House M.D. Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by House, played by Hugh Laurie, in the show House M.D. (2004-2012).

This quote is the credo of Dr. Gregory House, the anti-social, medical-Sherlock-Holmes figure at the center of the hit series House M.D. House might be a cranky-pants, but he almost always solves the unbelievably hard-to-diagnose cases that come his way. Quite often, it's his total skepticism of everything and everyone that helps him save lives. Moral of the story? Be a jerk.

Here's a clip, if you're looking for some jerk lessons.

Where you've heard it

Like millions of other people, you probably heard it watching House, but maybe you also caught it while playing the video game Dead Island. Yet another doctor show, Scrubs, also used to poked fun at House all the time. (Jealous much?) There's also an episode of NCIS where Jeanne complains that Dr. House gets test results back way faster than she can.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Is it pretentious if it's true? Maybe a little—especially if it takes such a cynical, bleak view of the world.