5 Community Quotes That Prove the Show Was Ahead of Its Time, Ranked

Full of meta-humor and pop culture references, the sitcom was truly underrated at the time. Fourteen years after its release, Community is thriving like never before, and we all wonder if it would be more successful if it were on the air now.

After all, despite being a gem of television, the show did get canceled after six seasons due to low ratings at the time.

Don't believe us? Here are five Community quotes that were so clever that they went over our heads at first.

5. Jeff Winger: "To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal, and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it."

This perfection of an analogy comes from the season 1 episode, Comparative Religion, and it is one of the best representations of Jeff as a character.

In the episode, Shirley wants the study group to celebrate Christmas together, only to find out that all the members come from very different backgrounds and religions.

Jeff is an agnostic who doesn't see the point of relying on religion, so his line sums that up in the most genius way possible and makes you wonder. No offense to Paul Rudd.

4. Britta Perry: "If I wanted the government in my uterus, I'd fill it with oil and Hispanic voters."

Britta's essence as a character is rebellion, and this quote from the season 5 episode, Cooperative Polygraphy, is a testament to her values.

The late Pierce wanted the group to answer questions under a lie detector, which led to the revelation that Shirley had been donating to a pro-life organization.

Britta is understandably pissed, and we know how this fiery blonde loves to protest things. The line is also painfully funny because it still rings true nine years later.

3. Abed Nadir: "When you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for others isn't such a big deal."

Abed is easily one of the most complex characters on television. He is weird, so you'd expect him to be insecure, right?

Well, he has proven us wrong on several occasions – one of them being the season 1 episode, Physical Education, when Abed says this line, solidifying our confidence in his high self-esteem.

The group tries to change Abed to make a girl like him, but he doesn't mind it too much because he knows who he is in his authentic self, and that is enough.

2. Annie Edison: "Oh, don't take that class, I dropped it after the lesson on set-ups. The professor is so old…"

Annie is not usually the most profound or the funniest of the group, but she has her moments.

In the season 2 episode, Competitive Wine Tasting, Shirley wants to take a class on writing jokes (seriously, Greendale Community College is the best, the range of the classes they offer is insane), but Annie thinks that it's a bad idea.

Since she only took the class on set-ups, Annie doesn't follow up with any sort of punchline. This is a clear case of the joke being so bad that it's actually brilliant!

1. Pierce Hawthorne: "I was never one to hold a grudge, Jeffrey. My father held grudges. I'll always hate him for that."

Pierce is certainly the most offensive member of the group, but he is also, in our humble opinion, by far the funniest.

In the season 2 episode, Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking, Jeff accuses Pierce of psychologically torturing the group because he wants revenge for always leaving him behind.

Pierce denies the claim and says the line that basically invalidates his own point. Since he hates his father for always holding grudges, Pierce is also prone to holding grudges. Just another one of Pierce's golden moments!

OK, that's settled. It's time to binge-watch Community's finest episodes (or all of them?) to make sure no lines go over our heads this time.