10 Best Snoopy Quotes In Peanuts History

Snoopy was a font of half-baked wisdom, and he shared plenty of philosophical musings over the years. When he wasn't play-acting as a WWI fighter or slipping into his "Joe Cool" persona. Other times, the dog was just downright silly. Either way, he was always reliable for a laugh-out-loud Peanuts moment.

"Never Bug A Beagle"

In this Peanuts strip, Snoopy gets a letter from a girl named Lila. Why is that a big deal? Because Lila was actually Snoopy's owner before Charlie Brown. She is the "owner the got away" for Snoopy. And in her limited appearances, the pair actually had a pretty sweet relationship.

Here though, readers get a glimpse of Snoopy expressing frustration that Lila keeps writing him letters. And it leads up to an all-time great declaration by Snoopy: "Never bug a beagle!" It's exactly the kind of off-the-cuff, on-the-fly bon mots that became known as Snoopy's signature in Peanuts.

"Eating A Jelly Doughnut Can Make Your Head Hurt..."

This Peanuts comic takes readers on a ride. It starts with Snoopy staring lovingly at a box of donuts, from which he selects a jelly-filled treat. Except before he chomps down on it, he makes a curious statement: "Eating a jelly doughnut can make your head hurt." How? From the sugar rush? No, that'd be too simple for Snoopy.

Instead, Snoopy explains the unintended consequences of a jelly doughnut. "The jelly squirts out and lands on your toes," he notes, "which attracts a few of your friends..." That is, Woodstock and a flock of lookalike birds, who proceed to "hang around and talk" nonstop, leaving Snoopy with a migraine the next morning.

"I Never Know If 'Right Now' Means 'Right Now' Or "Right Now'..."

Every dog owner knows that even the best pup can be obstinate sometimes. Case in point: Snoopy trying to usurp Linus' beloved security blanket for himself. "Let go of this blanket right now," Linus shouts at Snoopy, who doesn't listen right away. Linus repeats himself, desperately trying to yank the blanket out of the "stupid beagle's" mouth.

In the final frame, readers are privy to Snoopy's internal monologue, in which he muses that he's never fully clear on the meaning of "right now." It's a silly, nonsensical punchline, one that stands out because it highlights Snoopy's status as a dog. Something that neither he, nor Peanuts, always readily recognized.

"I Don't Even Own A Dog!"

One of Snoopy's greatest charms was that he often identified more as a human than as a canine. Sometimes he seemed to forget his species entirely. Like in this cartoon. Here, Charlie Brown asks Snoopy, "have you ever thought of entering a dog show?" The beagle's response is dismissive. "How could I?" he asks.

And in the last panel, having gone back to lounging on top of his...*checks notes* dog house...Snoopy explains why, exclaiming, "I don't even own a dog!" It's a classic Peanuts punchline, in which the character is presented as hilariously obtuse, unable to even fathom what Charlie Brown actually means.

"Birds Have No Sense Of Humor"

One of the great joys of Peanuts was when Snoopy would crack himself up. This is a classic example. Here, he's out on a hike with his "Beagle Scouts," who are all birds like Woodstock. "While we're out here, we should really do some bird watching," he tells the scouts, and then proceeds to explain how they can each watch one another.

And then Snoopy absolutely cracks up. He bursts out laughing at his own joke, but he's the only one. The scouts don't get it. Embarrassed, Snoopy resumes leading them on their hike, internally musing that: "Birds have no sense of humor.' Of course, Snoopy would never consider the possibility that his joke was simply lame.

"My Plot Is Thickening!"

Snoopy concocted some iconic alter egos over the course of Peanuts' 50-year history, and one of his greatest recurring bits was his determination to be the next Great American Novelist. Except Peanuts readers perennially witnessed Snoopy struggling to get past the first line of his book, the tropey scene-setter, "it was a dark and stormy night."

Here, after pondering for a panel, Snoopy actually makes some progress. He excitedly types: "Suddenly a shot rang out!" Then, feeling pleased with himself, Snoopy turns to the reader and flashes a grin. "My plot is thickening," he declares, in an all-time unforgettable send-up of the perils and pitfalls of creative pursuits.

"If You Can't Dance, You Should At Least Be Able To Do A Happy Hop!"

Snoopy is all vibes in this Peanuts strip. He's feeling good because he's moving his body. "To dance is to live," he declares, explaining that "dancing is an emotional outlet," and adding that he is "sorry for people who can't dance.' Dancing is a vital part of how Snoopy keeps himself sane, and for the dancing-challenged out there, he'd like to suggest an alternative.

That is, "a happy hop," as Snoopy demonstrates in the fourth frame of the cartoon, channeling a bunny more than a beagle. Dancing, hopping, and moving around were so critical to Snoopy as a Peanuts character that it actually had an outsized influence on another iconic cartoon pet, Garfield, who Peanuts creator Charles Schulz helped redesign to make him able to bust a move.

"Learn From Yesterday, Live For Today, Look To Tomorrow...Rest This Afternoon"

This is the kind of pseudo-folk wisdom that Snoopy is most famous for. What is so funny about this cartoon is how on-point Snoopy's worldview actually seems to be, right up until the swerve at the end. "Learn from yesterday," Snoopy begins. Great. Makes total sense. "Live for today." Perfect. Great advice. "Look to tomorrow." Of course, it's good to be prepared.

"Rest this afternoon." Wait. A nap? Doesn't that kind of clash with "live for today?" Maybe, maybe not, depending on one's attitude toward an afternoon snooze. It can be a crucial part of a person's day, or it can throw a wrench into it and keep them up all night afterward. But for Snoopy, naps are absolutely one of the foundational pillars of a good life.

"Maybe Some Flowers Don't Like To Be Picked"

In this memorable Woodstock and Snoopy cartoon, the pair are sitting next to a flower when Woodstock gets the bright idea to pluck it from the ground. Except it's not so easy. Woodstock gets an unexpected smack from the flower, which doesn't want to go gentle into that good night.

Observing this, Snoopy simply notes: "Maybe some flowers don't like to be picked." It's an unexpectedly beautiful sentiment, stemming from one of the more surreal and silly Peanuts premises. In real life, flowers lack agency, but here, Peanuts gives one the opportunity to stand up for itself, and Snoopy, in turn, accepts that as a fact of life.

"We're All Emotionally Bankrupt"

Let's return to Snoopy-the-writer for one final, iconic quote. In this cartoon, Snoopy spends some time in nature reflecting on his creative troubles. He's having trouble emotionally investing in his own work, which in turn means his readers won't be able to do the same. "You're emotionally bankrupt," he harshly concludes, but then he goes a step further.

"[F.] Scott Fitzgerald was emotionally bankrupt," Snoopy thinks, referencing the legendary Great Gatsby author. From there, it's a short leap to "we're all emotionally bankrupt,' a surprisingly heavy idea for Snoopy to reach, which is exactly what makes it an unexpectedly hilarious Peanuts punchline and one of the beagle's greatest bits.

We want to hear from you, Peanuts fans. What are some other memorable Snoopy quotations we should cover?