In his words: Memorable Charles Schulz quotes

Charles “Sparky” Schulz was born Nov. 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, but spent most of his years as a Sonoma County resident from 1958 until his death in 2000 at age 77. This month he would have turned 100. By the time of his death, he had written and drawn the “Peanuts” comic strip for nearly 50 years.

Here are some of his noteworthy words on cartooning, the characters he created and other philosophical thoughts he often shared.

From the ‘70s

“If Peanuts has been unique in any way, it has been because of the absence of adults. I usually say that they do not appear because the daily strip is only an inch and a half high, and they wouldn’t have room to stand up. Actually, they have been left out because the would intrude in a world were they could only be uncomfortable. Adults are not needed in the Peanuts strip. They are talked about but never seen or heard.” — Charles Schulz from the book “Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others,” in 1975

“I have been asked many times if I ever dreamed that ‘Peanuts’ would become as successful as it is, and I think I always surprise people when I say, ‘Well, frankly, I guess I did expect it, because, after all, it was something I had planned since I was 6 years old.” — Charles Schulz from the book “Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others,” in 1975

“Cartoons are pop art, like ice cream. They’re instant gratification. ... If I could really draw, I’d probably be doing fine art, and if I could really write, I’d write novels. Probably lousy novels. ... It’s a well-drawn strip. Not as good as Picasso’s drawings and not as good as Maury Lapp’s drawing. Of course, I’m not sure they could do a comic strip. — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat on March 18, 1977, a story on a exhibit of original Peanuts drawings at Santa Rosa Junior College

“I often get story ideas on the tennis court or the ice rink, or just from the people I run into during activities. Life provides ideas as you meet new people and remain reasonably outgoing.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat March 18, 1977, a story on a exhibit of original Peanuts drawings at Santa Rosa Junior College

From the ‘80s

“That doesn’t count the $4 I won playing golf with Chuck Bartley last week.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat Sept. 9, 1987, his reaction to Forbes magazine disclosing the amount of his personal wealth

“Happiness is wonderful, but it’s not awfully funny. There’s a lot of cruelty among children. The playground is a nasty place to be trapped. You survive either by being the toughest or by joining with the two or three others. I hate mean kids. ... You know, the first 10 years, the children in the strip were very nasty, especially to Charlie Brown. There’s very little of that now. I think I’ve grown less sarcastic over the years, so the strip is milder than it was. I’m milder than I was.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat May 8, 1988

“Some characters just never developed into strong personalities. Take Pig Pen, for example. A lot of people wrote to ask where he had gone, but his story line was too restrictive. How many ‘dirty kid’ jokes can you do?” As for Shermy, an early character that appeared in the first “Peanuts” strip, he said, “I never could quite figure him out. And I had the hardest time with his hair. I can’t draw cats, either.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat May 15, 1988 on why he didn’t develop some of his early characters more fully

“I just draw what I think is funny and I hope other people think it is funny, too.” —Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat May 26, 1989

From the ‘90s

“Comic strips are known for their long life, as long as the creator is healthy and works hard. We’re not like the TV shows that are gone in two to three years.” —Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat Oct. 2, 1990 — on “Peanuts” turning 40

“Why do musicians compose symphonies and poets write poems? They do it because life wouldn’t have any meaning for them if they didn’t. That’s why I draw cartoons. It’s my life.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat Oct. 2, 1990 — on “Peanuts” turning 40

“You know, I’m happiest when I’m going to the ice arena every morning, reading the newspaper, coming up with what I think is a great idea and coming over to my drawing board.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat for historian Gaye LeBaron’s column Nov. 23, 1997

“It’s all over. I didn’t mean for it to end like this, but it is. I have no choice, no choice whatsoever. I don’t know what to do. So I decided I might as well call it now.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat in 1999 at 77 years old when discussing the end of creating new ‘Peanuts’ comic strips

“But it’s a shame to end the whole thing without Charlie Brown ever kicking the ball. It’s not fair.”— Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat in 1999 at 77 years old when discussing the end of creating new ‘Peanuts’ comic strips

“I can’t start it over. After all, I’ll be 78, and do I want to start all over again? ... Why don’t I just go down to Santa Barbara and take a walk on the beach.” — Charles Schulz in The Press Democrat in 1999 on leaving the door open to return to comics, but the cartoonist feels certain there will be no revival, at least not in the daily newspaper format