Context

Horton is just your average run-of-the-mill elephant when, one day, he finds a flower with a whole bunch of teeny-tiny-itty-bitty people living on it. Of course, only Horton can hear them (helps to have big, elephant ears), so everyone else thinks he's a little bit nutty and that he should just toss that flower aside and stop worrying his pretty, little trunk off.

But Horton refuses to give up on the little people living on the speck. He knows they're there and they're people, darnit! They're entitled to live their lives too, right? Just because they're small doesn't mean someone can just toss them in the garbage. So goes his constant refrain throughout the story—it doesn't matter how small these little people are, they're still people and he's gonna be there for them.

This elephant's all right.

Where you've heard it

This is one of the most quotable lines in Dr. Seuss literature, probably because it makes little kids—who are rather small—feel pretty darn important.

Additional Notable References:

• You'll hear this line in the super cool Horton Hears a Who movie.
• Seussical: The Musical retells Horton's story in song form complete with this quotable lyric.
• Does this quote sound a whole lot like pro-life slogan to you? You're not the only one who noticed.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Okay, Horton got a little preachy here, but no one will mind too much if you say this while sticking up for the little guys out there.