Neil Patrick Harris is back on TV with Uncoupled, but he plays a man far different from his most iconic character - Barney Stinson. From the beginning of How I Met Your Mother, Barney managed to be one of the show's most entertaining forces with his long list of famous catchphrases, and Harris' charm often worked in contrast to the character's problematic nature.
Throughout the show's 9 seasons, Barney got to say a lot of things, acting as the "playboy" of the group and sharing his inappropriate philosophies on how to treat women. Despite this, Barney did mature as the show went on, only for the showrunners to unpopularly undo all of his progress in the final episodes. . While he may be a bit over the place, these legend-wait-for-it-dary quotes help unpack all the sides to this sitcom character.
“I know a lot of girls call out your name because of me.”
Season 4, Episode 7 Not A Father's Day
Anyone who watches How I Met Your Mother can easily conclude that Barney is not a man of faith. However, that does not mean he does not talk to the lord above in some situations, such as this little moment right here.
Barney is talking to the lord for typically shallow reasons (he was afraid he knocked up a one-night stand). In addition, he uses the time to brag about his success with women in a church, showing that he has to put himself over as his perception of cool in any conversation. Still, it also shows a fearful side of Barney that was not shown as much in earlier seasons.
“In case I strike out with the hottest girl at the party."
Season 1, Episode 6 The Slutty Pumpkin
When asked why Barney has multiple costumes for Halloween, Barney gives this as his reasoning. The slutty pumpkin episode may focus on non-Barney-related costumes, but this scene shows Barney at his sleaziest and most entertaining. Barney always has a few plans up his sleeve and this simple one is an early example of that.
This quote shows Barney being as manipulative as he can be. While the sleaziness is part of the character, it also shows how Barney won't take no for an answer and considers it part of a great game. If a girl says no, that should be the end of it, but what makes this even more inappropriate is how aware Barney is of this. He just doesn't care.
"It's not legendary, unless your friends are there to see it."
Season 9, Episode 17 Sunrise
A soon-to-be married and very drunk Barney gives this quote to two random guys he meets at a party before walking off. He also gives them his infamous playbook and leaves these two young men stunned by his mysteriousness that night.
Even in the beginning, it was clear that Barney actually cared about his friends. Growing up with a somewhat unhappy childhood, he usually kept himself distant from people. His friends were the only people that got to know the man behind the character and one of his defining traits is his loyalty and love for them. In the end, they were the ones there for his best moments.
"That doesn’t make it wrong. Doesn’t everyone deserve to be happy?"
Season 8, Episode 10 The Over-Correction
In one of Barney's best quotes about love, he expresses happiness over Lily and Marshall's parents becoming an item. While Lily and Marshall are understandably upset by it, Barney does not mind. He is happy to see people happy.
Here is Barney showing his full romantic side that only starts to emerge as he grows older. Perhaps it was due to him actually letting himself see other people as people in these later seasons, but it shows how he began to yearn for what his friends and loved one had.
“Can We Talk About Something Else”
Season 2, Episode 3- Ted Mosby- Architect
Article 41 of Barney's very over-the-top Bro Code, which is a huge part of the lore of HIMYM, gives acceptable times to cry, which mostly involves movies and sports. One of these movies is Field Of Dreams, and Barney is shown choking up and saying this when the scene where Kevin Costner plays catch with his dad is mentioned.
Whether it is Barney just wanting to front for his friends or not, this shows how sheltered he was. He did not have a father growing up, and he blames it for some of his more awful traits. The scene of a man finally getting to play catch with his father after never getting to breaks him down, as it breaks into the pain that Barney truly carries.
“Thus, if she’s *this* crazy, she has to be *this* hot."
Season 3, Episode 5- How I Met Everyone Else
The famous Vicki Mendoza line. It decides how crazy a woman is allowed to be and Barney has this one ready when Ted was seeing a girl who was not very well liked by the group. He used this to explain how "crazy" she can get until it becomes a problem for him.
The Hot-Crazy scale is not something that's aged well. It is such an offensive, way to look at women that the fact that it was used in a relatively recent sitcom is shocking in itself. It shows off Barney's most problematic and toxic trait, in that he views women as objects and places their value in physical appearance over things like compatability.
"If you have a crazy story, I was there. It’s just a law of the universe.”
Season 8, Episode 17- The Ashtray
Barney does not like being left out by his friends. So, when Ted was telling a story that Barney was not there for, he constantly tried to put his way into the story. If Barney was not there, it could not have happened in his mind.
This shows a kind of codependence on Barney. He needs his friends to need him. The idea that Ted, who Barney usually writes off as a boring loser, can have interesting stories on his own kills him inside. Like most men who put on a macho show, Barney is a lonely guy and the idea of his friends doing stuff without him does break him.
“A lie is just a great story that someone ruined with the truth.”
Season 5, Episode 19- Zoo Or False
Barney likes to tell very over-the-top stories about his life. Whether that be when it comes to picking up women or just regular daily things, he likes going over the top. So his saying something like this is completely in line with his character.
Barney likes to be interesting. A lot of the time, real life is not that interesting, so he decided long ago that he was going to lie through life. He lies to the women he dates, to his mother and to his friends. He has to be over the top all of the time and in the end, that is due to his need for attention.
"I'm a guy who has faked love his entire life"
Season 8, Episode 6- Splitsville
Barney loves Robin, so when she needed to break up with Nick, he came and said this to facilitate the break-up. While he pretended he faked it at the time, again showing that he never shredded his manipulative nature, the words were genuine as shown in later episodes.
This was a great time for Barney to show some of his more mature colors. As their Taylor Swift song says, this is how to get his girl. He got to tell Robin how he feels and in it, displays a vulnerability rarely seen in Barney's character.
“A Bro is always entitled to do something stupid, as long as the rest of his Bros are all doing it.”
The Bro Code (Available on Amazon)
When the crew of How I Met Your Mother decided to produce a real-life version of The Bro Code, they included perhaps its most important part. Barney does a lot of dumb things, but if its done together with your friensd, it does not matter. They are being dumb together and that is what makes the moments worth it.
They are his family. Whether he wants to say it or not, Barney's friends mean as much to him as his mother and brother. He has had a lot of emotional stress in his early life. Barney treats people poorly yet somehow, has managed to stay with this group as he has those moments of breakthrough that made the character so compelling. No matter what, his friends are there for him and they in turn are his number one priority.