“Thar’s only two possibilities: Thar is life out there in the universe which is smarter than we are, or we’re the most intelligent life in the universe. Either way, it’s a mighty sobering thought.”
Last winter, a colleague forwarded that line during a brutal deadline week. He added no context, just the quote. I read it at 2:07 a.m., while my laptop fan whined. At first, I rolled my eyes, because it sounded like a tidy internet aphorism. However, the next morning, the words still sat in my head, heavy and quiet.
That lingering weight pushed me to ask a simple question. Where did this “mighty sobering thought” actually start? As it turns out, the trail runs through a beloved comic strip, a specific character voice, and decades of sloppy retellings. Therefore, the quote’s origin story matters as much as the punchline.
What the Quote Means (and Why It Sticks)
The line lands because it corners you with two outcomes. Either smarter beings exist, or we top the cosmic leaderboard. In contrast to most “space quotes,” it doesn’t celebrate either option. Instead, it makes both options unsettling. As a result, the joke turns into a small philosophical trap.
Additionally, the phrasing uses plain, spoken logic. You can hear someone thinking out loud, step by step. That voice matters, because the quote didn’t begin as a polished maxim. It started as dialogue inside a comic strip.
The Earliest Known Appearance: A Specific Pogo Strip in 1959
The earliest known appearance traces to a “Pogo” strip published on June 20, 1959. Walt Kelly wrote the strip and drew it for newspaper syndication.
In that strip, Porky Pine (also styled as Porkypine in later citations) riffs on extraterrestrials. He says he has read about planets filled with folks with “advanced brains.” Then he pivots and considers the opposite possibility. Finally, he lands the punchline: “Either way, it’s a mighty soberin’ thought.”
Importantly, the character matters. Porky Pine speaks in a particular dialect, and he often plays the anxious realist. Therefore, the line works as character comedy, not just cosmic commentary.
Historical Context: Why 1959 Readers Heard “Space” Differently
The strip landed during the early Space Age. Americans followed rockets, satellites, and Cold War competition with daily intensity. Consequently, “life on other planets” felt less like fantasy and more like tomorrow’s headline.
Meanwhile, popular science writing and science fiction magazines fed public curiosity. People debated UFOs, Mars canals, and radio signals from space at dinner tables. In that atmosphere, a swamp-dwelling porcupine musing about “advanced brains” hit a cultural nerve.
However, “Pogo” never played the topic straight. Kelly used the Okefenokee Swamp as a mirror for politics, vanity, and human confusion. Therefore, the extraterrestrials joke also poked at human self-importance.
How the Quote Evolved: From Dialogue to “Perfect” Internet Aphorism
Over time, readers stopped quoting the strip and started quoting the idea. That shift happens constantly with memorable lines. First, someone retells it from memory. Next, another person smooths the grammar. Then, the quote becomes a single clean sentence that “sounds right.”
In this case, the modern version often starts with “Thar’s only two possibilities.” That opener feels folksy, yet it doesn’t match the original strip’s exact wording. Additionally, the modern version compresses the setup into a neat binary.
That compression changes the rhythm. Porky Pine’s original speech unfolds like a ramble. The later version reads like a crafted proverb. As a result, people treat it as a stand-alone quote, not a comic moment.
Reprints and the Long Tail of Newspaper Comics
Newspaper strips often lived multiple lives through reprints. “Pogo” ran for years, and editors reused older strips in later decades. Notably, the June 20, 1959 strip later appeared again in newspapers on July 28, 1973.
That reprint matters because many later references point to the 1973 date. People often cite what they can find, not what came first. Therefore, secondary sources sometimes “move” the quote forward in time.
Variations and Misattributions: Pogo vs. Porky Pine vs. “Walt Kelly Said”
Misattribution begins with a small, understandable slip. Many readers remember the strip as “Pogo said it,” because Pogo names the comic. Additionally, casual retellings often ignore which character spoke.
A 1974 letter to a newspaper shows this drift in action. The writer tried to reconstruct the words from memory and credited Pogo. The letter also paraphrased the line into a looser, more conversational version.
Later, websites posted an even more streamlined wording. Some pages credited “Porky Porcupine,” some credited “Pogo Possum,” and others credited Walt Kelly directly. In contrast, the strip itself credits a specific character voice.
The dialect detail offers another clue. The popular “Thar” spelling appears in many circulated versions. Yet the Okefenokee characters typically use different speech patterns than that exaggerated “thar” construction. Consequently, that spelling likely came from memory, not the original art.
Walt Kelly’s Life and Views: Why His Humor Carried Weight
Walt Kelly built a reputation for layered humor and elegant draftsmanship. He combined playful language with sharp social observation. Therefore, even a short gag about aliens could carry a bigger message.
Kelly also wrote in voices that felt lived-in. He let characters wander through ideas, then collide with a punchline. That method made “Pogo” feel both silly and wise.
Importantly, Kelly didn’t need to “believe” in extraterrestrials to write this joke. He just needed the human reaction to the thought experiment. In summary, he aimed the spotlight at our pride and our fear.
Cultural Impact: Why This Line Keeps Getting Reposted
The quote survives because it works in many settings. Teachers use it to open astronomy units. Writers use it to frame essays about humility. Friends use it to lighten existential dread.
Additionally, it fits modern “shareable” formats. It has a clean binary, a twist, and a final emotional verdict. Consequently, it travels well on posters, social media cards, and email signatures.
However, that same shareability encourages distortion. People copy from copies, and they rarely check the strip. As a result, the internet rewards the smoothest version, not the earliest one.
Modern Usage: How to Quote It Accurately Today
If you want historical accuracy, credit Walt Kelly and specify Porky Pine as the speaker. Also, consider citing the original publication date, June 20, 1959. That approach respects both the creator and the character.
If you prefer the polished “Thar’s only two possibilities” version, label it as a paraphrase. Source That small note keeps you honest and helps readers trace the lineage.
Meanwhile, if you use the quote in a science context, you can frame it as a thought experiment. Source It doesn’t claim evidence for aliens. Instead, it highlights the emotional implications of either outcome.
Conclusion: The Sobering Thought Behind the Sobering Thought
This quote didn’t drop from the sky as a perfect maxim. It grew out of a specific comic strip moment, delivered by Porky Pine, and shaped by Walt Kelly’s ear for human vanity. Over decades, reprints and retellings polished the language and blurred the attribution. Therefore, the real origin story teaches the same lesson as the line itself.
When you face the universe, you can’t win on ego. Source If smarter minds exist, they humble us. If they don’t, our responsibility expands to fill the silence. Either way, that remains a mighty sobering thought.