Dwight Schrute is undoubtedly one of television’s most interesting characters. We have probably learned more from Dwight in the nine-season run of The Office than all our years in school combined. While this knowledge is not always useful, if we’re ever on a beet farm, dueling a coworker over a girl, or the assistant (to the) regional manager of a paper company, we’ll have Dwight to thank for our preparedness.
The writers gave us a character with ridiculous logic and principles; Rainn Wilson provided the perfect cadence and delivery. The result: an unprecedented TV character with hundreds of quotable lines.
No easy task, but we’ve pared it down to our favorite 30 Dwight quotes here.
23. Friends
“And I did not become a Lackawanna County volunteer sheriff’s deputy to make friends. And by the way, I haven’t.”
22. Pull the Plug
“As a farmer I know that when an animal is sick sometimes the right thing to do is put it out of its misery. With the electricity we are using to keep Meredith alive, we could power a small fan for two days. You tell me what’s unethical.”
21. Second Life
“I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great that I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same…except I could fly.”
20. Accidentally vs. On Purpose
“People say, ‘oh it’s dangerous to keep weapons in the home, or the workplace.’ Well I say, it’s better to be hurt by someone you know, accidentally, than by a stranger, on purpose.”
19. Menstruation Wishes
“I wish I could menstruate. If I could menstruate, I wouldn’t have to deal with idiotic calendars anymore. I’d just be able to count down from my previous cycle. Plus I’d be more in tune with the moon and the tides.”
18. Ideal Choice
“Once I’m officially Regional Manager, my first order of business will be to demote Jim Halpert. So I will need a new number two. My ideal choice? Jack Bauer. But he is unavailable. Fictional. And overqualified.”
17. Healthcare in the Wild
“In the wild, there is no healthcare. Healthcare is “Oh, I broke my leg!” A lion comes and eats you, you’re dead. Well, I’m not dead, I’m the lion, you’re dead!”
16. Superior Cousins
“Congratulations on your one cousin. I have seventy, each one better than the last!”
15. Regular Ideas
“Now that I own the building I’m looking for new sources of revenue. And a daycare center? Muahahahahahahahaha…Well I guess it’s not an evil idea, it’s just a regular idea, but there’s no good laugh for a regular idea.”
14. Immunity Logic
“The principle is sound. To avoid illness, expose yourself to germs, enabling your immune system to develop antibodies. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do this… Maybe they have something against living forever.”
13. The Person You Least, Medium and Most Suspect
“It’s never the person who you most suspect. It’s also never the person you least suspect since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore, I know the killer to be Phyllis… The person who I most medium suspect.”
12. Real Heroes
“No, don’t call me a hero. Do you know who the real heroes are? The guys who wake up every morning and go into their normal jobs, and get a distress call from the Commissioner and take off their glasses and change into capes and fly around fighting crime. Those are the real heroes.”
11. Water Cooler Gossip
“It’s a real shame because studies have shown that more information gets passed through water cooler gossip than through official memos. Which puts me at a disadvantage because I bring my own water to work.”
10. Stress
“Nothing stresses me out. Except having to seek the approval of my inferiors.”
9. All These People!
“Why are all these people here? There are too many people on this earth. We need a new plague.”
8. The “R” Sound
“No, I disagree. “R” is one of the most menacing of sounds. That’s why they call it murder not ‘muckduck’.”
7. A Woman’s Defects
“Reject a woman, and she will never let it go. One of the many defects of their kind. Also, weak arms.”
6.Werewolf Hunting Experience
“I don’t have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once, but by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor’s dog.”
5. An Ideal World
“In an ideal world, I would have all 10 fingers on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.”
4. Attention
“You couldn’t handle my undivided attention.”
3. The Thing About Bear Attacks
“I saw Wedding Crashers accidentally. I bought a ticket for Grizzly Man and went into the wrong theater. After an hour, I figured I was in the wrong theater, but I kept waiting. Cuz that’s the thing about bear attacks… they come when you least expect it.”
2. Resume Critiquing
“Of course Martial arts training is relevant… Uh, I know about a billion Asians that would beg to differ… You know what, you can go to hell, and I will see you there. Burning!”
1. Yeast Infections
“There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we’re downriver from that old bread factory.”
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