Dwight Schrute was hands down one of the best characters on The Office. Without his enigmatic and incredibly weird personality, we wouldn't have some of the most iconic Office storylines in the history of the show.
Sure, there were many moments centering on Dwight that left us scratching our heads at his wild antics and -- at times -- bizarre social cues. But he always left us laughing, regardless of how much of an oddball he was.
There were also plenty of times in the series that he was the most relatable character and these are the top 10 moments that prove that.
When He Said We Needed A New Plague
While at Phyllis' wedding to Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration in season 3 of The Office, Dwight laments about how many people are there, and on this earth, to Jim. This venting led to one of the most popular quotes in the history of the series.
Dwight simply says, "We need a new plague." This has likely been a similar thought to many of us at one point in our lives, particularly when we're in a large crowd and wish there were fewer people to deal with.
Wishing the plague on everybody may not be the answer, but we can't exactly blame Dwight for feeling the way he does about it when we feel the same.
“Always the Padawan, never the Jedi.”
This classic Dwight Schrute quote should definitely resonate with all, but especially Star Wars fans. For those not in the know, a Padawan is basically an apprentice. Someone who is Force-sensitive who is training to eventually become a full-fledged Jedi.
Dwight's quote about himself using this terminology makes perfect sense, then, because he has been the "assistant to the regional manager" since the show's conception. At this moment, he was upset Michael hadn't recommended him to take over as manager of the Scranton branch, so he felt he would always be the Padawan...but never the Jedi.
We've all been there at some point in our lives, to be sure.
His Heartbreak Over Angela
In season 4, the unthinkable happened in Dwight and Angela's secret relationship. Angela broke up with him -- understandably so -- because he mercy-killed her cat, Sprinkles, who had many health problems.
This caused quite a stir in the office and in their future relationship with each other, as well as with other people. But seeing Dwight's suffering and anguish over their breakup was honestly too relatable for anyone who has been through a major heartbreak.
You think you'll end up with this person you're deeply in love with only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Granted, Dwight shouldn't have killed Sprinkles, but it was still horrible to see him go through this heartbreak.
When He Said Identity Theft Is Not A Joke
"Identity theft is not a joke, Jim!" Yes, that is one of the most famous lines ever to be uttered on The Office. Jim came into their workplace dressed identically to Dwight's normal business attire. He even took on his mannerisms to really sell the role he was playing on his co-worker.
So, of course, this made Dwight irrationally angry at Jim's prank. But it also resonated with fans of the show for two reasons. The first being the obvious one that identity theft is an actual serious thing, though Jim's version of it is far from illegal. And the second is we've all been pranked before and didn't enjoy it, so we understand where Dwight is coming from at this moment.
When He Misspelled “Failure” In Front Of The Whole School
Sometimes when Dwight was being interviewed by the camera crew filming the documentary, we were able to hear him recount some of the best stories from his childhood. This next one is solid proof of that.
He begins to tell the audience of a terribly embarrassing experience from his childhood. During a school spelling bee, it was his turn, and when he got up to the microphone, he misspelled the word "failure" in front of the entire school. Yikes.
Needless to say, everyone has had a moment like this where they failed especially, or just had an embarrassing moment stick with them the rest of their lives. It's part of growing up, sadly.
His Jealousy Of Ryan And Michael’s Friendship
Haven't we all at one point or another in our lives had that one person who always upstaged us? That made us feel inferior or less than? That is exactly who Ryan Howard was for Dwight Schrute from the first moment Ryan walked into Dunder Mifflin.
Michael became obsessed with Ryan and attaining his friendship, yet Dwight was doing the same with Michael. He has admired him for ages and wanted nothing more than to be his boss' best friend, confidante, and to be recognized as his hardest working employee. So when Ryan came in the picture and unwillingly became the apple of Michael's eye, Dwight was none too happy.
We feel Dwight's pain on this one.
Asking Himself If An Idiot Would Do That
The best piece of advice Michael Scott ever gave Dwight Schrute? "Don't be an idiot." It evidently changed Dwight's life, according to him. So it makes sense that he would make it a ritual of his to ask himself if an idiot would do whatever decision he's about to make, and then if they would, he doesn't make that choice.
It's a solid piece of advice, we'll give Michael that. And as for Dwight, we'd be lying if we said that we haven't asked ourselves similar questions when deciding something major or even inconsequential in our lives.
When He Admitted To Enjoying Catching People In The Act
One of the most hilarious admissions from Dwight had to be when he told Michael he loves catching people in the act. That's why he whips open doors all of the time, after all.
Whether he's talking about catching people in the midst of doing something altogether sketchy, or if his meaning is more about shared intimacy between two people, we get his logic here.
We are not advising anyone to whip open doors like Dwight here does, but we can likely agree on the fact that there is a bit of fun in catching people doing something they shouldn’t.
His Answers In A Job Interview
“How would I describe myself? Three words: hardworking, alpha male, jackhammer, merciless, insatiable.” This is the answer he gives a prospective employer during a job interview in season 3. He had been forced to quit when Michael suspected him of going over his head again and therefore was on the hunt for a new job.
If only we would be able to show our extreme confidence while on a job interview like Dwight was able to do in this scene. Regardless, we wish we were able to answer with just as much candor and honesty as he was able to in this instance.
He Keeps A Diary (To Keep Secrets From His Computer)
Many of us at some point have had a diary where we kept track of memories, jotted down our thoughts and dreams, and even made note of important conversations we've had with others. So it was somewhat surprising when we learned Dwight had a diary of his own.
What wasn't as surprising was his reason for it: to keep secrets from his computer. He is definitely the most paranoid employee at Dunder Mifflin, so while we may not fully understand his logic, it does make sense for a man like Dwight to do this.
At least we can relate to the fact he felt the need to keep a diary in the first place, whatever his reasons behind it actually were.