After providing you with some of the craziest, most out-there How I Met Your Mother fan theories and with the premiere of NBC’s new romantic comedy, A to Z, this Thursday (which many are calling a spiritual successor to HIMYM), we’re now taking a look back at some of the best moments from the show’s run. For this article, we’re going all the way back to the start. These are the five How I Met Your Mother quotes from the show’s first season.
5. Robin: “I am Canadian. Remember? We celebrate Thanksgiving in October.”
Ted: “Oh right I forgot. You guys are weird and you pronounce the word ‘out’, ‘oot’.”
Robin: “You guys are the world’s leader in hand gun violence; your health care system is bankrupt and your country is deeply divided on almost every important issue.”
Ted: “Your cops are called ‘mounties.'” (Episode 11, “Belly Full of Turkey”)
Whether you believe Robin’s criticisms of the United States have any merit or not (not attempting to start a political discussion here), this exchange between her and Ted is easily one of the best How I Met Your Mother quotes of the first season for many reasons. It was always funny when HIMYM poked fun at Robin’s Canadianism throughout the series (and Ted’s joke here about how Canadians say “out” is great), but what makes this one of the better quotes from season one is Ted’s baffled, unsure response to Robin’s thoughtful and well-spoken words: “Your cops are called ‘mounties.”
4. “Look at us, riding around in a limo, eating hot dogs…it’s like we’re the president.” – Marshall (Episode 11, “The Limo”)
The quote above perfectly encapsulates why Marshall was my favorite character on How I Met Your Mother and why Jason Segel was the best comedic actor on the series. It’s such a simple, stupid line but so in-character with everything we know about Marshall, and when it’s delivered by Segel, I can’t help but laugh uncontrollably.
3. Ted: “I’m crazy about you. I think we should be together. What do you say?”
Robin: “Yes. No. Maybe.”
Ted: “Those are the three options.” (Episode 22, “Come On”)
Ted’s declaration of love to Robin the season one finale was sweet, heartfelt, and funny. In short, it was everything that How I Met Your Mother fans had come to expect from the series when it was at its best. Even if you liked Barney and Robin together much more than you liked Ted and Robin, you can’t deny the fact that this exchange between the two of them was simply fantastic.
2. “We struggle so hard to hold on to these things that we know are gonna disappear eventually. And that’s really noble.” – Lily (Episode 17, “Life Among the Gorillas”)
While How I Met Your Mother was most well-known for the laughs that the show’s writers and cast provided, the series could also be surprisingly deep, like with this line from Lily in a later season one episode. Profound thoughts and comments like this, about loss, love, and heartache, aren’t what we typically expect from network sitcoms, but the more serious How I Met Your Mother quotes always felt much more honest and human than many of the lines of dialogue from any other CBS comedy.
1. “It’s going to be legen– wait for it– and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant, because the second half of the word is– dary! Legendary!” – Barney (Episode 3, “Sweet Taste of Liberty”)
The third episode of How I Met Your Mother‘s third season is when Barney first utters the word “legendary,” thus beginning this instantly classic running joke that continued throughout the rest of the show’s run. To not have this quote be number one on the list would have just been stu–wait for it–pid.
Photo via CBS
