Original artwork, not a still
Stranger in a Strange Land ‧ 1961
Thou art God.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Mike's line is the novel's boldest idea in three words: if God is whatever groks, then everyone and everything shares the title, and nothing is set above anyone. Heinlein's wording is gentle on the page but provocative to readers, which made it a counterculture motto after 1961. A real church lifted it as a greeting, and "grok" itself entered English with it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Stranger in a Strange LandShow the scene
Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians, has spent the book learning that the Martian word "grok" means deep, total understanding. At the home of Jubal Harshaw, the cranky author, doctor and lawyer who has sheltered him, Mike decides that the word he lacked for it is "God". He points at Jubal and says the line. Jubal is appalled and tries to take it back, but Mike repeats it calmly and extends it to everyone and everything that groks, including the grass. Real-world groups later borrowed the phrase as a greeting.
Sources (2)
- Stranger in a Strange Land, WikiquoteDialogue between Jubal and MikeReference checked
- Stranger in a Strange Land, WikipediaPlot summary and Influence sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed