One of the most important characters of Calvin and Hobbes is, of course, Hobbes, the lovable tiger and Calvin's best friend. While the nature of what Hobbes is has always been a mystery, there's no denying just how much of a great character he is.
For many of Calvin's plans and schemes, Hobbes goes along with willingly. However, he is seen as the wiser of the two, as he has several times offered up kernels of wisdom for his friend, even though Calvin rarely listens to him. Whether it be advice on life or trying to get Calvin to stop what he's doing, here are some of Hobbes' best pieces of advice.
Summer Days Are Made For Doing Nothing
Calvin is known for being a wild, crazy kid always running around and doing stuff. But thanks to Hobbes' wisdom, he doesn't always do so.
In this strip, Hobbes notes that summer days are meant for doing things, even if it's nothing. And this is certainly a philosophy that Calvin can get behind. Calvin loves the freedom that comes with summer, even if he does nothing with that freedom. Hobbes' words here aren't just for Calvin, but also for the reader, encouraging them to enjoy summer just like they are.
Violence Wouldn't Be Justified
One way to sum up Calvin as a character is that he tends to go with the option for violence against his enemies, even if it's for something minor that Hobbes advises against.
In this strip, Calvin asks Hobbes if he should kick a kid that called him a nasty name at school. Hobbes tells him that violence wouldn't be justified. Unfortunately, Calvin then more or less reveals that he already did it. While this was some great advice from Hobbes on the subject, as violence is never justified, the fact that it came too late just makes it funnier.
Binoculars
Many strips in Calvin and Hobbes feature parenting, mostly involving Calvin's parents disciplining him for the mistakes he's made. Even when Calvin makes accidental mistakes.
In this case, Calvin has broken Dad's binoculars accidentally, leaving Calvin in a hysterical mess trying to figure out what to do. Hobbes offers up several good pieces of advice, mostly that being to tell someone what happened and that it was an accident. At first, Calvin refuses, afraid of the consequences, but he eventually fesses up. While Dad is angry at first, he calms down upon realizing that it was just an accident.
It's Good To Stop Running Around
Camping is not something that Calvin enjoys doing, especially on the island that his family frequently camps on. Often he complains because there's nothing to do there.
Hobbes then points out that not having anything to do is the point, and that it's good to stop running around once in a while, and think about things without doing them. Hobbes, being a tiger, is a master of doing that, able to kick back and relax without much effort. Unfortunately, Calvin ignores this sound advice and continues to gripe for the rest of the trip.
Fixing The Faucet
Many times when Calvin tries to do something himself, Hobbes tries to give him some advice, which Calvin usually ignores. This has led to a lot of trouble, especially when it involves the house.
When Calvin tries to fix a leaky faucet, for example, Hobbes advises that he should turn the water off before he takes it apart. Calvin ignores this, proclaiming that was the problem he's trying to fix, without realizing that Hobbes meant the water pressure to the sink itself. Thus, water begins pouring out of the faucet when Calvin takes it apart, flooding the bathroom and landing Calvin in some major trouble with his dad. If Calvin had listened to Hobbes, he might have avoided any sort of trouble.
See Beautiful Things With Someone
Many times Calvin and Hobbes engage in philosophical conversations, leading to some nice talks between Calvin and Hobbes, where the latter gives sound advice for Calvin's struggles.
During this strip, when Calvin declares that he hates everyone, Hobbes points out how beautiful the surrounding area is, and tells Calvin that it's much better to see beautiful things with someone rather than seeing them alone. Calvin actually considers this and somewhat agrees, although he decides that he'd rather see these things with a tiger than with a human, which Hobbes comments goes without saying.
Defeating The Bike
Calvin's killer bicycle is one of Calvin's greatest enemies, and Calvin could not come up with any way to beat it. Luckily, Hobbes had the perfect idea to take the bike down.
The tiger suggested that Calvin should shove a stick through the spokes of the bike's front wheel, which would cause it to flip over. Calvin takes this idea and pulls it off in an off- scene, taking the bike down and letting the air out of its tires. It was a fantastic piece of advice from Hobbes - unfortunately, it would be a victory short-lived, as Dad would add training wheels and reinflate the tires, setting the stage for more bike attacks in the future.
Save Hyperbole Until You Need It
Calvin's school days often end with Hobbes welcoming him home by pouncing on him. This of course has led to some fun advice from Hobbes regarding feelings.
After a long day at school, Calvin comes home declaring that he feels like he's been run over by a train. Hobbes pounces on him and knocks him to the ground, where Calvin declares that he feels like that only now. Hobbes jokes then that he should save hyperbole until he really needs it. It's a fun piece of advice that, while mostly useless in the long run, should help Calvin choose his moments for intense exaggeration.
Contractual Friends
Even though Hobbes is friends with Calvin, he still sometimes gets annoyed with Calvin's line of thinking, advising him to try to think a different way.
Such is the case in this strip, where Calvin draws up a friendship contract for Hobbes to sign. Hobbes angrily tells Calvin that people are friends because they want to be and that he doesn't have any friends if they're contractual. It's another great piece of advice to try to set Calvin straight. Given that there's no sign of any sort of friendship contract for the rest of the strip, it can be assumed that Calvin's string of contracts never got anywhere in the end.
True Happiness Comes From A Life Of Virtue
Calvin takes many pleasures in life to make him happy, most of the time involving causing mischief and chaos. But Hobbes offers him a clear piece of advice in this strip to potentially make him change his mind.
When Calvin is about to hit Susie with a snowball, Hobbes tells him that some people say "true happiness comes from a life of virtue." Calvin actually considers this, going through the rest of his day doing his chores and being nice to his parents. Ultimately, Calvin decides to hit Susie with a snowball after all that anyway, which pretty much goes against Hobbes' advice. Still, seeing Calvin actually try to be good for a little bit was nice to see, as short as it lasted.
