Leslie Knope had a statement, comment or response for essentially everything she experiences throughout the entirety of Parks and Recreation.

She’s been known to make a powerful statement or two. Whether it was on a political campaign or simply helping her friends through day-to-day problems, she always knew what to say.

Then there were times where she didn’t exactly know what to say, but made sure to say something anyway. For example, trash-talking isn’t necessarily one of her strengths.

There are quotes between the two ends of the spectrum, but Leslie always stayed on-brand. Have to give her that, if nothing else.

Punk Ass Book Jockeys!

(Season 2, Episode 15)

Among Leslie’s greatest rivals is the Pawnee Public Library. She’s also gone on record saying “Pawnee’s library department is the most diabolical ruthless bunch of bureaucrats I’ve ever seen. They’re like a biker gang. But instead of shotguns and crystal meth, they use political savvy and shushing.” That’s, of course, a totally reasonable thing to say about a group of people trying to encourage reading. Who reads anymore?

Seriously though, Leslie’s disdain for the Pawnee Public Library is… odd to say the least. But she’s more of the “read a 1,000-page boring document” type than “read a 300-page novel every normal person likes.” So it’s not that weird when you think about it.

I Love You, And I Like You.

(Season 5, Episode 14)

This quote comes from Leslie and Ben’s memorable wedding. Originally, her vows were 70 pages long, which is perfectly normal and not weird at all. Somehow she cut it down to a few lines: “The things that you have done for me to help me, support me, surprise me, to make me happy, go above and beyond what any person deserves. You’re all I need. I love you and I like you.”

Leslie and Ben’s relationship is constantly put through the wringer in Parks and Recreation. Their love, however, remains strong throughout. Seeing them finally tie the know was unforgettable and this line sealed that.

Plus, it perfectly encapsulates their awkwardness. “I love you and I like you.” So bizarre. Sweet, but still bizarre.

I Stand Behind My Decision To Avoid…

(Season 4, Episode 5)

If you encounter someone who likes waffles and whipped cream as much as Leslie Knope, then there’s a good chance they do like healthy food either. It’s one of the few things her and Ron Swanson are in complete agreement.

Which only made things more challenging for Leslie when she tried to make the town of Pawnee healthier. She knew people couldn’t control themselves between Paunch Burger and Sweetums, but the idea of turning to healthy foods wasn’t settling.

“I stand behind my decision to avoid salad and other disgusting things.”

You’re not alone in this fight, Leslie.

There’s Nothing We Can’t Do If We…

(Season 4, Episode 10)

Leslie may be one of the scariest people when she’s on a mission, which is pretty much all the time. Things only get worse when she tries to involve others in her plot.

Imagine a friend or a co-worker saying this to motivate you: “There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep and skirt all other responsibilities in our lives.'

Yeah, I’ll pass, thanks though.

I Don’t Want To Be Overdramatic…

(Season 1, Episode 4)

Leslie personality forces her to the forefront often. Actually, she’s pretty much driving the bus all the time. Even when she kind of takes the back seat, she’s still trying to run the show from behind the scenes.

Running one project can be stressful enough, imagine running all of them. All the time, too. That can cause a breakdown or two, which sometimes leads to statements like, “I don’t want to be overdramatic, but today felt like a hundred years in hell and the absolute worst day of my life.”

Nothing to see here. No reason for concern at all. Everything is fine. Leslie just needs a quick nap and she’ll be back at it.

What I Hear When I’m Being Yelled At Is…

(Pilot)

People have always been angry. Not everyone, but certainly a noticeable enough group, primarily thanks to the vocal portion.

Social media has now given that vocal portion a chance to let loose from the comfort of their couch.

But there are still a few who like to do things the old fashioned way, especially the residents of Pawnee, Indiana (most of which probably don’t know how to use social media).

For some reason, most of these angered individuals feel the need to unleash their anger on poor Leslie Knope, who’s always trying to do right by everyone.

Sometimes the anger gets to her, but not always. That’s because she takes the right approach.

“What I hear when I’m being yelled at is people caring really loudly at me.”

Why Would Anybody Ever…

(Season 2, Episode 20)

Leslie asks a ton of questions throughout Parks and Recreation. Her most important question came at JJ’s Diner while she was receiving an order of waffles.

“Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?”

Ron Swanson gave her the only sane response to that question.

“People are idiots, Leslie.”

Calzones Are Pointless

(Season 3, Episode 4)

Ben Wyatt loves two things above all else in this world: Leslie Knope and Calzones. So it had to hurt when Leslie chirped Ben about his other love:

“Calzones are pointless. They’re just pizza that’s harder to eat. No one likes them.”

Ouch.

Calzones are an interesting change of pace from pizza, for sure, but they are kind of weird.

And unless you’re eating pizza every day, you don’t really need a change of pace from pizza.

Actually, even if you eat pizza every day, you don’t need a change of pace. Pizza’s amazing. Leslie’s right, forget calzones.

Math Is Worthless In Real Life

(Season 5, Episode 21)

What else is there to really say?

How often do you use geometry in the office? Remember the Pythagorean Theorem?

When was the last time you used sin, cos and tan?

Mean, median and mode ring a bell?

Math is in no way an extremely vital portion of your everyday life from things as big as personal finance to something as small as a tip.

Ann…

If there’s one line everyone associates with Leslie Knope, it’s “Ann…” followed by some bizarrely phrased compliment.

“Ann, you are an opalescent tree shark.”

“Ann, you are a beautiful rule-breaking moth.”

“Anne, you’re a tricky minx!”

The list goes on at great length, but you get the idea. Leslie held Ann in the highest regard and found countless ways to let her know. That’s a true friend.