63 Years Later, the Best ‘Peanuts’ Sally Line Is Still an Iconic Comic Strip Quote
An early June 1987 Peanuts strip gives Sally Brown a memorable line about people criticising others before understanding what they mean. Though she has written “Deer” instead of “Dear”, Sally is partly right: Charlie Brown corrects her before hearing that she is writing about deer.
The article argues that the joke carries a useful lesson for social media: understand a conversation before joining in. Sally is often portrayed as a reluctant student who tries to evade schoolwork, though she is also associated with the line “Happiness is your own library card”, from 26 April 1963.
- Sally’s 1987 line warns against judging too quickly.
- The joke turns a spelling mistake into a lesson about context.
- The article links the strip’s message to posting on social media.
New here? Start with this
Peanuts is an American comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, centred on Charlie Brown, his friends and his younger sister Sally. Sally is often shown struggling with schoolwork, while Charlie Brown is known for his worries and earnest attempts to make sense of things.
In one 1987 strip, Sally writes “Deer” at the start of a letter, and Charlie Brown corrects her before learning she is writing about deer. The joke turns on the difference between correcting someone quickly and understanding what they mean. It has since been read as a reminder relevant to online discussions, where people often respond before getting the full context.