Despite being over two decades old, Friends remains a cornerstone of popular culture. Friends is a comfort show for its fandom, many of whom deeply resonate with the six main characters’ highs and lows. To this day, Friends viewers live vicariously through each of the six core characters, and that’s a rare feat that only a handful of shows have managed to achieve.
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Part of the reason Friends remains so memorable is the sitcom's immaculate writing, which stayed consistently strong for a decade. Joey, Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe gave plenty of food for thought with these hilarious, often polarizing lines that frequently hit the mark.
10 “We Were On A Break!”
First Said In Season 3, Episode 15 “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break” - Ross
"We were on a break!" Continues to generate discussion and debate to this day. Ross, in his defense, used them to justify being intimate with the woman from the copy place while he and Rachel were on a break. To him, Rachel asking for a break meant they were over, freeing him to do as he pleased. To Rachel, however, it meant a brief pause in their relationship.
The truth is, Ross struggled to handle the shift in Rachel’s life and responded by causing problems instead of being a supportive boyfriend. While that part is clear, what’s debatable is the very idea of a break between a couple who are deeply in love. For this reason, fans continue to argue over the infamous Friends break, and that’s what makes the line so memorable.
9 “How You Doin’?”
First Said In Season 4, Episode 13 “The One with Rachel’s Crush” - Joey
Joey’s foolproof technique of asking women out, which later became a catchphrase, remains one of Friends’ most endearing moments. When Rachel expresses her frustration that Joshua hasn't asked her out, Phoebe suggests she take the initiative instead, prompting Joey to deliver his pickup line.
Friends’ “How you doin’?” Grew famous over the course of the show, with Joey demonstrating its effectiveness multiple times. It’s such a unique line, and it almost always works for Joey, helped, of course, by his confidence, charm, and technique.
8 “Look At Me! I'm Chandler. Could I BE Wearing Any More Clothes?”
Season 3, Episode 2 “The One Where No One's Ready" - Joey
By Friends Season 3, everyone is well aware of Chandler’s tendency to stress the word “be” or frame sentences so they sound like a question. In this iconic bottle episode, Ross has an event at the museum, but no one is ready, as a chain of hilarious mishaps keep them from leaving.
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Things spiral when Joey and Chandler fight over a chair, prompting Joey to storm into their apartment and wear everything Chandler owns. Not only does Joey steal Chandler’s clothes, he also delivers this line with a distinctly Chandler-esque flair that earns huge laughs from viewers.
7 “Joey Doesn’t Share Food!”
Season 10, Episode 9 "The One with the Birth Mother" - Joey
Joey would rather spoil his date than let her share a plate of fries. By Season 10, the character is fully realized, and everyone knows just how much he loves food.
After a date with a woman named Sarah, who also happens to be Phoebe’s friend, Joey decides not to go out with her again, prompting Phoebe to ask what went wrong. Joey narrates that Sarah took a few fries from his plate, followed by his vehement declaration that he does not share food at all. Turns out, he wouldn’t even let Rachel’s toddler, Emma, have a single grape.
6 “I Don’t Even Have A Pla…”
Season 1, Episode 4 “The One with George Stephanopoulos” - Phoebe
Phoebe shines as a delightfully relatable character in "The One with George Stephanopoulos", where most of the cast face an identity crisis of a sort. She, along with Monica and Rachel, is thrown off by a chain of events triggered by the visit of Rachel’s wealthy and successful friends.
Rachel dampens the mood during a girls' night, and Monica offers some consolation. When that fails, she asks Phoebe whether she has a plan. Phoebe replies by delivering her classic line in a way that shows she doesn’t care where life takes her.
5 “PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOT!”
Season 5, Episode 16 “The One with the Cop" - Ross
Ross buys a new couch but refuses to pay the delivery fee, and enlists the help of his friends to bring the couch all the way up to his apartment using the stairs. At first, it’s just Rachel, but Chandler soon joins in as reinforcement to help lift the couch up the stairs. And of course, he brings his style of comedy to the entire scene.
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Chandler is completely bewildered by Ross’s pivoting instructions. Ross stresses the word “pivot” countless times, as if his friends have no idea what they are supposed to do on the staircase. If only there had been more space, the couch might not have ended up broken in half.
4 “It's A Moo Point.”
Season 7, Episode 8 “The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs” - Joey
In this classic Season 7 Thanksgiving episode, Rachel’s assistant, Tag, shows up, stirring her feelings for him. She finds herself drawn to him, waiting the appropriate time window before she can make a move on the freshly broken-up Tag.
As the women debate this, Joey chimes in with his wisdom, posing the big question — whether Tag likes Rachel back. According to him, it’s all pointless if Tag doesn’t, which makes the discussion a “moo point”, since a cow’s opinion that doesn’t matter. This explanation sends Rachel and the women behind her into quiet laughter.
3 “Oh, I'm Sorry. Did My Back Hurt Your Knife?”
Season 2, Episode 2 “The One With the Breast Milk” - Rachel
Rachel develops feelings for Ross after learning from Chandler that he had liked her for a while. However, Ross is away at work in China, where he strikes up a relationship with a fellow paleontologist named Julie. Rachel hates the sight of their romance, and to make matters worse, Monica is obligated to bond with Julie, since she’s now her brother’s girlfriend.
So, of course, when Rachel finds out that Monica went to her favorite place, Bloomingdale’s, with Julie, she has a meltdown. Monica tries to make amends and even visits Rachel down at the coffee house, admitting that she feels miserable. To that, Rachel has the correct response, making it clear that Monica is the one who backstabbed her.
2 “He’s Her Lobster!”
Season 2, Episode 14 “The One with the Prom Video” - Phoebe
Rachel rushes to kiss Ross after discovering in the prom tape that he had dressed up to fill in as her prom date, only for her date, Chip Matthews, to show up at the last moment. This revelation comes at a crucial moment, especially after Rachel has told Ross that they are unlikely to end up together.
Phoebe told Ross about lobsters mating for life, and he was completely convinced by it for a while. When Rachel finds out that Ross’s heart was broken because he never got the chance to take her to prom, she gets up to embrace him, setting up Phoebe’s well-timed line.
1 "Welcome To The Real World. It Sucks! You’re Gonna Love It!”
Season 1, Episode 1 “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate" - Monica
Monica’s welcoming of Rachel into the real world is an emotional moment that the fandom can’t forget. After Rachel runs out on her wedding, she turns to that one friend from Lincoln High, who welcomes her in and even puts a roof over her head.
Monica guides Rachel through her difficult time, emphasizing that she can’t live off her parents forever. Toward the end of Rachel’s memorable card-cutting scene, Monica’s words serve as a reminder that although the real world can be harsh, it's the only way a person can truly feel the thrill of life – a lesson Rachel learns well throughout the course of Friends.
Friends
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- 1994 - 2004
