What has made the legacy of Friends so long-lasting and iconic were definitely its compelling and hilarious main characters. The show was always really great at balancing out the jokes and plotlines among the six of them. Each friend was always able to get a lot of focus on their own storylines, and they all got to have some really great moments.
The six friends were always having funny subplots, and these often lead to really memorable quotes. These quotes ranged from the more heartfelt and emotional to the funnier and more quotable lines. Phoebe Buffay especially had a lot of really great quotes, saying things that were funny and maybe a little too honest. These are the 10 best Phoebe Buffay quotes, ranked.
10 “Meet Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock.”
Season 10, Episode 14 (2004)
After a series of relationships that ranged from sweet to disastrous, Phoebe finally married Mike Hannigan in the final seasons of Friends. The two of them were a very well-matched couple, playing very well off of each other, and always supporting one another. They were a very funny couple even after they got married, which was clear in Season 10, episode 14, “The One with Princess Consuela.”
After marrying Mike, Phoebe went to get her name changed, when she suddenly learned that she could legally change it to anything that she wanted. When announcing her new name to Mike, Phoebe said, “Meet Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock.” It was a very funny and in-character moment for Phoebe, with her misunderstanding a common thing and turning it into something funny but a little misguided.
9 “A promise between friends means never having to give a reason.”
Season 10, Episode 15 (2004)
Phoebe was always a loyal friend to all of her friends. This led to moments where she would help them out with various things, and end up in funny scenarios. One of these happened in Season 10, episode 15, “The One where Estelle Dies.” There was a lot of change happening in the final season of Friends with everybody either getting married or moving out of the city.
When Phoebe found out about the death of Joey’s agent, Estelle, she tried to help him by keeping it from him. While hiding Estelle’s death, Phoebe had to lie to Joey quite a bit, causing him to question her. To keep her cover, she fired back, “A promise between friends means never having to give a reason.” It was a very funny quote that sounded profound but was not.
8 “If you wanna receive emails about my upcoming shows, then please give me money so I can buy a computer.”
Season 6, Episode 3 (1999)
One of the best running gags around Phoebe was her passion for singing and playing the guitar. The songs that she played were always unusual, with very specific and bizarre lyrics, and it was fun to hear them set to the acoustic guitar. Phoebe’s gigs at Central Perk always made for some very hilarious moments complete with catchy tunes.
Like usual, Phoebe gave a performance at Central Perk in Season 6, episode 3, “The One with Ross’s Denial.” At the end of her performance, Phoebe told her audience, “If you wanna receive emails about my upcoming shows, then please give me money so I can buy a computer.” This was a funny spin on a typical phrase, altered perfectly for Phoebe.
7 “I have to go before I put your head through a wall.”
Season 10, Episode 13 (2004)
Phoebe and Joey’s close friendship was one of the best dynamics in Friends. They had many great subplots together that ranged from funny to sincere. In Season 10, episode 13, “The One where Joey Speaks French,” Joey tried to learn French in order to prepare for an audition. Phoebe tried to teach Joey how to speak French, but Joey just could not say the words correctly.
After many failed attempts to get Joey to repeat after her, she finally could not take it anymore. Getting up to leave, Phoebe declared, “I have to go before I put your head through a wall.” This is a very funny line that can be applicable to many real-life situations. It was also funny for Phoebe to say something so blunt yet well-meaning.
6 “Oh, you like that? You should hear my phone number.”
Season 7, Episode 4 (2000)
Phoebe Buffay was always a character who liked to say exactly what was on her mind. This often led to some very funny situations, with Phoebe being way too blunt or honest at times. This mindset typically transferred over to romantic situations in Season 7, episode 4, “The One with Rachel’s Assistant,” Rachel hired an attractive assistant named Tag.
All of the women in Rachel’s office were obsessed with Tag, including Rachel. Phoebe also took a liking to him, stealing the spotlight in a Rachel-centric Friends episode. When Phoebe met Tag, he told her that she had a pretty name. Phoebe quickly responded back to him, “Oh, you like that? You should hear my phone number.” Like many of Phoebe’s other great lines, this one came from a place of boldness and honesty.
5 “Your collective dating record reads like a who’s who of human crap!”
Season 8, Episode 18 (2002)
Over the course of Friends‘ run, the friends all had their share of romantic relationships that ranged from beautiful to utterly bizarre. In Season 8, episode 18, “The One in Massapequa,” Phoebe brought her new boyfriend, Parker, to Monica and Ross’ parents’ anniversary party. Unfortunately for Phoebe, her friends did not like Parker, due to his overly positive attitude.
When Phoebe learned that her friends did not like him, she got very angry. Phoebe fired back, “Your collective dating record reads like a who’s who of human crap!” Although this was said during a fight, it was a very funny line, because Phoebe was not exactly wrong. Friends was always at its best when the characters would reference past events and give each other grief.
4 “They don’t know that we know they know we know.”
Season 5, Episode 14 (1999)
For the beginning of Season 5, Monica and Chandler put a great deal of effort into keeping their relationship a secret. Joey was the first to find out, followed by Rachel. Both Joey and Rachel were shocked and took some time to adjust to the idea, but they did keep it quiet. Things changed in an absolutely hilarious and wonderful way when Phoebe found out in Season 5, episode 14, “The One Where Everybody Finds Out.”
Unlike Rachel and Joey, Phoebe was not going to just let this go and move in. In a genius and perfectly in-character move, she decided to trick Chandler by showing a sudden romantic interest in him. This led to a game of chicken between Phoebe and Chandler, backed by their respective teams. To describe the details of the scheme to Rachel, Phoebe explained, “They don’t know that we know they know we know.”
3 “Boyfriends and girlfriends are gonna come and go, but this is for life.”
Season 7, Episode 11 (2000)
One of the very best qualities about Phoebe was how much she loved her friends. She was extremely loyal and dedicated to them, and she was always willing to do anything for them. Perhaps her closest friend was Joey. Phoebe and Joey were an amazing duo, so it was not a surprise when later in the series, one of their secret rituals was revealed.
In Season 7, episode 11, “The One with All the Cheesecakes,” it was revealed that Phoebe and Joey regularly met up to go out to dinner and talk about their other friends. Joey bailed at the last minute for a date, hurting Phoebe’s feelings. When Joey did not understand what the big deal was, Phoebe said, “Boyfriends and girlfriends are gonna come and go, but this is for life.”
2 “I don’t even have a ‘pla.'”
Season 1, Episode 4 (1994)
If there was a theme to the first season of Friends, it was each of the friends struggling with different aspects of adulthood and in turn leaning on each other. In Season 1, episode 4, “The One with George Stephanopoulos,” Phoebe slept over at Monica and Rachel’s for a night to get a break for her grandmother. This sleepover came right after a difficult reality check for Rachel.
After getting a tiny paycheck and running into some old friends, Rachel was feeling very down about her life. At the sleepover, both Monica and Phoebe became discouraged about their own lives when trying to cheer Rachel up. When asked if she had a plan for her life, Phoebe responded, “I don’t even have a ‘pla.'” It was a very funny and charming way for Phoebe to admit to having her own struggles.
1 “Oh, I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”
Season 1, Episode 1 (1994)
Phoebe’s best and first iconic quote came as early as the pilot episode of Friends. In Season 1, episode 1, “The One where Monica Gets a Roommate,” the show introduced each of the main characters in unique and funny ways. While Ross was grieving his divorce and moving into a new apartment, Rachel was adjusting to life as an independent adult.
Phoebe did not have much going on in the pilot, but she still made quite an impact. When Ross asked for help moving into his new apartment, Phoebe said, “Oh, I wish I could, but I don’t want to.” This was the perfect introduction to Phoebe as a character, because almost any other person would have made up a fake excuse. It was a funny piece of honesty, and it made for an iconic quote.