15 most popular Michael Scott quotes from The Office

7. “You know what they say. Fool me once, strike one, but fool me twice…strike three.”

Michael has never come off as a very athletic type of guy, so, understandably, he may not be familiar with the basics of America’s past time. People would be hardpressed to find someone that isn’t familiar with the knowledge that it takes a batter three strikes for an out to be called. Some think he was going for the “fool me once shame on me, follow me twice shame on you,” and his misfire ends up being a classic quote from the fan-favorite Office character.

8. “I… Declare…. Bankruptcy!”

To be fair, the word declare does kind of mean to yell things out, so it’s somewhat understandable how Michael could make the mistake regarding how to kick things off when it comes to bankruptcy. The poor guy facing all kinds of financial trouble already made the tough decision of filing for bankruptcy, which is far from an easy endeavor, but he builds up the courage to announce it to the world only to find out what he did means nothing, and he will still have to declare bankruptcy the proper way resulting in deeply funny quote worthy of the greatest hits album.

9. “I feel like all my kids grew up and then they married each other. It’s every parent’s dream.”

If a fan of The Office had to pick a Michael Scott quote out of a lineup, this one would stick out like a sore thumb for being something the iconic character would say. We all get that Michael is obviously emotional at Dwight and Angela’s wedding, especially after seeing how happy Jim and Pam are as well. Despite the incestuous undertones, everyone that heard the line knows it came from a heartwarming place.