35 Years Later, the Best 'Calvin and Hobbes' Quote About Touching Grass is Still a Stone Cold Classic

Maybe Calvin was on to something with this one...

For anyone not overly familiar with Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, they might be surprised to learn just how deep the comic strip can get. Yes, the strip, which ran from 1985 until 1995, is about a rambunctious little boy and his plush tiger. And yes, there are many silly installments with things like a T. rex flying a fighter jet or massacred snowmen. But that stuff, which is wonderful in its own way, represents just one side of Calvin and Hobbes.

The other side of Calvin and Hobbes is incredibly thoughtful.

Calvin, the deep thinker

Calvin and Hobbes could go deep about a lot of things. Calvin, despite being a little kid who hates to do his homework, has surprisingly deep thoughts and profound ideas. For example, there’s one comic strip where Calvin and Hobbes are rushing down a hill on a sled and Calvin asks, “Hobbes, do you think human nature is good or evil?” From there he continues, saying, “I mean, do you think people are basically good with bad tendencies, or basically bad, with a few good tendencies?” Of course, no real answer is given in the comic strip, just as would be the case in real life, but it’s the kind of thing that could really get the reader thinking.

In addition to human nature, Calvin and Hobbes occasionally addresses man’s place in the universe. For example, one comic strip features Calvin, by himself, looking up at the stars one night. He shouts “I’m significant!” He then waits, and mutters to himself, “Screamed the dust speck.”

Most of the deeper Calvin and Hobbes comics were more monologue-y, with Calvin asking wordy, well-thought-out questions, even if they were rhetorical. This one, however, is pretty understated, highlighting man’s insignificance in the scope of the wider universe, along with his innate yearning to feel significant. There’s just a whole lot going on here.

Calvin and Hobbes could also address big ideas, like whether the ends justify the means. In one comic where Calvin and Hobbes are on a journey through the woods, a pissed-off Calvin begins a rant by saying, “I don’t believe in ethics anymore. As far as I’m concerned, the ends justify the means.” He goes on to say things like “might makes right” and how the “winners write the history books.” A moment later, Hobbes pushes Calvin into a puddle of mud and a furious Calvin asks why. Hobbes replies, “You were in my way. Now you’re not. The ends justify the means.” Calvin’s reply then points out how hypocritical and morally bankrupt the idea that “the ends justify the means” is, by saying, “I didn’t mean for everyone you dolt! Just me!” And that is what people really mean when they say things like “might makes right” and “the ends justify the means.”

There are also some strips where Calvin plays with big ideas, but the comedy comes from him failing to really understand them. At one point, Calvin tries to test Einstein’s theory of relativity with his little red wagon. Since the theory of relativity states that time moves slower the faster you travel, Calvin tries to get his wagon to go as fast as possible, thus slowing time down. He’s steering, while Hobbes is looking at a pocket watch, waiting for time to stop. Time keeps ticking along normally, so Hobbes keeps telling Calvin to go faster and faster. Finally, they crash and Calvin calls Einstein a “fraud.” Hobbes, however, disagrees and says, “No, he’s right! Look, my watch isn’t going at all any more!!” as the drawing reveals that the watch is now broken.

The subject Watterson explored most deeply was nature, which he returned to repeatedly.

Calvin and Hobbes on nature

Nature and the outdoors were a big part of the Calvin and Hobbes aesthetic, as it depicted Calvin, often on his own (or with Hobbes) wandering through the woods or sledding down a snowy hill. From the visuals alone, Watterson’s appreciation for nature was obvious, but he didn’t stop with just the visual. In many strips, Calvin laments a cut-down tree or a piece of litter, and that leads to a bigger conversation about deforestation or pollution.

Similarly, before the phrase "touching grass” was even a thing, many of Watterson’s comics advocated precisely that. They encourage us to commune with nature and not to take natural beauty for granted. In one memorable strip, we see Hobbes’ appreciation for the Fall season, even though it makes Calvin a bit melancholy.

My very favorite Calvin and Hobbes quote that inspires us to go out and touch grass, though, was published on January 6, 1991. The strip begins with Calvin and Hobbes walking through the snow. Calvin says, “You know, Hobbes, it seems the only time most people go outside is to walk to their cars. We have houses, electricity, plumbing, heat… Maybe we’re so sheltered and comfortable that we’ve lost touch with the natural world and forgotten our place in it.”

Then Calvin enters wholly profound territory.

While there’s a bit more to the comic afterwards, that quote is one that has really stuck with me over the years. It perfectly captures what’s wrong with our screen-obsessed world today. Rather than putting down our phones so we can go outside and be one with nature, we often stay indoors and ignore the world around us, including our place in it. While cell phones weren’t a huge deal back when Calvin and Hobbes was running, that quote is all the more relevant in an age when just about everyone can’t look away from their devices — even when they’re literally touching grass.