Why Calvin and Hobbes Still Offers the Best Quote on the Meaning of Life

As a lifelong reader of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson’s words and drawings often struck a deep chord. Reading about Calvin traipsing through the forest as a child prompted walks into the backyard woods to do the exact same thing.

Appreciating the open-ended beauty of the final comic came later in life. That final strip features the titular duo sledding off into a snowy white wilderness, suggesting that their adventures and friendship endure even though the strip ended.

Becoming a dad brought a deep appreciation for a wordless comic strip featuring Calvin’s dad putting work aside to play in the snow with his kid.

Bill Watterson’s work occasionally prompts reflection on the nature of life itself during philosophical panels where Calvin and Hobbes discuss existence. Many strips like this exist, leading to an attempt to find the very best quote about the meaning of life.

Calvin and Hobbes on the meaning of life

The initial instinct pointed toward the Baby Raccoon Story. In March 1987, Bill Watterson crafted a touching two-week series of comic strips where Calvin finds an injured baby raccoon. His parents take it in, but the raccoon dies the next morning, leaving Calvin to wrestle with death.

That series stands as the most emotional point in the comic strip. Calvin says poignant things, such as when he lies in bed with Hobbes and asks, “You know, Hobbes, I can’t figure out this death stuff. Why did that little raccoon have to die? He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just little! What’s the point of putting him here and taking him back so soon?”

Those sad, thoughtful lines focus more on death than life, driven by questions rather than significant answers. Digging further revealed other good options.

“What if you find someone you can talk to while you eat apples on a bright fall morning?” suggests that life only requires one really good friend, though context from the rest of the strip helps. Another stargazing comic offers this thought: “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’d bet they’d live a lot differently.” Further digging uncovered an even better option.

A 1992 Sunday comic features Calvin wondering why humans evolved a sense of humor. He tells Hobbes, “When you think about it, it’s weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it’s funny. Don’t you think it’s odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?”

Hobbes responds with this:

“I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.”

That quote makes a person think. It avoids being overly sad or optimistic while addressing the many absurdities of life, making it fitting that the words come from a stuffed tiger.

Source: Polygon