (2)
This is the circus of Dr. Lao.
We show you things that you don't know.
Oh, we spare no pains and we spare no dough.
Oh, we want to give you one hell of a show!
And youth may come and age may go,
But no more circuses like this show.
More lines from Dr. Lao
5 quotes Dr. Lao Dr. Lao Whatever men do not understand they find unconvincing.
Dr. Lao Now, Mr. Cunningham, do you suppose this garrulous intruder may be a... a swindler, perhaps, an assassin, a charlatan plotting some curious disaster for your town? Such characters exist, but they are secretive rather than mysterious. I, sir, am a major mystery.
Dr. Lao You worry too much. You worry about how I brought my circus to Abalone with wagons. You worry about the future of your town. Or, if the sun will rise a year from today. The answer is to such matters, remain closed behind a curtain. Then, time says, presto! And out they come.
Dr. Lao My dear lady, the role of skeptic becomes you not. There are things in the world not even the experience of a lifetime spent in Abalone could conceive of.
Scenes with Dr. Lao
8 scenes Dr. Lao My specialty is wisdom. Do you know what wisdom is?
No sir.
Dr. Lao Wise answer.
Dr. Lao [Dr. Lao and Mike have an evening heart-to-heart discussion.]
Mike, let me tell you something. The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it. The way the sun goes down when you're tired, comes up when you want to be on the move. That's real magic. The way a leaf grows. The song of the birds. The way the desert looks at night, with the moon embracing it. Oh, my boy, that's… that's circus enough for anyone. Every time you watch a rainbow and feel wonder in your heart. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand. Every time you stop and think, "I'm alive, and being alive is fantastic!" Every time such a thing happens, you're part of the Circus of Dr. Lao.
I don't understand.
Dr. Lao Neither do I! [Jumps over Mike's head, and they begin to dance]
Dr. Lao (in snake form...with a face resembling Clint Stark's): I wouldn't care to trade with you.
Maybe not, but the point is, my scaly friend, that you are in a cage, while I'm free to walk about!
Dr. Lao Oh, you have your cage, too. You test your bars just as often as I test mine, kiddo.
Hey! How come you speak perfect English all of a sudden?
Dr. Lao [no accent]
Oh, it comes and goes. Whatever dialect the mood requires.
Oh, it just comes and goes?
Dr. Lao [thick Chinese accent]
Whassa matta you? Alla time asking silly questions! Wise guy!
Are you an acrobat?
Dr. Lao [no accent]
Only philosophically.
What?
Dr. Lao [high-pitched, thick Chinese accent]
Ohn-rheee phi-ro-sophic-areee!
[Dr. Lao is fishing in a dried-up riverbed.]
I hate to tell you this, Doctor, but there aren't any fish in that river. In fact, there isn't any river.
Dr. Lao That's okay. Me no use bait.
Dr. Lao [As the movie closes, a voice-over replays a variation of Dr. Lao's earlier words.]
Mike, the whole world is a circus if you look at it the right way. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand, every time you stop and think, "I'm alive, and being alive is fantastic!" Every time such a thing happens, Mike, you are part of the Circus of Dr. Lao.
How old are you?
Dr. Lao I believe I shall tell you. I am seven thousand, three hundred and twenty-two years old... this October.
Whew! That is old!
Dr. Lao It is, rather.