It’s been five years since Modern Family aired its final episode, and I still think about it all the time. Sure, it was one of the funniest shows on TV, but it was also smart, heartwarming, and full of life lessons. Every other scene had a line that either made you laugh out loud or quietly nod and go, “That’s so true.”
So here are some of the funniest and most iconic lines from Modern Family, ranked by the life lessons they teach us:
8. ‘Success is one per cent inspiration, 98 per cent perspiration, and two per cent attention to detail.’
via Fox
Look, I can’t do maths, and neither can Phil. But that’s kind of the point. He might have messed up the numbers, but the message is spot on: You don’t have to be perfect, just keep working hard, and you’ll get there.
7. ‘You’ll never go broke playing to a rich man’s ego. Write that down.’
Honestly, I did. That’s all that needs to be said.
6. ‘Watch a sunrise at least once a day.’
via Fox
Sure, it’s not technically possible to watch more than one, but the point stands, nature heals. Go outside. Breathe it in. Sunrise or sunset, it doesn’t matter.
5. ‘There are dreamers, and there are realists in this world…’
This one always gives me goosebumps. It deserves a standing ovation. It’s deep, thoughtful, and painfully accurate. Dreamers need realists to keep them grounded, and realists need dreamers to lift them up. Enough said.
4. ‘If you get pulled over for speeding, tell the policeman your spouse has diarrhoea.’
Now this is life advice. I don’t know if it would work (probably not), but you can’t say it’s not worth a try. Desperate times. Desperate measures.
3. ‘Sometimes in life you get to choose the doors you go through, but sometimes…’
That’s some solid granddad advice right there. It’s simple, true, and straight to the heart. Jay might’ve been grumpy, but he was also full of wisdom.
2. ‘How do you say in English the takatakatakataka?’
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed and related so hard to a TV moment. If you speak more than one language, you’ve definitely had one of those brain-fog moments. Gloria is Colombian, and the word she forgot, “helicopter”, is literally helicóptero in Spanish. So it made no sense for her to forget it… but also, it kind of did.
1. ‘When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like, What?!’
Okay, this has to be on the top. If you’re a fellow Modern Family lover, you already know this comes from Phil’s-Osophy, Phil Dunphy’s legendary guide to life. It’s silly, makes no sense, and somehow still feels like excellent advice. I think about this line daily.
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