Article image

Wisdom From the Best Characters in TV Comedy

One of the enduring maxims of comedy is that it has to be true; that’s why the foremost guide to improvisation is called Truth in Comedy. From Mary Tyler Moore to Tina Fey, creators of television comedies have always used their shows to tell stories that were bigger than just jokes. Sitcoms provide us with unintended wisdom all the time — the jokes are just a way to grab the viewer’s attention before a character says something deeply insightful and resonant, and the best jokes have a core of relatability that makes us laugh and makes us think.

When our favorite characters in comedy are going through tough times, they’re able to express themselves in a way that’s both emotional and funny. They process difficult moments with laughter, and some of the best characters cut to a core truth through their jokes. At some point, the antics stop and we take a step back to survey what we’ve learned from all the wackiness. Time and again we find that humor is a great teacher, as shown by these 22 quotes from some of the best characters in TV comedy.

Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.
Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) in "Parks and Recreation"

Share Quote

We need to remember what's important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third.
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in "Parks and Recreation"

Share Quote

Rejection from society is what created the X-Men!
Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) in "30 Rock"

Share Quote

When one of us shines, all of us shine. That is the meaning of ensemble.
Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) in "Schitt’s Creek"

Share Quote

Society teaches us that having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that’s baloney, because grief isn’t wrong. There’s such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown.
Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) in "The Office"

Share Quote

I need to show that I’m a lone, fierce she-wolf.
Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in "Veep"

Share Quote

There are still some people in this world that we care about, so I say we try and help them become good people. Why not try? It’s better than not trying, right?
Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) in "The Good Place"

Share Quote

My mother always used to say: "The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana."
Rose Nylund (Betty White) in "Golden Girls"

Share Quote

I like the wine, and not the label.
David Rose (Dan Levy) in "Schitt’s Creek"

Share Quote

I have spent a lot of time, and I have eaten a lot of crap to get to where I am today. And I am not throwing it all away now.
Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in "Seinfeld"

Share Quote

One person's annoying is another's inspiring and heroic.
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in "Parks and Recreation"

Share Quote

There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?
Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) in "The Office"

Share Quote

Here I am with all this talent bottled up inside of me and you're always sitting on the cork.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) in "I Love Lucy"

Share Quote

That's how I felt when I came to Bel-Air, like everybody had two skates and I was trying to keep up with one. Thanks for my other skate, Uncle Phil.
Will Smith (Will Smith) in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

Share Quote

I'm sort of like Costco. I'm big, I'm not fancy, and I dare you to not like me.
Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) in "Modern Family"

Share Quote

I don’t skate through life, David. I walk through life, in really nice shoes.
Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) in "Schitt’s Creek"

Share Quote

It’s like all of my life everyone has always told me, "You’re a shoe, you’re a shoe, you’re a shoe, you’re a shoe." And then today I just stopped and I said, "What if I don’t want to be a shoe? What if I want to be a purse, you know? Or, a hat?"
Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) in "Friends"

Share Quote

You said that every human is a little bit sad all the time, because you know you’re going to die. But that knowledge is what gives life meaning.
Michael (Ted Danson) in "The Good Place"

Share Quote

The need to find another human being to share one's life with has always puzzled me. Maybe because I'm so interesting all by myself. With that being said, may you find as much happiness with each other as I find on my own.
Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) in "Big Bang Theory"

Share Quote

Here’s an idea. What if we don’t worry about whatever comes next?
Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) in "The Good Place"

Share Quote


Photo credit: Lucas George Wendt/ Unsplash

Author image
About the Author
Julia Rittenberg
Julia is a writer, theater and comics lover, and lifelong nerd in Brooklyn, NY.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "Without ___, life would be a mistake." – Friedrich Nietzsche

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.

separator icon
David Foster Wallace
motivation theme icon

Comfort can be dangerous. Comfort provides a floor but also a ceiling.

separator icon
Trevor Noah
hope theme icon

There is an eloquence in true enthusiasm.

separator icon
Washington Irving
love theme icon

Make glorious, amazing mistakes.

separator icon
Neil Gaiman
wisdom theme icon

Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway of life itself.

separator icon
Daisaku Ikeda
happiness theme icon

Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

separator icon
Terry Pratchett
motivation theme icon

[Smoke Test IF] Test UPDATED SUCCESS

separator icon
[Smoke Test IF] Test
hope theme icon

You build your mind, so make it into something you want to live with.

separator icon
Marilynne Robinson
love theme icon

You'll never find a rainbow if you're looking down.

separator icon
[Smoke Test IF] Test
wisdom theme icon

A bird is safe in its nest — but that is not what its wings are made for.

separator icon
Amit Ray
happiness theme icon

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.

separator icon
Anaïs Nin