Leslie Knope's Best Quotes from Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) was the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department's most dedicated worker, and it's safe to say she (sometimes) motivated the people around her to love their jobs, too.

Whether she was dishing Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) a unique compliment or nagging April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), she was always a reliable source of humor and brightness. 

Here are some of the best Leslie quotes from all seven seasons of the NBC comedy. 

Leslie Knopes's Greatest Compliments to Ann Perkins 

We'd be remiss not to include at least a few of the creative ways that Leslie referred to her best friend, Ann. 

"Ann's my doctor. And she's the most beautiful nurse in the world." 

In Season 3, Episode 2 ("Flu Season"), the flu swept Pawnee and hit nearly every employee of the Parks and Rec department. Leslie was in denial of her sickness for a long time, attempting to work through the cold sweats by simply wearing a puffer jacket at her desk. Finally, the illness got the better of her and she had to be admitted under Ann's care, where she was able to cherish their friendship in a whole new way. 

"Ann, you poetic, noble land mermaid." 

When Leslie got voted out of her city council chair in Season 6, Episode 7 ("Recall Vote"), Ann and Leslie's boyfriend, Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), teamed up to keep her grounded amidst the disappointment. Leslie was spewing depressing statements, telling trick-or-treating kids that they had likely already peaked and "nothing gold can stay."

Ann came in to save the day and had Leslie read aloud a note that Ann wrote about how she was strong and could keep going, prompting Leslie to land this perfect compliment. 

"What's Galentine's Day? Oh it's only the best day of the year." 

In the first Galentine's Day episode (Season 2, Episode 16), Leslie brought Ann to her annual brunch and gave her a taste of how the celebrations went down. She also explained to the cameras that the event is "Like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas." 

Leslie's Love of Waffles

When she was not raving about the power of friendship, Leslie was chasing down waffles and other sources of sugar. She consistently doused the waffles in whipped cream — just like she did with her coffee — and at one point the owner of JJ's Diner said that she's spent over $1,000 in the past year on waffles alone. 

"Yellow-haired female. Likes waffles and news." 

In Season 3, Episode 10 ("Soulmates"), Ann helped Leslie create an online dating profile for the first time. When prompted to describe herself, Leslie of course thought of waffles, which Ann suavely rewrote as "Sexy, well-read blonde loves the sweeter things in life." 

"Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?"

Her love of waffles certainly helped her buddy up with Parks and Rec Director Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), whose obsession with eggs and bacon made them the perfect pair. While eating together at the beloved JJ's Diner, Leslie posed this question to Ron, who responded, "People are idiots, Leslie." 

"Don't you dare feed that waffle to that dog to get it to poop."

Leslie famously despised Eagleton, the township next to Pawnee in which she eventually found out she had been born. In Season 3, Episode 12 ("Eagleton"), her past came back to haunt her when her old friend Lindsay Carlisle Shay (Parker Posey) fought her over a shared fence between the two towns.

Leslie investigated her enemy and discovered that Lindsay was buying waffles to-go from JJ's Diner, but then Lindsay revealed that the waffles were being used as a dog laxative, which kicked Leslie's anger into higher gear. 

Leslie's Strong Opinions

Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) appears in Parks and Recreation. Photo: Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Despite her consistently positive energy, Leslie knew where and when to take a stand. Her opinions on things like the library and salad were always very visible to those around her, and she used as many opportunities as possible to speak her truth. 

"I stand behind my decision to avoid salad and other disgusting things." 

In Season 4, Episode 5 ("Meet n Greet"), during her city council campaign, Leslie attempted to win over the support of small businesses in Pawnee, including the local salad shop. The owner of the shop mentioned that she'd never seen Leslie buy a salad there before, and Leslie said, "That's because I don't hate myself." 

"The library is the worst group of people ever assembled in history." 

Leslie had to go to bat against the librarians who wanted to use an open lot in town for a new branch instead of leaving it an open space for Leslie's park project, in Season 2, Episode 8 ("Ron and Tammy").

When she discovered that this rivalry, she went off about how much she hated libraries, saying that librarians are "mean, conniving, rude, and extremely well-read which makes them very dangerous." 

"That's horrifying and so is Orin. You should not be friends with him." 

Orin (Eric Isenhower) was April's close friend who often dressed in creepy outfits and intentionally spooked people. Leslie was vocal about her disapproval of him, especially when she saw that April was wearing a shirt for a performance art show Orin was in. "He's an animal living on a human farm and you can go and feed him with your own hand," April explained in Season 5, Episode 7 ("Leslie vs. April"). 

Watch all of Leslie Knope's best quotes by streaming all episodes of Parks and Recreation on Peacock.